Pretoria - The City of Tshwane and the SA National Aids Council (Sanac) have set their focus on training law enforcement officials about human rights.
The two-day session, which ended today, includes sessions for the members of the Tshwane metro police department about HIV, STIs and TB.
Members of the department were among the attendees, joined by MMC for Health, Rina Marx.
Speaking at the official launch of the sensitisation training, Pholo Ramothwala of Sanac said the sessions were aimed at informing law enforcement officials about the rights of people living with HIV and TB and vulnerable populations, to strengthen protective laws and their enforcement.
According to Marx, studies show the project can reduce judgemental and discriminative attitudes towards people with HIV and further increase knowledge and awareness of the vulnerabilities of key populations.
“Key populations are often overlooked. What is also evident is that when it comes to sensitisation training, the focus has predominantly been on health-care workers and to a lesser extent, law enforcement,” Marx said.
Marx emphasised that with different departments working together, it’s possible to realise objectives for a better future.
“I believe that as different departments work together like we are today, we can help realise the objectives as set out in the four goals outlined in the National Strategic Plan … Our Constitution and the Bill of Rights strongly affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
“I want to thank Sanac for availing the funding and training to the City of Tshwane on this important matter. This training will help us as the City of Tshwane and give the truth of what it means to have a multi-sector response to HIV/Aids, TB and STIs for key and vulnerable populations,” said Marx.
Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said the department appreciated the gesture.
Marx concluded: “The training began with a masterclass and will be rolled out to other regions of the City.
“This training comes at a critical time. The City of Tshwane is among the top five districts with a high burden of HIV in South Africa.”
Pretoria News