2007 Award Winner: Siphiwe Hlophe
Nominated by David Blunkett
In 1999, as a married 40-year-old looking to continue her education in agricultural economics, Siphiwe Hlophe discovered she was HIV positive. As a result, her husband left her and she lost an academic scholarship, but she reacted by co-founding an organization in 2001 called Swazis for Positive Living (Swapol), which aims to fight gender discrimination related to HIV/Aids and help other HIV/Aids victims. Almost half of Swaziland’s population is infected with HIV, and the situation for women in the country is even dimmer. Women are killed for disclosing their infection or for simply finding out about their husbands infection. Similarly, women who are HIV-positive are isolated from their families and communities.
From Blunkett’s letter of nomination:
"Their endeavour is courageous, considering the terrible shame and prejudice towards the disease. Women face discrimination and even death as a result of being infected – freedom of expression of HIV status is therefore difficult in the extreme.
To give just a few examples to highlight the courage and resilience of Siphiwe - In December 1998, 36 year-old Gugu Dlamini of KwaMashu, South Africa, was beaten to death because she was public about her HIV-positive status. Lorna Mlofane, a South African AIDS activist, educator and mother was beaten to death in December 2003 after telling the men who had raped her that she was HIV-positive. 37-year-old Sumitra Patel of India was killed by her uncle and cousin in February this year because she was HIV positive. These are just a few of the many women who have been punished because of fear and discrimination against those who have HIV/AIDS and because of deeply imbedded gender inequalities.
Siphiwe Hlophe fights these types of attacks and against the spread of HIV and AIDS by building both the physical, psychological and emotional strength of those who have this disease, and by changing the communities’ perceptions of it."
Women who disclose their HIV positive status to their husbands are blamed for bringing the disease to the home by both their husbands and extended family.
“In Swaziland, when somebody is sick or when somebody dies, when a man dies or he gets sick, we women are always blamed. They say we are the ones bringing the sickness home,” Hlophe said.
"Women can’t even to go to the hospital without their husband’s consent. What is more, HIV positive women are often terribly cut off from their communities and families", Hlophe says.
“Some of the women are not even allowed to use the dishes at home. They cannot use the family toilet and their children can’t play with the other children. The woman is so isolated.” One of Siphiwe’s main concerns, therefore, is that those living with HIV/AIDS build a positive image of themselves, and that the community recognizes the value of these individuals as well.
“We want everyone to be positive about HIV and AIDS. So we have to go and treat our women and empower the community on the issues of HIV and AIDS", Hlophe says.