Disability rights, HIV/AIDS in East and Southern Africa – considerations for policy and practice
Despite a number of recent studies amongst people with disabilities (PWD) in selected African countries that suggest rates of HIV infection are at least similar to, or higher than those of the general population, PWD have not been routinely identified as a vulnerable population to be integrated within National Strategic Plans on HIV and AIDS (NSPs) in Southern and Eastern Africa (ESA). This brief identifies various limitations in the domestication of disability rights in ESA including limited provision for access to justice, limited provision for data collection, as well as limited recognition of the gender dimensions of disability. Recommendations for governments suggest the endorsement of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, domestication of commitments relating to disability, mainstreaming of disability in Millennium Development Goals and the development of strategies to support implementation of commitments by all key sectors.
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