“I don’t
have anything,” said Asmaa with a sigh as she stepped out of the mobile clinic
offering free AIDS tests in Sale, a conservative city in Morocco where the
veiled young woman lives.
Around
29,000 people are infected with HIV in a country of 33 million, according to
estimates by the Pan African AIDS Organisation (OPALS), a relatively low figure
compared with other Arab countries.
But large
swathes of Moroccan society are religious, with sex outside of marriage and
adultery still illegal, and the AIDS virus has long been a taboo subject.
Around 80
percent of victims don’t even know they are HIV carriers, according to OPALS,
which was set up in 1994 to combat the spread of the disease and is active in
19 different parts of the country.
While only
a small proportion of the national population is infected (0.1 percent), the
virus is concentrated in two specific areas — the southwestern tourist region
of Agadir, notably among prostitutes and gay men, and the northern town of
Nador, among drug addicts.
Across much
of Morocco, conservative religious attitudes and the stigma attached to AIDS
can complicate the efforts made in testing, treatment and prevention.
But in
Sale’s Douar Jbala, a stronghold of the Islamist Justice and Development Party
that heads Morocco’s coalition government, OPALS officials carrying out the
AIDS tests are happy with the response to their campaign.
Like other
poor neighbourhoods, Douar Jbala is “vulnerable”, because of the conservative
attitudes and prejudices that hold sway here, so the medics welcome the large
turnout.
“There is
an enthusiasm, particularly among the women. It’s really important for us, it
shows that it is no longer such a taboo,” said Dr Zakia Afkari, supervising the
operation in partnership with Morocco’s health ministry.
These young
women “don’t hesitate to come on their own,” she added, before heading back
into the clinic where dozens of people were waiting to be tested.
Asmaa, 21,
said she decided to show up “without thinking too much” about it.
In her age
category (15-24), 61 percent of those infected are women.
“I came
across it by chance when I noticed a banner inviting locals to take the AIDS
test. I hesitated for a moment and then came to the clinic,” she explained.
“Now I’m
glad I did,” she added with a smile, holding a piece of cotton wool on her
finger where the blood sample was taken.
There was
no sign of embarrassment among those standing outside the truck where the free
and anonymous tests were performed.
“For me
there’s no shame in being tested for AIDS. It’s not a problem, it’s not against
my religion,” said 18-year-old Khadija.
Health
experts say Morocco is ahead of other Arab countries partly because it began
its anti-AIDS campaign early, in the 1990s, developing infrastructure to
support victims of the virus, such as a hospital in the city of Casablanca run
by the Association for the Fight against AIDS.
But big
challenges remain, especially in overcoming social prejudices surrounding the
disease itself, said Dr Kamal Alami, who heads the UN’s AIDS/HIV programme in
Morocco.
“Despite
all the efforts, the taboo still exists,” Alami said. “There is a problem of
discrimination and stigmatisation for people who live with the HIV virus.”
“Most of
them prefer not to be seen (to be infected), and this is often an obstacle in
the fight against AIDS, in terms of prevention and support.”
The clinic
in Douar Jbala is one step in the struggle against that stigma.
“We have to
get out among the poor and vulnerable, to make contact with them and raise
their awareness,” said OPALS campaign organiser Khadija Ouazzani.
