by Julia Beirut

Created on: May 14, 2008

Jamaica has one of the world's highest murder rates. One far too common cause of murder in Jamaica is for it to become public knowledge that one is gay or is infected with HIV/AIDS Stigma and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS and gay people in Jamaica is endemic and perpetuates the global HIV/AIDS epidemic because infected patients know they risk their lives when they obtain medical treatment; thus too often HIV/AIDS patients forego medical treatment. A dire result of obtaining treatment and the subsequent leaking of news one is gay or infected with HIV/AIDS is too often harassment and murder.

Even churches and police officers issue homophobic statements and incite violence against those with HIV/AIDS. While drugs are now available to help patients with HIV/AIDS, a vast majority of patients do not even know they have the disease because they are too frightened to be tested or obtain medical treatment.

The rampant homophobia in Jamaica adds to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic because it makes a gay person with HIV/AIDS fearful of harassment; obtaining treatment may result in harassment and murder. Homophobia is so imbedded in Jamaican culture that politicians even play anti-gay songs as part of their campaign strategies. A leading singer, Buju Banton has a song "Boom Bye Bye" which encourages the shooting and murder of gay men.

In 2004 Brian Williamson, a leading gay rights activist in Jamaica, was stabbed to death; he was murdered and mutilated in his own home. Crowds outside cheered his death. The song "Boom Bye Bye" was played outside his home after his murder.

Jamaica has laws against sodomy and the penalties are harsh. One may receive a prison sentence of up to 10 years for gay sex. And in Jamaica even the police are homophobic.

Despite the huge amount of antigay bias and stigma against gays with HIV/AIDS, currently heterosexual sex is the most common form of transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Also, in the Caribbean region women are 43% of adults with HIV/AIDS infection. Young women have a 2 to 6 time's higher infection rate than young men. Thus women are passing HIV/AIDS along to their children and this also contributes to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Too often people who have HIV/AIDS in Jamaica are shunned by their family and by the community. The Human Rights Watch Organization has stated that health workers in Jamaica often mistreat HIV/AIDS patients and refuse to touch or treat them. Medical staff also too often releases the information that a patient has HIV/AIDS to the public.

HIV/AIDS infection is still highly stigmatized and many, many people have the disease but are unaware of their infection. In Jamaica 25,000 people have HIV infection and 15,000 do not know they are infected. This denial of the possibility of infection leads to vast spread of the disease.

Health care workers and educators who try to help the HIV/AIDS infected patients are often arrested. If they are found to possess condoms they may be arrested and face criminal charges and police harassment.

Commercial sex is a growing problem in Jamaica and is another cause of the growing world epidemic of HIV/AIDS infection. World wide about 22 million people have died of HIV/AIDS and about 60 million people are currently infected. Many children have been orphaned due to parents dying of HIV/AIDS.

In Jamaica, the Ministry of Health is now trying to quell the growth of HIV/AIDS infection via an HIV anti-stigma campaign. They are using TV and radio advertisements to combat discrimination. Two Jamaicans with HIV/AIDS infection are also speaking out about the disease to show the public that everyone must protect themselves from infection and seek treatment if they feel they may already be infected.

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