This Sunday, 21 May 2017, Perth community leaders will attend the 34th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial to reflect on the impacts of the HIV epidemic on the WA community.
The event is open to all and will be held from 6pm at the AIDS Memorial in Robertson Park, on the corner of Fitzgerald and Stuart Streets, Perth.
The theme for this year’s memorial is “Ending AIDS Together”, which emphasises the need for people living with and affected by HIV to join hands and work together in the response to HIV.
Addressing the crowd will be Member for Perth John Carey, representatives from the National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) and the WA AIDS Council.
WA Community Representative for NAPWHA Ryan Oliver says the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is a unique opportunity for people across the world to remember those lost to AIDS, their friends and their families.
“We can’t forget the tragedies of the AIDS epidemic and the severe impact it’s had on so many people and communities.
“We also need to recognise the challenges we face in tackling HIV stigma and discrimination which continue in our state. “Stigma and discrimination are directly and indirectly contributing to the ongoing problem of new HIV cases each and every year.
“There’s progress being made but there’s still more that needs to be done to support people living with HIV in Western Australia and to prevent new transmissions.
A message will also be read from Senator for Western Australia Dean Smith, who is attending the Canberra Candlelight Memorial.
““Ending AIDS Together” is the theme for this year’s Candlelight Memorial and it reminds us that each and every one of us has an important role to play,” Senator Smith said.
“For my part, and as Chair of the Federal Parliament’s All-Party Liaison Group for HIV/AIDS, Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmitted Infections, my energy and efforts are focused on two core activities.
“First, I am championing greater understanding about and better access to PrEP. “And, secondly, we must ensure our policy approach with regards to the treatment of HIV and AIDS is scientific, evidence-based and it is not influenced by the partisanship of politics.
“HIV and AIDS do not discriminate.”
The memorial is primarily for friends and family of people affected by HIV, commemorating those who have been lost to the virus. Monks from the Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery will chant ‘The Buddha’s Discourse on Loving-Kindness’, also referred to as The Metta Sutta, to accompany the candle-lighting and reflective ceremony of the memorial.
It’s more important than ever to work together to see the end of HIV/AIDS, which saw over 2 million new infections and more than 1 million people die in the last year.
There are around 37 million people globally living with HIV and over 35 million have died since the beginning of the epidemic.
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial will be held on Sunday May 21st from 6pm at Robertson Park AIDS Memorial, cnr Fitzgerald and Stuart Sts, Perth.
