HIV & AIDS Legal Services (HLS)

Despite efforts in Zambia and elsewhere to address stigma and discrimination, many still view people living with HIV in a negative way. Stigma and discrimination have been identified as key challenges to the prevention and control of the HIV&AIDS epidemic and are serious violation of human rights.The implications of stigma and discrimination are wide and far reaching. They include:

• People avoiding voluntary testing and counselling (VCT) and PLHIV not accessing free anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for fear of stigma;
• PLHIV and those affected being shunned from social and work places;
• PLIHV being dismissed from work on the basis of their actual or perceived HIV status.

All this makes it difficult for such people to fully exploit their skills and talents, and prevents people from fully participating in Zambian society and contributing to national development.

More often than not, PLHIV who have experienced stigma and discrimination find that their financial and economic capacity dips, they become prone to food insecurity, and when their rights are violated its either they cannot afford conventional legal representation or they are afraid to expose their status in public.

To address these issues, the HIV&AIDS Legal Services programme of ZARAN will be implemented. Through this programme ZARAN’s AIDSLaw Clinic will provide legal assistance and advice on various aspects of injustice experienced by people living with, and affected by HIV and AIDS.

Another component of the HLS programme will be the initiation of public interest litigation on key cases in the courts of law as a form of advocacy. It is intended that ZARAN will in the long run contribute effectively to case law as it relates to HIV&AIDS and Human Rights in Zambia. Additionally, the programme will include a component of human rights and legal rights education for all the people and not just PLWHA and the affected.

The strategic objective and strategies of this programme are as follows:

Strategic Objective: