Discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS is still an important problem in Moldova. What social stigmatization is, how to write without discriminating, what the role of mass media is in covering topics of discrimination of persons with HIV/AIDS – these and other topics were discussed at a new Discussions Club that has recently taken place at the SAJ. To raise the responsibility of future journalists, we invited to the SAJ the representatives of the Moldovan Institute for Human Rights (IDOM) – litigation program coordinator Natalia Mardari and lawyer Andrei Lungu.

Very often discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS is determined by certain prejudices and stereotypes and is directly related to their stigmatization and labeling. According to IDOM representatives, the effects of discrimination of this category of people are dramatic not only for those who are stigmatized, but also for those who discriminate. In this context, Natalia Mardari reiterated that people living with HIV/AIDS will always be tempted to hide their diagnosis, avoid doctors, falsify medical certificates, which “might threaten not only their life and health, but also the life and health of others,” Natalia underlined.

Confidentiality and protection of medical data was another topic that raised students’ interest and curiosity. SAJ students heard from IDOM lawyer Andrei Lungu why journalists must respect personal data, how they could use them correctly in their articles, and why they have to protect the identity of discriminated persons. Young people wanted to know more about cases of malpractice, which, according to IDOM representatives, is a growing problem in Moldova.

Speaking about ethics and professional deontology of journalists, Andrei Lungu underlined the idea that the media often use discriminating terms when they refer to persons living with HIV/AIDS. For that reason “compliance with ethical standards is very important,” IDOM lawyer said. During discussions, Andrei Lungu also spoke about several cases when journalists were brought to court because they used in their materials discriminating language and violated the right to privacy and disclosed personal data about the person without their consent.

Students were encouraged to carefully research information, consult different sources, and respect the rights of those who they write about. “Don’t chase sensationalist news; try to be as fair as possible in your work. Research information and present it as objectively and neutrally as possible,” the lawyer concluded. He also referred to Article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, according to which “everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life,” and according to the Journalist’s Code of Ethics, a journalist “must not discriminate or instigate to hatred or violence.”

Asked about how to fight discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS, the guests of the Discussions Club reiterated that the situation can only be changed by covering these cases in the media. At the end of the meeting, future journalists received some recommendations and advice from guests. Students were encouraged to read and know the Law on Access to Information, the Law on Protection of Personal Data, and the Law on Petitioning.

The event has been organized as part of the “Combating Discrimination by Promoting Good Practices, Involving Citizens and Raising Media Accountability” project, implemented with the help of “Supporting National Human Rights Institutions according to recommendations of the Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Universal Periodic Review (UPR)” project funded by the Ministry of External Affairs of Norway, co-funded and implemented by UNDP Moldova and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in cooperation with the Office of People’s Advocate (Ombudsman) and the Council for Equality.