Blame & Banishment - Médecins du Monde

Blame and Banishment: The underground HIV epidemic affecting children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
In many countries, the design of systems is such that confidentiality is inherently difficult
to maintain. For example, in order to receive social benefits, families may have to prove
every year that a disability is still present, namely that their child is still HIV-positive. Facing
annual review commissions unnecessarily expands the number of people who know about a
person’s HIV status.
Mandatory registration for many health and social programmes sets a high threshold that
dissuades many from seeking preventive or treatment services, particularly vulnerable
populations. Drug user registration laws have their roots in legislation developed during the
Soviet era with a view to enforcing tight monitoring and control of drug users, often in close
cooperation with the police. In many countries, doctors are also required to routinely report
those seeking treatment for substance abuse to law enforcement authorities. Rather than
a route to assistance and care, registration is therefore perceived as a form of ‘branding’ of
social troublemakers and a potential source of prohibition of their basic rights. For example,
on the grounds of their drug use alone, those registered can lose custody of their children.
This further diminishes their chances of social reintegration and discourages many from
seeking treatment and support. 43
Weaknesses in health-care settings have resulted in outbreaks of HIV among children. The issue has been widely reported by the international
media, including the BBC, The New York Times, Reuters, Pravda and others.
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