First World AIDS Day rally to be held in Malta in December
Activists from a coalition of NGOs are set to gather outside Castille, Valletta on Sunday 1st December at 11am for a rally on World AIDS Day, demanding HIV-related electoral promises, policy changes and an end to stigma.A coalition of NGOs is organis
Activists from a coalition of NGOs are set to gather outside Castille, Valletta on Sunday 1st December at 11am for a rally on World AIDS Day, demanding HIV-related electoral promises, policy changes and an end to stigma.
A coalition of NGOs is organising the first-ever World AIDS Day rally in Malta. The coalition's aim is to give visibility to HIV, fight stigma, and to humanise HIV on World AIDS day, an international day of remembrance for all those lost to the AIDS epidemic and an opportunity to combat HIV-related stigma.
The coalition said that locally, the World AIDS Day rally will also serve as a reminder for the Government of Malta to introduce free PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) which are "game-changing" HIV preventative medications that will curb new HIV diagnoses. It stressed that this was an electoral promise that is yet to be fulfilled, whilst vulnerable people remain without access to free PrEP/PEP medications. It pointed out that Malta has one of the highest rates of HIV in the EU/EEA so it is "prudent" to make these medications accessible, which have been proven to bring HIV numbers down.
Additionally, the Maltese coalition demands that the Government provide every person living with HIV in Malta with free treatment, regardless of residency status, since it not only keeps the persons healthy but also protects the community at large from ongoing transmission. For that reason, the coalition of NGOs invites the public to attend the rally to remember those lost to AIDS, celebrate those living and demand action.
The coalition of NGOs is comprised of: Checkpoint Malta, HIV Malta, MGRM, Moviment Graffitti, LGBTI+ Gozo, ARC - Allied Rainbow Communities and aditus, with the endorsement of Humanists Malta, MMSA - Malta Medical Students Association, KNŻ - Kunsill Nazzjonali taż-Żgħażagħ, PrEPping Malta and Drachma.
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