Description
The main focus of this project is a specific type of discrimination – one that affects people living with HIV. The goal is to conduct training of school staff, as well as youth and people in general living with HIV, addressing gender equality and sexual orientation issues. The project is expected to promote healthy and tolerant behaviours, and to train teachers to work with their students, through specific activities, attitudes and language. Besides the teachers, the project will empower people infected and affected by HIV and stakeholders connected to the fields of health, labour and social welfare, to avoid discrimination. For those who are HIV positive and are discriminated, legal advice and support shall be provided in defence of their rights. A centre for information and documentation will be modernized and extended, and legislative changes will be proposed based on the systematization of discrimination instances reported within the scope of the project.
Summary of project results
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) suffer from significant discrimination and are not aware of the rights and resources that exist to defend them. The results of the Stigma Index Portugal study showed that these people are discriminated 1 to 2 times a year, 60% do not confront the discriminator and 20% to 50% of respondents have self-discrimination behaviors. It is necessary to intensify their capacities and empowerment by implementing the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV / AIDS (GIPA) principle. Professionals from different areas (educational agents, NGO collaborators, lawyers, social support structures), and young people, for the essential role they can play in promoting attitudes of non-discrimination and integration in the various contexts of society, are players that may have a key role in improving the situation. 118 young people were trained on tolerance, equality and non-discrimination especially in the area of sexuality; 620 people were trained on PLHIV rights and on fighting against discrimination, with reported improvement of knowledge and attitudes, and 20 PLHIV were empowered regarding the defense of their rights. Those figures surpassed by far the initial targets and are a measure of the project success. In addition to training (15 training actions) and empowerment, the project has developed an on-line data basis on HIV issues (4300 new entries) visited 76 981 times during the project, has received and treated 85 requests of personal and legal assistance and has submitted to the Parliament a law modification and several complaints to public entities (health sector). The project promoter reports that its staff has got new skills from the law firm partner and are now more able to identify discrimination situations and take the basic steps to overcome them or to submit complaints to competent bodies.
Summary of bilateral results