2026 ZERO DISCRIMINATION DAY
All stakeholders should do more to contain unfair treatment of others
As people across the world mark the 2026 Zero Discrimination Day with the theme, ‘Save lives: Decriminalise’, the UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) has continued to highlight the plight of People Living With HIV/Aids (PLWHA). The stigma and discrimination associated with the disease, according to UNAIDS, put lives at risk. “Based on data from more than 30,000 people living with HIV across 25 countries, stigma and discrimination remain pervasive barriers to health access, dignity, and human rights,” UNAIDS says. “85 per cent of people living with HIV feel internalised stigma, and many change their behaviour— hiding their HIV status, or interrupting HIV treatment—because of fear of rejection and judgment. These findings confirm that HIV related stigma is not a side issue; it is a barrier to ending AIDS by 2030.”
But in Nigeria today, it is not only people living with HIV/AIDS that face discrimination. The physically challenged are also subjected to discrimination both by society and relevant authorities. From transportation which allows movement and interactions, through health, recreations and even educational services which can make them compete effectively, people with one disability or another are most often deprived of their rights. Everywhere and every day in Nigeria, obstacles are thrown on their paths. To worsen the situation, many are regarded by their families as a source of shame and treated as objects of charity. Not a few end up in the streets as beggars while others turn to drugs and other socially unacceptable behaviour to generate income.
Meanwhile, it has long been established that the biggest challenge that PLWHA faces in Nigeria are stigma and discrimination. Recent reports by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the United Nations AIDS Agency (UNAIDS) both concluded that cases of new HIV infections are on the rise globally. And discrimination is a major factor. It is therefore important that all stakeholders come together to re-strategise with a single-minded determination to stem the scourge. While the prevalence varies from one state to another, it is estimated that about two million Nigerians are infected with the virus.
It is disturbing that Nigeria ranks third among countries with the highest burden of HIV infection in the world. But it is more prevalent among people in prisons and high-risk drug users who are easily discriminated against. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime studies on HIV prevalence in Nigerian prisons reveal that 2.8 per cent of inmates and 9 per cent of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) live with HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate of Nigerians between the age bracket of 15 and 49 with HIV infections is 3.1 per cent, making the country the second largest in Africa, after South Africa. To address this huge burden, health authorities in the country must scale up their enlightenment campaigns on the many risk behaviours that could lead to infections, particularly in the rural areas.
It is worrisome that HIV/AIDS epidemic is still a serious public health issue with enormous negative impact on the health of Nigerians and the economy. Yet the key issues fingered by health authorities for the present scary situation are that of stigma and discrimination. The consequence of this is that several Nigerians die needlessly of a preventable disease that is also no longer life-threatening if properly managed.
Launched in December 2013 by UNAID and first observed on 1st March 2014, the initial idea of the Zero Discrimination Day was to fight HIV-related stigma, before it was expanded to advocate for equality, inclusion, and human rights for everyone. On a day such as this, efforts should be made on the need to put people first by ending all forms of stigma and discrimination in Nigeria.
