Greater Sudbury marks HIV Awareness Week, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

A flag-raising ceremony and proclamation were held Monday to mark the start of 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence, HIV Awareness Week and also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The event was hosted at city hall by two local non-profit groupss, Réseau ACCESS Network and YWCA Sudbury. It featured a speech from Mayor Paul Lefebvre, who spoke about the collective commitment to raising awareness of HIV. Marvelous Muchenje, a person living with HIV, also shared her perspective on the impact these systemic issues have on women.

Muchenje, originally from Zimbabwe, said the event serves as a reminder of the work still needed to address these issues, particularly in marginalized and immigrant communities.

"When people like myself come and talk and people who might not have seen someone else living with HIV, they will see and say oh, I can survive this," said Muchenje.

"I've always said to people when I see the word HIV to me, the 'H' stands for hope, the 'I' stands for is and the 'V' stands for vital."

She stressed the importance of addressing these issues, noting that they often lead to complex challenges, including difficulties accessing healthcare and support services.

"I've had experiences where when you go to the hospital, some people even wear two gloves when they want to do blood work or they want to touch you… the moment you say that you are HIV positive, some dentists do not even take you. I would expect that people in the hospital will know that they can use any universal precaution that they used for everyone else," said Muchenje.

HIV Awareness Week is observed annually during the last week of November, leading up to December 1, which marks World AIDS Day—a global initiative to honour those living with HIV and those who have passed away.

Heidi Eisenhauer, executive director of Réseau ACCESS Network, said the focus of the week is to educate people about HIV prevention, testing pathways and advancements in treatment.

"We have the ability to live long, healthy lives. But the importance of prevention is knowing your status. Once you know your status, then you can make those choices for your own healthcare and wellness," said Eisenhauer.

The event was also designed to show solidarity for the 16 Days of Activism, a campaign aimed at supporting women survivors of gender-based violence.

Marlene Gorman, executive director of YWCA Sudbury, said the non-profit group will also launch a social media campaign to advocate for action from provincial and federal governments.

"We need to increase our housing stock. We need safe, affordable housing somewhere for women currently living in emergency shelters for gender-based violence, somewhere that they have to move to. Their stay is longer because we're a bottleneck and there's nowhere for them to go," said Gorman.

According to the two non-profits, HIV and gender-based violence are interconnected. Gender-based violence increases women's vulnerability to HIV through forced sex, lack of control and limited access to prevention. HIV-positive individuals, particularly women, may face more violence due to stigma and power imbalances.

A purple flag with the words "End All Gender-Based Violence" was raised outside city hall, and will remain until December 10th.