World AIDS Day in Iran 2011
In collaboration with the Drug Control Headquarters (DCHQ), UNODC organized a ceremony to commemorate World AIDS Day on the 3 rd of December 2011 in Shaghayegh Cultural Complex in Tehran. Worldwide, the theme of World AIDS Day this year was : "Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination, and Zero AIDS related deaths by 2015". UNODC is striving on the global level for zero new HIV infections among drug users and in closed settings, including prisons. The ceremony raised issues of HIV and discrimination through a series of performances. During the ceremony, a group of Iranian actors performed an act on stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. Following the act, three persons living with HIV shared their personal stories also through lyrics, highlighting the discrimination they have been facing in the society at large, at their workplace, in the schools, within their families and even in the clinical setting. "I had the impression that the entire world had been conspiring against me and for a long time, I was wondering if I could resist it. Then I decided to do something about it. So I joined an NGO to contribute in raising the awareness on HIV in my community".
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