Fighting Eviction, Taiwan AIDS Shelter Helps Transform Human Rights Law

A little more than a year ago, Harmony Home, an organization in Taiwan that provides housing and care for HIV-positive people and their children, was facing eviction from its Taipei quarters because of opposition from neighbors who did not want people living with HIV in their community. Now, thanks to the efforts of AIDS advocates in Taiwan and around the world, Harmony Home has secured the right to stay—in the process spurring the passage of important new human rights laws extending full protection to people living with HIV/AIDS in Taiwan. At Harmony Home, adult residents help care for the children in the shelter "Under the law, no hospice, nursing home, halfway house or rehabilitation center can deny the admission of people living with HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Yi-Ming Arthur Chen of the Institute of Public Health and AIDS Prevention and Research Center at National Yang-Ming University in Taipei. "This is a victory for HIV/AIDS patients in Taiwan." Dr. Chen, a member of TREAT Asia's steering committee and a prominent AIDS advocate, played a key role in garnering support for Harmony Home and helping to draft the legislation. Nicole Yang, who founded Harmony Home in 2003, cited the legal maneuvering that surrounded the initial eviction effort for changing the public's perception of HIV/AIDS. "Because of the publicity raised by the court case, people were forced to see the reality of AIDS in Taiwan. Many people started responding to us: giving us support during the court case, inviting us to give talks in their communities or schools, volunteering their time in our shelters."

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Contributor: Anuradha Bhattacharjee
Published Date: May 8, 2008