Cambodia's AIDS Colony

by Alanna Shaikh · 2009-07-28 09:23:00 UTC
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(Downtown Phnom Penh. Photo credit: ashleyt)

CNN reported today on a settlement just outside Phnom Penh, where the city government has been relocating people living with AIDS. They were relocated because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness, victimized by landlords who refuse to rent to people living with HIV. You'd think that relocation would be an improvement, but their new homes are made of sheet metal, and there is no access to running water or sanitary facilities. The houses are flanked by open sewers, and there is a single well for the whole settlement. There is no access to health care, which, as you might imagine, is a problem for people living with AIDS.

Forty families have been relocated to the settlement, called Tuol Sambo. They were evicted from a downtown district called Borei Keila, which is slated for commercial redevelopment. The families were then unable to find new homes because of stigma against people with HIV.  The developer of the commercial effort was contractually required to find new housing for them, but did not do so. The result is the shantytown at Tuol Sambo.

AIDS advocacy groups and civil NGOs protested the move today, and delivered a joint letter to the government. The government's response, however, has been minimal. So far, they have stated that they are "trying to find clean water for them," and stated that they will allow a free clinic to open in the settlement.

To me, this looks like a classic example of treating people living with AIDS as though they are disposable. They're going to die anyway, goes the logic, so there is no reason to treat them well. But people with AIDS are still human beings, with rights and skills and the ability to live full lives. Treating as less than human benefits no one.

Alanna Shaikh
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