MSP Calls for Unity to Tackle HIV Stigma

SNP MSP Clare Haughey led a debate in the Scottish Parliament marking World Aids Day 2023.
 
World Aids Day, which falls on Friday December 1^st, provides an opportunity to show solidarity with the over 100,000 people in the UK living with HIV. 
 
Clare Haughey MSP used this debate to reaffirm a commitment to ending HIV transmission in Scotland by 2030; highlighting the importance of removing stigma; remembering all those who have been lost to HIV/AIDS related illness; and celebrate activists and charities who continue to campaign for progress.
 
The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to eradicate transmission, including publishing a HIV elimination proposal, funding anti-stigma campaigns alongside the Terrence Higgins Trust, and expanding support for medical interventions.
 
SNP MSP Clare Haughey said:
 
“World Aids Day affords us the opportunity to come together to stand in solidarity with all people living with HIV.
 
“It allows us to remember those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS-related illnesses over the decades, as well as celebrate activists and charities who have refused to let HIV stigma stand in the way of progress.
 
“As charities like the Terrence Higgins Trust say: nowadays, stigma is more harmful than HIV itself.
 
“We still have a way to go in tackling stigma but public information campaigns, such as the new national HIV anti-stigma campaign led by Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the Scottish Government, can make a difference which, in turn, will save lives.”