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Kenyan tribunal strengthens legal protection of people with AIDS

Xinhua, December 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya's HIV/AIDS tribunal has enacted sweeping legislation to shield people living with the virus from stigma and discrimination, an official said Wednesday ahead of World AIDS Day to be marked on Thursday.

Jotham Arwa, chairman of Kenya's HIV/AIDS Tribunal, said the agency had partnered with the judiciary to enforce laws that protect the rights of HIV-positive individuals in the country.

"We have strengthened legal response to HIV/AIDS against a backdrop of rampant stigma and discrimination of people living with the disease in the community and workplace," Arwa told reporters in the capital Nairobi.

He said Kenya had domesticated global instruments to advance the rights and welfare of people living with HIV/AIDS, however the tribunal had documented dozens of cases regarding violation of rights and dignity of these people and had recommended prosecution of offenders.

"These cases will be prosecuted soon to serve as a warning to would-be perpetrators of crimes against people living with AIDS," Arwa said.

While Kenya has made significant progress in reducing the burden of AIDS, stigma has undermined the war against the disease that affects an estimated 6 percent of the population, according to the official.

Director of the National AIDS Control Council, Nduku Kilonzo, said attitude change and law enforcement are key to minimizing such stigma and discrimination. Endit