Page 47 - Human Rights

Faculty of Nursing
Adult care Nursing Department

2.7.1 Protecting care through protecting rights

Nurses and midwives in professional practice treating patients with HIV/AIDS are faced with a

number of challenges.

All nurses can play a part in advocating for the rights of HIV/AIDS patients and combating

discrimination that creates a barrier to care.

The International Council of Nurses urges its national member associations to: actively participate

in sensitizing and educating the public about HIV/AIDS; take measures to combat violence against
women including rape, sexual abuse, child prostitution and trafficking; work to protect the basic

human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, their families, the public and nurses who care for

those living with HIV/AIDS.

The Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care has called for more specialist training for nurses
to respond to the specific needs of HIV/AIDS patients.

The Association pointed out that care for HIV/AIDS patients requires in-depth knowledge of

disease prevention, health promotion, harm reduction and palliative care.

According to UNAIDS, injecting drug use is one of the primary causes of the spread of HIV in
Europe and Central Asia, where it is responsible for 80% of all HIV cases.

In the Middle East, North America, South and East Asia and Latin America, HIV is prevalent in over

80% of certain populations of injecting drug users.

Despite these figures, very little is being done to provide access to clean needles, access sterilizing
materials or provide drop-off points for used needles (see example below), measures

recommended by UNAIDS to combat the spread of the disease.

44 Academic Year 2025/2026