HIV positive persons shy away from legal help – Law Federation

People Living with the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (PLHIV) in the Volta region are reluctant to seek help concerning their rights for fear of being stigmatized.

Ms Benedicta Laryea, Projects Co-ordinator, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Ghana, told the Ghana News Agency at a three-day paralegal workshop for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and their caregivers in Ho.

She said PLHIV in the region were afraid that their identities would be made public by those who may be approached for help.

One of the HIV caregivers told the Ghana News Agency that he has been stigmatized himself.

He said anytime he was seen frequenting a household the suspicion was that he was attending to some HIV positive person or persons.

The Caregiver said the situation has become so bad that he was losing some of his friends and some of his clients.

Ms Laryea said the workshop titled: “Promoting the Rights of Women Living with and affected by HIV/AIDs in Ghana”, was therefore to train the PLHIV and Co-ordinators working with the Association of PLHIV to become community paralegals.

She said the workshop organised in collaboration with “Womankind” of the United Kingdom under FIDA’s Legal Literacy programme, was to teach the participants basic laws in Ghana to enable them provide legal assistance to PLHIV and members of their communities.

Madam Susan Aryeetey, a facilitator, said women who are abused by their husbands and partners were at greater risk of contracting HIV because they could not negotiate for safe sex with their partners some of whom might have multiple sexual partners.

Topics being treated included Laws in Marriages in Ghana, the Rights of the Ghanaian Woman, Property Rights of Women in relation to Succession, the Domestic Violence Act 2007 and Introduction to Conflict Resolution, Mediation and Arbitration.

Source: GNA