The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya and the Libyan Society for Safe Childhood, a national NGO, cooperated in the organisation of a workshop aimed at enhancing legal protection for children living with HIV/AIDS. The workshop took place in Tripoli on the 23rd-24th December, and was attended by over sixty participants, mainly from the medical and legal professions.

In his opening remarks, Dr. AbdulHafiz Abudhair, Director of NCID, spoke of the importance of ensuring that the laws that protect those living with HIV from discrimination are fully enforced. He also emphasised the importance of building up networks and multi-sectoral partnerships to assist in tackling the many dimensions of the HIV/AIDS problem.

Over the course of the workshop, the participants explored ways of improving living standards and ensuring full access to medical treatment for children living with HIV. They also looked at means of making certain that couples living with HIV/AIDS are able to practice their nationally enshrined right to marriage, and that they receive sufficient medical treatment and guidance to prevent mother to child HIV transmission.

Another significant issue explored was the means of enhancing the protection of both women and children from sexual exploitation and abuse. The importance of victim confidentiality was emphasised as essential to encouraging victims to report the crimes committed against them.

In particular, the participants called upon on the media, religious leaders and other community figures to break the silence that surrounds the HIV/AIDS issue in Libya. When HIV/AIDS is treated as a taboo topic, pressing problems are left unaddressed, those living with HIV are more reluctant to seek treatment, and people are left ignorant of transmission methods and therefore exposed to risk. In this environment, vulnerable groups such as children stand to lose the most.