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Letter to the Italian Foreign Minister to Express My Concern at His Use of Leprosy as a Negative Metaphor [2020年06月08日（Mon）]
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I have sent a letter to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio in which I noted with regret his recent remark quoted widely in the international media that he will not have his country treated as a “leper colony.” He made the comment in reference to other countries closing their borders to Italian citizens as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “References that draw on deeply ingrained negative stereotypes of leprosy to make a point about something else only serve to reinforce discrimination against people affected by the disease and their families,” I said in the letter, dated June 1, which I wrote in my capacity as Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and Japanese Government Goodwill Ambassador for the Human Rights of Persons Affected by Leprosy. “As you will be aware, leprosy is now a curable disease and there is no cause to isolate someone” with leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, I went on, adding: “Notwithstanding, persons affected by the disease continue to face stigma and discrimination in various parts of the world as a result of misinformation and long-held beliefs, often exacerbated by unfortunate remarks reported in newspapers and on television and social media.” I then drew the minister’s attention to the December 2010 U.N. General Assembly Resolution adopted unanimously by 193 countries, including Italy, approving principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members. “While I am sure that it was not your intention in any way to reinforce stigma against leprosy or cause anguish to people affected by the disease, I fear this may have been the consequence,“ I concluded, humbly requesting the minister to refrain from using leprosy as a negative metaphor in future. For those interested, my letter to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio can be seen here:   |