"We Stand Together": Communities Lead the Way in Creating Gender- and Disability-Inclusive HIV Services in the Philippines

In a powerful demonstration of this year's Zero Discrimination Day theme "We Stand Together,” communities of people living with HIV, persons with disabilities and key populations convened with government agencies and civil society organizations to validate findings of a national assessment on how discrimination continues to create barriers in accessing HIV services in the Philippines.

This assessment was done by the National HIV Program in the Philippines with the support from the Australian Government. It aims to identify population-specific and cross-cutting barriers to accessing HIV care, explore existing initiatives and strategies to address these barriers, and develop community-engaged recommendations for more available and accessible HIV services.

The assessment cited several examples and root causes of discrimination. Healthcare providers may lack relevant sensitivity training. Deaf individuals often face challenges in accessing confidential HIV services due to language barriers. Transgender women encounter difficulties when facilities fail to recognize their identity. Cisgender women are often excluded from HIV prevention programs.

At an online validation workshop, participants suggested remedies to some of these barriers. Deaf participants emphasized how the lack of sign language interpreters and deaf-inclusive HIV centers creates significant barriers, especially outside Metro Manila. 

“One-day sign language training for healthcare workers is ineffective,” a participant noted, recommending instead to increase the number of deaf counselors and establish dedicated deaf-inclusive HIV facilities.

“If we can tap into the local initiatives, we would be able to reach the movers in the community that people with disabilities actually follow,” shared Louie Teng, President of TBPeople Philippines, during a separate hybrid workshop, highlighting the importance of community engagement in addressing discrimination and improving HIV knowledge.

 Other concrete recommendations to address discrimination included:

• Developing a Framework to improve HIV service accessibility for all
• Sensitivity and disability inclusion training for healthcare providers
• Strengthening partnerships between HIV organizations and disability groups
• Developing disability-specific health promotion materials

The Assessment exemplifies the principle that communities must be at the center of developing sustainable solutions to discrimination in HIV services. As the Philippines joins the Global Partnership to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination, this assessment provides a roadmap for ensuring that community-led responses receive the recognition, resources, and support they need to create more accessible services for all populations affected by HIV.

As we commemorate Zero Discrimination Day 2025, the message is clear: Standing together with communities is not just a theme—it's the only way to ensure a sustainable and equitable response to HIV that truly leaves no one behind.