HIV Ireland launches National HIV Stigma Survey: Survey to Explore HIV Stigma & Discrimination

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HIV Ireland launches National HIV Stigma Survey
Survey to Explore HIV Stigma & Discrimination

Press Release Wednesday 1st March, 2017

HIV Ireland is marking its 30th anniversary by undertaking a National Survey on Stigma and HIV in partnership with the Mater Hospital/UCD. The survey will explore how living with HIV impacts on people’s day to day lives, especially within the context of stigma and discrimination.

Coinciding with UNAIDS Zero Discrimination Day, the survey for people living with HIV goes live on Wednesday 1st March. HIV Ireland is asking for people living with HIV to visit its website (www.hivireland.ie/survey) and complete the short survey.

With new HIV diagnoses in Ireland increasing to their highest level on record in 2016, Niall Mulligan, Executive Director of HIV Ireland said: ‘‘It is crucial for us to understand all the reasons behind the continued increase of new HIV diagnoses in Ireland. We have seen an increase of 35% since 2011, with a total of 513 people diagnosed as living with HIV in 2016, compared to 485 in 2015 [www.hpsc.ie – provisional data]. Ireland now has an average of 10 people per week being diagnosed with HIV. Understanding more about people’s personal experiences of living with HIV will help in the response to this very real public health challenge in Ireland today’.

On the launch of Zero Discrimination Day, Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director stated that ‘the right to health belongs to all. On this #ZeroDiscrimination Day let us commit to ensuring everyone, everywhere can access health care safely, and live life fully with dignity’.

The National HIV Stigma Survey will remain live for 6 weeks. Interim results are expected to be available for Irish AIDS Day on Thursday 15th June, with the full report being launched in the latter half of 2017, providing a real insight into the reality of living with HIV in Ireland in 2017.

For information about HIV, testing, safer sex and support please visit – www.hivireland.ie; www.man2man.ie; www.positivenow.ie

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For further information, please contact:

Niall Mulligan,
Executive Director
HIV Ireland
70 Eccles Street
Dublin 7

Mobile: 085 7457951
Tel: 01 8733799
Email: niall.mulligan@hivireland.ie
www.hivireland.ie

NewsDesk Weekly – week ending 24 February 2017

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All the latest news on HIV, STIs, hepatitis and related-issues provided free by HIV Ireland straight to your Inbox.

NewsDesk Weekly – week ending 24 February 2017 

Subscribe to NewsDesk Weekly here and view previous editions here.

NewsDesk Weekly – week ending 17 February 2017

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All the latest news on HIV, STIs, hepatitis and related-issues provided free by HIV Ireland straight to your Inbox.

NewsDesk Weekly – week ending 17 February 2017 

Subscribe to NewsDesk Weekly here and view previous editions here.

SURVEY

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National HIV Stigma Survey Report is due to be launched in September.

Vacancy -Office Manager

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We are seeking to recruit an Office Manager on a 4 day week to work directly to the Executive Director. Salary equivalent to HSE Grade V (Clerical) pro rata. Based in Dublin, this is an exciting opportunity at a time of development for the organisation, in this our 30th anniversary year.

The main responsibilities of this position are:

  • Management of all aspects of the organisations finances, overseeing payments, invoicing, banking, accounting and payroll.
  • Management of the Administration team.
  • Management of building and office facilities, including maintenance.
  • Management of databases, filing systems and all IT functions, including website.
  • Ensuring all policies and procedures are relevant and up-to-date.
  • Preparation of reports and proposals as required by the Executive Director.
  • Please see full job description and person specification for full details.

HIV Ireland Office Manager Job Description – February 2017 (002)

Office Manager Person Specification February 2017 (002)

Applicants should have:

  • Minimum three years’ experience at supervisory level in finances, administration and staff management.
  • Excellent organisational and communication skills.
  • A knowledge and understanding of the voluntary sector.
  • Ability to work effectively and co-operatively as part of a management team.

Please send your CV clearly addressing the requirements of the job description and the person specification together with a cover letter no later than 5.00pm on Thursday 9th March to: Niall Mulligan, Executive Director, HIV Ireland, 70 Eccles Street, Dublin, DO7 A977 or by email to niall.mulligan@hivireland.ie

Shortlisting will apply and interviews are planned for the week of 13th March 2017.

14.02.17: Expert groups ‘deeply disappointed’ with new laws affecting human rights of sex workers

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Amnesty International Ireland | HIV Ireland | Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) | Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI)

Four human rights organisations working with vulnerable groups in Ireland have expressed grave concerns with Part IV of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015, which was passed in the Seanad this evening (Tuesday 14.02.17). Part IV criminalises the purchase of sexual services and increases penalties for aspects of the work.

Niall Mulligan, Executive Director of HIV Ireland: “We advised strongly against this course of action, which goes against the expert opinion of the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS. Criminalisation of the purchase of sex drives sex work further underground, forcing workers to take more risks and work less safely. This in turn risks increasing the rate of HIV transmission. With new HIV diagnoses averaging almost 10 per week, this law will compound what is already a growing HIV crisis in Ireland.”

Edel McGinley, Director of MRCI: “We came out against this law after long consideration, and it is deeply disappointing that it passed today. It will not protect the most vulnerable – migrants, asylum seekers, refugees doing survival sex work. Furthermore, it promotes harmful stigmatisation and obstructs access to justice. We know from our decade of work on human trafficking and forced labour that this approach will not help victims of trafficking.”

Broden Giambrone, Chief Executive of TENI: “Trans people enter the sex industry for a variety of reasons, most commonly because they live in a transphobic society and their economic opportunities are limited due to structural barriers. Criminalising the purchase of sex will not make these barriers go away; it will only further limit the options of a vulnerable population.”

Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland: “After two years of research and investigation, Amnesty International adopted a global position in favour of the decriminalisation of sex work and against the Nordic model. Our research highlighted the dangers of criminalising any aspect of consensual sex work, as evidenced from Argentina, Hong Kong, Norway, and Papua New Guinea. The Norway evidence shows that criminalising the purchase of sex does not fulfil its intended purpose of reducing prostitution and, more importantly, is not an effective way to protect sex workers.”

The groups welcomed the last-minute inclusion of a three-year review and limited decriminalisation of street sex workers, following extensive lobbying by the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) and others.

ENDS

CONTACT

Aoife Murphy, Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI): communications@mrci.ie