Since the beginning of 2022, the REAct tool in Tajikistan has also been used by project partners and national coordinators, SPIN Plus, to document violations of rights and legal barriers that people affected by TB face when accessing treatment and prevention services. The activity is carried out within the framework of the STOP TB PARTNERSHIP, UNOPS project “Improving access to prevention and treatment of tuberculosis among people living with HIV in Tajikistan”.
In the first half of 2022, 89 applications from people affected by tuberculosis were documented, which is 8% of the total number of registered cases in the country during this period. It should be noted that 49.4% of clients with TB also have a positive HIV status, 41.5% have a criminal record, and 18% use drugs. Therefore, most of the documented violations are indicative of stigma and discrimination based on a variety of grounds, including the presence of tuberculosis.
The report was presented on July 15, 2022, in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) at a meeting with partner organizations.
Educational information about TB is available on the SPIN Plus Facebook page.