Say it loud: We can end AIDS!

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There was another day of activism in Washington DC today, where people took to the streets in a ‘mobilisation for economic justice and human rights’. Organised to coincide with the 19th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) currently being held in Washington, five separate marches were held, each taking a different route before converging in Lafayette Square, in front of the White House.

The five strands were defined as:

  • A 'Robin Hood' tax on Wall Street
  • People over pharma profits
  • Promote sound policies
  • End the war on women
  • Human rights and harm reduction.

Many of the marchers started at the Global Village, the community area of the conference, causing a stir as they passed through the convention centre and outside.

Glossary

criminalisation

In HIV, usually refers to legal jurisdictions which prosecute people living with HIV who have – or are believed to have – put others at risk of acquiring HIV (exposure to HIV). Other jurisdictions criminalise people who do not disclose their HIV status to sexual partners as well as actual cases of HIV transmission. 

harm reduction

Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use (including safer use, managed use and abstinence). It is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.

microbicide

A product (such as a gel or cream) that is being tested in HIV prevention research. It could be applied topically to genital surfaces to prevent or reduce the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse. Microbicides might also take other forms, including films, suppositories, and slow-releasing sponges or vaginal rings.

A group of nurses from National Nurses United, the largest union of nurses in the US, were vocal supporters of the ‘Robin Hood' tax group – in their distinctive green felt hats – and spoke of their anger with the current inequalities in the US:

“It’s a disgrace, a national disgrace. We want our money back! From across the country, the nurses are here. They stand with everyone involved in the social movement, everyone involved in the AIDS movement…we’re here for the long haul and Wall Street’s gonna pay!”

I marched with the ‘End the war on women’ group and they were in fine voice. The mood of the march was warm and optimistic, strong and defiant, with enthusiastic chants of  “Women, united, will never be defeated” and the brilliantly constructed, “Together we can turn the tide, give us our microbicides”!

With many groups represented, the list of demands from the marchers included the scale-up of TB programmes; the expansion of harm reduction programmes; an end to criminalisation of sex workers; drug users and people living with HIV; and universal access to HIV treatment. As all the groups converged, the message from the podium was pretty clear. If we have the tools to end the epidemic, it’s not good enough to say that we don’t have the money. Find the money. End AIDS.

Where to find the money is a question that’s also being tackled inside the conference centre.