Stigma and discrimination are among the biggest obstacles to fighting the spread of HIV-AIDS in Zimbabwe, according to activists and experts combating the pandemic - but few HIV-positive individuals are aware of the protections at their disposal.
Participants in a recent workshop in Harare discussed how the rights of those living with HIV/AIDS are frequently violated by employers, landlords and others - but that the victims of such discrimination very rarely assert their right to be treated like any other Zimbabwean though they have legal recourse under law and the constitution.
For more on such problems and how the HIV-positive can defend their rights, reporter Ndimyake Mwakalyele spoke with experts Rangu Nyamurundira, an attorney with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, and Benjamin Mazhindu, chairman of the Zimbabwe National Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS.
Nyamurandira said that while anti-discrimination laws are not specific to people living with HIV/AIDS, they are in place and can be effective tools for defending rights.