Addressing stigma and discrimination in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the Alliance and partners are going to the heart of government to bring about the political, social and legal change needed to make HIV programming most effective.

The Alliance in Ukraine also addresses stigma and discrimination by:

  • protecting the human rights of people living with HIV, injecting drug users, people involved in sex work, and other groups at risk
  • introducing prevention, care and support programmes for most at risk populations, which includes legal, medical and social assistance
  • ensuring the presence of people with HIV and populations most at risk in decision making bodies, and advocating for their rights.

In 2006, over 102,000 injecting drug users, over 14,000 women involved in commercial sex, and 26,000 prisoners most vulnerable to HIV had access to prevention and information services, including legal assistance. 430 people had access to substitution therapy, and more than 14,000 people with HIV are receiving non-medical care and support.

But all this would not have been possible without Alliance Ukraine and partners working at the parliamentary level to address potentially stigmatising actions and hence build a stronger foundation for HIV programming. Activities have included:

Breaking down the barriers to harm reduction work

The principal cause of HIV transmission in Ukraine is injecting drug use. But Ukraine had inherited a repressive policy on illegal drugs from the former Soviet Union, which was hampering Ukraine’s ability to efficiently prevent and respond to HIV.

Alliance Ukraine presented analysis to parliamentary hearings on Ukraine’s response to illegal drugs – which included evidence showing how statistics were being distorted, how law enforcement bodies were operating inefficiently, and demonstrating the impact on the implementation of prevention programmes. As a result, members of parliament approved a parliamentary decree declaring the Ukrainian government’s response to illegal drugs inefficient. The Alliance and partners then sent a letter to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, which proposed actions to address the issues hampering efficient harm reduction programmes, and the issue was tabled at a meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where Ukraine’s president personally criticised the actions of law enforcement bodies. The following day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs department head – who had been one of the main opponents to harm reduction programmes, including substitution therapy – left his office.

Opposing discriminatory changes in Ukraine’s HIV legislation

At the start of 2005, Ukraine’s opposition party registered a draft law in parliament, which included the possibility of medical staff being able to disclose people’s HIV status, without prior consent, to their relatives, partners and people who live with them. This law would have ultimately harmed Ukraine’s HIV response, putting people off getting tested and accessing services. The Alliance together with the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS prepared a paper highlighting the illegality of the proposed changes which contradicted the key principles of human rights and breached patient confidentiality. Appeals were sent to special parliamentary committees and the human rights ombudsman, and in September 2005 the draft law was excluded from consideration.

Raising awareness of the threat to harm reduction programming

In May and June 2005, Alliance Ukraine drew attention to the Ukrainian government’s intentions to prohibit the use of methadone for medical purposes. The draft regulations had been prepared without public discussion and the documents were nearing the process of being agreed by the law enforcement agencies. Local and international partner organisations made open appeals to the government, to the prime minister and the president. The press conference ‘Be aware! A repressive narcotic drugs policy!’ captured the attention of journalists and the mass media and the Alliance Ukraine advocacy officer had a live prime-time television debate with the head of the Drugs Control Committee. The campaign gained significant resonance in civil society, and the Ukraine government abandoned its attempts to introduce the legislative changes.

In December 2006, thanks in part to NGO advocacy, Ukraine’s parliament adopted a new version of the law ‘On Narcotic Substances and Precursors’ and amended the law ‘On Measures to Counter Illicit Drug Trafficking’, which partially liberalises the drug legislation. And in January 2006, Ukraine’s parliament decriminalised individual sex work, which has allowed increased coverage of HIV prevention services for sex workers.

Red ribbon award

In 2006, the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS – a long standing partner of the Alliance Ukraine – won a Red Ribbon Award for its work addressing HIV- and AIDS- related stigma and discrimination. The Network works closely with public institutions to draw attention to stigma and discrimination, to secure medical treatment, and to help empower people living with HIV. The network’s regional representatives have become active and highly skilled advocates and have been building the representation of people with HIV in both the regional and national HIV coordination councils. As a result, NGO representatives are having a real impact on decision making at regional and local levels.