SUNYANI KURONTI-HENE CONDEMN RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO DESCRIBE HIV PATIENTS AS PROSTITUTES/WOMANIZERS

Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET) has held their Annual General
Meeting and capacity building at Sunyani the regional capital of Brong
Ahafo.

Theme for this year's annual general meeting was "Accelerating to Zero
HIV Together -The Role of CSOs." GHANET partnered with Ghana AIDS
Commission, USAID, UNAIDS, UNFPA and FHI360.

Nana Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem, Koronti-hene of Sunyani who chaired
the ceremony said, many religious leaders in the country link/tag
people living with HIV as being prostitutes/womanizers and such
behaviour will let HIV patients hide themselves from the public. He
charged religious leaders to desist from such behavior.

Nana Bofotia thanked GHANET for such an initiative and asked for more
Civil Society Organizations to come on board to assist the government
in eradicating the disease from the country. He spoke against
stigmatization against HIV patients and urged all present at the
meeting to give rightful information to authorities and that will help
fighting any deadly disease in the country.

Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Justice Samuel Adjei, who
spoke on behalf of the Hon. Regional Minister charged Politicians,
traditional rulers, members of the clergy, members of the media,
parents, teachers and community members in their role of advocacy and
service provision on HIV and AIDS in our local communities.

He said the theme for the 2014 meeting "Accelerating to Zero
Together-the role of civil society organizations" is very laudable and
appropriate, since it presents the opportunity to gain an upper hand
in the fight against HIV and AIDS in our dear nation.

He noted that, The 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS
Document agreed by United Nations (UN) Member States made an explicit
call for the full involvement of civil society actors (including
people living with HIV) in the planning, implementation and evaluation
of HIV and AIDS programs. "Although civil society organizations have a
long history of advocacy and service provision on HIV and AIDS in our
local communities, the Declaration's call provides impetus for renewed
attention to the role of civil society organizations in HIV and AIDS
prevention and eradication."

According to him, the government has adhered to various international
commitments to addressing universal access to HIV prevention,
treatment, care and support and protection of persons infected and
affected by the various.