UN rights expert: people affected by leprosy continue to face discrimination News
UN rights expert: people affected by leprosy continue to face discrimination

In a statement celebrating World Leprosy Day, a newly appointed UN human rights expert specializing in leprosy warned [press release] that people with the disease continue to face discrimination and lack of access to medical care.

Latest statistics show that there have been more than 200,000 cases of the disease in a year, with the highest number of cases occurring in India, Brazil and Indonesia. More than 12,000 of those cases led to people suffering severe disabilities.

The expert said that this is both alarming and unnecessary. If leprosy is detected early enough, it can be treated with multidrug therapy and easily cured. However, the old stigmas regarding leprosy are still affecting those suffering from the disease by leading to “segregation and human rights violations.” This discrimination affects not only those with the disease, but also their families.

In order to tackle this stigma and discrimination, the human rights expert said that “[s]tates … must act on their human rights obligations to tackle leprosy-related discrimination and stigma, including by ending discriminatory laws on segregation, immigration, marriage, vote, public transportation, employment and housing which remain on the statute books in some countries.”