( The picture above is for a 12 years old girl aids patients who was covering her face with a mask during her speech in the first conference for the organization last year. )
Up until 2008, there were 13926 aids patients in Saudi Arabia . In 2009, 1274 has been added to the previous number.On Wednesday , a workshop was held by a Saudi organization for aids asked the media to spread the message of " No for Discrimination Against Aids Patients" .
I know for a fact that lots of people here still think that being an aids patients is your fault, and that you must have got it through sexual relationship. A few people know the difference between Aids and HIV. A lot of aids patients are being stained with shame and people look down on them. We really need to spread the word for a better knowledge of the disease and stop the discrimination against aids patients.
The problem happens in the whole society. when the First and only Saudi organization for aids started its work, it was faced by ignoring from almost everyone thus it has no financial resources, society feared that acknowledging the organization is the first step to accept the existing of AIDS in Saudi Arabia, mostly because it is still believed that the cause of it is sexual relationships.
Religious leaders also denounce the organization saying that it is working in a westerns manner by accepting illegal sexual relationships and asking for money to help with its consequence.
The first aids case has been discovered in Saudi Arabia was in 1984. That's a long time for the society to accept and help Aids patients.
I felt sorry for this girl :( Well what is the main reason that caused AIDS in KSA?
BalasHapuseven there is so much talk about aids throughout the world...it still is here..we have to do whatever we can as human people to make this dieses stop.
BalasHapusand those who are suffereing from eaither...we need to show them respect and let them live with dignity
Do you know where they get the numbers from? If other things are any indication, the number is probably much higher.
BalasHapusConsidering the severe social stigma associated with it I think many Saudis who have it do not report it.
I believe foreigners are test for it before they are allowed to live in Saudi, I wonder how much of those numbers are foreigners?
c, she is innocent beautiful girl:(
BalasHapus. according to the press !! the main reason is sexual realtionships
angie, well said dear, the problem is who listens !!. whatever the reason, they deserve to be live in diginity as you said.
ابوسنان,these are the numbers the organization declared and they say they are working with the governments, but it's well-known that any numbers declared by anyone here are not true, you have to multiply them by god knows how much. nothing is said about how they are discovered or treated or anything. as for foreigners the numbers claimed that the majority are from them. from 13926 up unitl 2008, 10388 are not Saudis and from the 1274 cases known in 2009, 769 are not Saudis !!
"Religious leaders also denounce the organization saying that it is working in a westerns manner by accepting illegal sexual relationships and asking for money to help with its consequence."
BalasHapusThat is so not true for everyone!! Even if it was, we shouldn't judge based on what we see on the facts. Aids = unportected illegal sexual relationships, therefore we should hate on aids patients. No, because that's not the case for everyone and even if it was, lets leave the judging to Allah shall we?
Sometimes people can be so insensitive, and they call themselves religious leaders. Shame on them!
mature, most times people are insensitive, because we don't think beyond our own self and care nothing about others. if we just imagaine we would be in such situations, then we may understand .
BalasHapus