On Sunday, 1st December, Moviment Graffitti will be joining other organisations to commemorate World AIDS Day. This is an international day of remembrance for all those lost to the AIDS epidemic.
To mark this day, a coalition of organisations, Checkpoint Malta, HIV Malta, MGRM, Moviment Graffitti, LGBTI+ Gozo, Allied Rainbow Communities – ARC and aditus, will be organising We Are Positive: Time for Action – World AIDS Day Rally, at Castille Square in Valletta at 11.00 a.m.
The aim of the rally is to give visibility to HIV, to fight the stigma that still surrounds HIV, and to give a human face to HIV. The rally will also emphasise the importance of testing for HIV since that is the only way that HIV can be managed. Not knowing one’s status and not taking medication will lead to advanced HIV (AIDS).
People living with HIV face a great deal of stigma to the extent that they often keep their status a secret. As a result, they have very few sources of support. Additionally, there is very little public awareness about this topic. Not many people may know that nowadays, with regular medication, the virus is controlled to the extent that it cannot be passed on to others during sex. Therefore people with HIV who have access to medication can live long and healthy lives. Therefore, the coalition believes that HIV medication should be accessible to everyone regardless of nationality and residency status.
The organisations will also remind the government that it has yet to fulfil its electoral promise of providing free preventive medication, PrEP and PEP for those who are at risk of contracting HIV and spreading it to others. Malta has one of the highest HIV diagnoses in Europe and there are hundreds of people living with HIV in Malta.Come and join us in the fight against HIV and AIDS.