World AIDS Day
Nelson Mandela at a World AIDS Day appearance in the city of Bloemfontein:
Many who suffer from HIV and AIDS are not killed by the virus, but by stigma. You have to sympathize with them. It is your duty to be human. Do not stigmatize people with AIDS. Show them care, support and, above all, love.
In my opinion, the AIDS epidemic needs to be addressed primarily on a societal level, not merely as an individual problem. I saw a Yahoo! news photo last night that showed, in India, a former sex worker going door to door in an area where prostitutes live showing them a picture flip book on the danger of AIDS. Obviously, I think it’s great that individuals are being informed and instructed how to use condoms, etc., but I would like to see more effort to address the stigma - the shame, prejudice and poverty that encircles HIV/AIDS.