Shame of discrimination

Local authorities to blame 

Discrimination against HIV carriers is unjust, but the 8-year-old lived in a small village, where the authorities never took any measure to gain villagers' confidence that they were safe. The local authorities have failed in their duty by letting an 8-year-old AIDS patient live there, unprotected.

Yanzhao Metropolis Daily, Dec 18

Social services should have covered the boy, but nobody cared about him even though his grandparents applied many times. It is urgent and necessary to improve the social welfare system so as to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

gmw.cn, Dec 21

Some said the people behind this incident have "damaged the image of the State". Had they not planned the incident, the 8-year-old would remain uncared for. His grandparents had long appealed for help, yet local governments made no response until the incident emerged as a national focus. It is the cold-blooded local officials not those who planned it or the villagers that damaged the reputation of the State.

cjn.cn, Dec 21

In its special declaration, the United Nations said that stigma and discrimination are the biggest enemies in the fight to eliminate HIV/AIDS. But worse than that, some AIDS patients are unable to protect themselves for lack of social relief and help from the State. Local officials helped this boy after his case was reported; next time please do not wait until journalists come from nationwide before you act.

Beijing News, Dec 21

Many blame the villagers for discrimination. Just answer this question, asked by someone online: "Imagine your neighbor gets AIDS; would you still hug him?" It is easy to occupy the moral high ground, but to create a society free from discrimination we need to start with ourselves first. More needs to be done to let healthy people know they do not get affected so easily; that's especially important in remote villages, where education about public health is poor.

subaonet.com, Dec 21

(China Daily 12/22/2014 page10)

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