CALGARY – Aboriginal AIDS Awareness week officially launched on Tuesday, and across the country leaders are discussing community-based approaches to deal with the disease.
In Canada, infection rates are more than three-and-a-half times higher in First Nations, Metis and Inuit people than in the rest of the population.
“HIV is more profound in aboriginal communities, so it’s obviously an alarming, high rate,” said Kerrigan Johnson, who learned she was HIV-positive 10 years ago.
Rodney Little Mustache spoke about his struggles with HIV at the launch event in Calgary.
“In June of 1984 I found out I was HIV-positive,” Little Mustache told the crowd.
“Today I speak my own truth.”
Little Mustache told the crowd silence isn’t the answer.
“A lot of people are silenced because of discrimination,” he said, adding “it’s hard because we’re First Nations.”
Kerrigan Johnson said there’s a stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and that other stereotypes compound the problem..
“We’re often labeled as alcoholics – we have more homeless rates in a lot of the provinces and stuff like that, so it’s more profound,” she said.
Another problem – a lack of education and treatment programs for people living in isolated communities.
“There are no facilities in northern communities,” said Emma Palmantier, Chair of the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network.
“They have to move to urban cities to get the service that they need.”
Aboriginal leaders are hoping the federal government will come forward with funding to help them develop effective community solutions as they strive for zero infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
Workshops to discuss HIV/AIDS in the aboriginal population are being held in a variety of cities across Canada this week.
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