Last Updated on 1 March 2024 IST: Zero Discrimination Day 2024 is going to be observed on March 1. This year, with the theme “Save lives: Decriminalise”, UNAIDS highlighted how the decriminalization of key populations and people living with HIV saves lives and helps advance the end of the AIDS pandemic.
Criminal laws target key populations and people living with HIV violate people’s human rights. Exacerbate the stigma people face and put people in danger by creating barriers to the support and services they need to protect their health. There is a lot to know about the day, more about true methods to avoid discrimination, read till end.
Zero Discrimination Day: Highlights
- United Nations and its members observe Zero Discrimination Day on March 1 annually
- Observation is to encourage equality before the law and in practice
- Any discrimination on race, gender, religion, nationality, education, profession, ethnicity, or belief is not good
- All beings are children of Supreme God who loves without any discrimination
- Come at refuge of Satguru Rampal ji Maharaj to un-condition discriminatory mind
Zero Discrimination Day 2024 Date
Zero Discrimination Day is observed every year on March 1 by the United Nations (UN) and other organizations internationally. The intention behind the observation is to encourage equality before the law and in practice all over the UN member nations. Campaigners from all nations are loud about several problems faced by respective nations and how to solve them. Zero Discrimination Day 2024 is celebrated on March 1.
What Is the Aim of Zero Discrimination Day?
Zero Discrimination Day aims to commemorate individuality, inclusion and human rights while boosting tolerance, compassion, and peace. Discrimination means the discriminatory exercise of unfair treatment of a person or people’s group in a different way than others due to considerations such as race, gender, religion, disability, nationality, skin color, education, profession, ethnicity, beliefs, sexuality, height, weight, or age. Even with laws and education, discrimination remains to be a wide-spread challenge worldwide.
What Does Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Say?
“Criminalizing laws chase people away from life-saving treatment. Those need to be removed. The only reason people are still dying of AIDS is the inequalities in society, from social norms, from the lack of opportunities in school, etc. and all these come together to make them more at risk.”
“At the country level, repealing criminal laws that are driving people away from HIV prevention and treatment is critical.”
Winnie Byanyima also mentioned:
“We have the evidence that when you repeal criminal laws on same-sex relations that the risk of contracting HIV falls, the risk of new infections amongst gay men, MSM, drops significantly.”
“To me HIV is a disease but it’s more a social injustice. It’s driven by inequalities in society. These are not things that can happen without a consensus in the society, so we need everybody on board.”
There is an urgent need for law reforms to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
AIDS By The Numbers
The UNAIDS website gives the latest data on HIV. Though the numbers are high, its pace of progress is reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to treatment and ending AIDS-related deaths is slowing down.
- More than 1.5 MILLION people were newly infected with HIV in 2024
- More than 40.4 MILLION people were living with HIV in 2024
- More than 650 THOUSAND people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2024
Zero Discrimination Day 2024 Theme
The Day has a designated theme every year, and this year’s theme is “To protect everyone’s health, protect everyone’s rights” The 2024 theme points to the positive impact on health and life outcomes when discriminatory and punitive laws are removed. Countries recognised decriminalization as a critical element in the response, and made a commitment that by 2025 less than 10% of countries would have punitive legal and policy environments that affect the HIV response.
Zero Discrimination Day History and Significance
Zero Discrimination Day was introduced by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive Director Michel Sidibé, on February 27, 2014 with a foremost event in Beijing. The United Nations HIV/AIDS Program first celebrated Zero Discrimination Day in 2013. Next year, the UN and other international organizations legitimately observed Zero Discrimination Day on March 1, 2014. The day reminds us that everybody should live a full and productive life with dignity.
■ Also Read: International Human Solidarity Day: Know About the Messiah Who Will Reunite the World
It is to create universal unanimity in the direction of halting all types of discrimination. UNAIDS targets to fight discrimination towards people living with HIV/ AIDS. UN member nations and several organizations follow the day by campaigning the various discriminating stages and eliminating them.
Some Facts About Zero Discrimination Day
- About 67 countries still have laws that discriminate against same-sex relations.
- Approximately 48 nations enforce travel restrictions on people with HIV/AIDS.
- Nearly 53 countries have mandate HIV testing, for marriage practices or other professions.
- Approximately 106 countries require the consent of parents for the HIV testing of the adolescents.
- About 20 countries criminalize the transgenders.
- 134 countries explicitly criminalizing or otherwise prosecuting HIV exposure, non-disclosure or transmission.
- 153 countries criminalise at least one aspect of sex work.
Things to Do on Zero Discrimination Day
- Create photos, videos and articles in favor of the cause.
- Run campaign to spread awareness on social media by using the hashtag #zerodiscrimination
- Promote a documentary about HIV/AIDS discrimination.
- Research study on how to help victims regain self-esteem and embrace individuality.
- Help in eradicating fear of going to school or participating in activities, anxiety from low self-esteem.
- Support the cause to fights against discrimination
- Help the victims to regain their rights and dignity.
Zero Discrimination Day Quotes
- “Avoid any discrimination against languages, skin color, or religion”.
- “Ignoring the people suffering is one form of sin”.
- “Together, we fight against prejudice on Zero Discrimination Day 2024”.
- “Let us pledge to stand against the laws that discriminate against people”.
- “Pledge to liberate people from bondage of poverty and deprivation”.
- “Power of discrimination doesn’t believe in Liberty; Let’s fight for it”.
- “Let’s raise our voice together against discriminating with HIV”.
- “Those impacted the most by discrimination should stand up for themselves”.
- “Children should not be judged and discriminated against based on everything that makes them different”.
Satlok is the Place Where Zero Discrimination is Practiced
Satlok is the place where Zero Discrimination is practiced. It is the place where the Supreme God resides. We are children of the Supreme God who loves us without any discrimination. Due to our passions, we have left his Eternal Abode Satlok at our own wish. We preferred to go with Kaal Brahm who always discriminated one living being from the other. Know this mystery in detail by reading Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj’s sacred books and watching His sermons at Satlok Ashram YouTube Channel.
How to Get Rid of Kaal’s Universe?
The only remedy lies in following the advice of Supreme God Kabir Saheb Himself. He Himself or through a saint enlightened by Him presently Satguru Rampal Ji Maharaj bestows the Sat-Gyan and Sat-Bhakti Sadhana. The seeker must come to the refuge of Satguru to take Naam Diksha (Initiation). Upon practicing the devotion and following all rules as described by Satguru, the seeker gets rid of the clutches of Kaal Brahm. The seeker enjoys all worldly pleasures and lastly dwells in Satlok where he doesn’t come in the trap of a vicious cycle of birth and death.
What Should the Reader Contribute on Zero Discrimination Day?
The real contribution of the readers on March 1 on Zero Discrimination Day 2024 will be to know Sat-Gyan and follow it by letter and spirit. The pious souls will love each other without any feeling of discrimination. All souls will live happily in constant remembrance of supreme father Kabir Saheb reciting the Mantra bestowed by Satguru Rampal Ji Maharaj. All accumulated sin deeds will be destroyed, and Satguru’s divine blessings will downpour joys in abundance.
FAQS on Zero Discrimination Day
Answer: Zero Discrimination Day is observed on 1 March annually.
Answer: The United Nations HIV/AIDS Program first celebrated Zero Discrimination Day in 2013.
Answer: Zero Discrimination Day is observed to encourage equality before the law and in practice.
Answer: Satlok is the eternal abode where Zero Discrimination is practiced.
