“We mostly believed that people who are living with HIV were sinners. My thoughts about HIV were completely redefined,” says Abubakar Sadiq from Jama’atu Nasril Islam
“What stood out was the interfaith approach of including Muslims. To come together to sit down and talk is not too common among us. But we are now together to discuss a common problem and deal with it.” These are the words of Reverend Dr Evans Onyemara, a Methodist minister and Secretary of the Christian Council of Nigeria, reflecting on the Framework for Dialogue in Nigeria, an interactive model developed by the International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Affected by HIV, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and the World Council of Churches.
The Framework for Dialogue addressed stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV as a major barrier to ending AIDS by 2030. Nigerians are split almost equally between Christianity and Islam. Understanding between the two faiths is essential for social progress. “Christianity teaches morality and peaceful coexistence between the two faiths, just as Islam does,” says Abubakar Sadiq from Jama’atu Nasril Islam, an advocacy organization for Muslim youth. “We mostly believed that people who are living with HIV were sinners. My thoughts about HIV were completely redefined.” He credits the skilled facilitation that weaves together references to scripture and scientific facts. He now enjoys educating his community about HIV prevention, testing and nondiscrimination.
Donald Don-Clinton from the Network of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV actively supports people living with HIV with treatment adherence and mentorship in Enugu State. “This really is my passion, because when I came out as HIV positive at a young age, I faced a lot of stigma and discrimination, including from my peers at school,” he says. Don-Clinton regularly witnesses how a positive HIV diagnosis can estrange families. “It was very important to understand that there are so many other young activists who have the same goals and the same passion towards ending AIDS in Nigeria.”
Tackling HIV alongside faith leaders is essential, says Elizabeth Oluchi, a young woman living with HIV who is a human rights advocate for adolescents and young women. “They’ve been reaching out to people in their communities and faith-based organizations, churches, religious leaders, even traditional rulers. Because every child grows up in a church or a religious setting, we need to start from our religious places.” Addressing internalized in religious communities is important, because it causes many to not seek HIV testing and treatment.
The Framework for Dialogue brought tangible commitments. The President of the Christian Council in Nigeria encouraged the Government of Nigeria to enforce anti-stigma laws and signed up to the global process called Wellbeing of Adolescents and Young People, which includes a dedicated youth board to spread the work from the Framework for Dialogue to their churches. The Joint Interfaith Action Plan to Reduce and Eliminate HIV Stigma and Discrimination in Nigeria, with dedicated follow-up actions, was decided for 2023 through 2025, focusing on internalized among young people, lack of rights literacy among young women living with HIV, premarital HIV testing by faith leaders, and the intersection of living with both HIV and disabilities.
Gracia Ross from the World Council of Churches notes: “We need to be reminded that changing HIV stigma is not something you can achieve in one activity. Changing stigma is an ongoing process that needs long-term investment.”
By the end of 2023, of the approximately two million people living with HIV in Nigeria, 59% were women aged 15 years and over, 33% were men aged 15 years and over, and 9% were children aged 0–14 years. In 2023, the country achieved 85–>98–96 for the UNAIDS 95–95–95 targets.