World Aids Day 2025: Still no PrEP

Activists at 2025 protest Freedom Square for the World AIDS Day Rally: Silence = Death organised by Checkpoint Malta with the collaboration of MGRM, Graffiti, Allied Rainbow Communities, LGBTI+ Gozo, Aditus and Drachma. All photos by Jackie Roberts.

A year ago we gathered in Valletta to remember those lost to the AIDS epidemic - those forced into silence, isolation, and invisibility by stigma and discrimination. We honoured their lives, reaffirmed our commitment to PLHIV, and called for an end to stigma, equitable healthcare across Malta and Gozo, and truly accessible PEP and PrEP.

A year later, those calls remain unanswered. Promises without action have real consequences, namely preventable infections, deepening inequality, and a widening gap in care - especially in Gozo.

In Gozo, access to PEP and PrEP is unreliable at best and nonexistent at worst. Many pharmacies do not stock them, some do not know what they are, and others simply refuse, leaving people without the tools that could protect their health and save lives. Routine testing is still met with judgment, and stigma in small island communities remains sharper and more isolating. PLHIV face additional barriers to dignity and care. This is not just a health issue, it is a clear inequality between Malta and Gozo, and a failure of the State to provide consistent, compassionate healthcare.

NGOs like Checkpoint and LGBTI+ Gozo continue to fill gaps that should never exist. But the Government has both a moral and legal obligation to ensure free, informed, and non-judgmental care. We need opt-out testing, anti-stigma education, free sexual protection, and trained, empathetic healthcare staff—so that anyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, can seek testing or treatment without fear or shame.

A year on, our demands are unchanged: free PEP and PrEP, real access in Gozo, and healthcare that treats people with dignity. And as a national community, we know our power—the power to demand better, to withhold our votes from those who deny us our rights, and to speak up for those who cannot. Inclusion is not a ranking or a slogan; it is action, evidence-based policy, and the courage to protect people’s lives. Every delay carries a human cost, and we refuse to accept that cost in silence.

To policy makers: sit down with Checkpoint volunteers. Hear the stories of people newly diagnosed, knowing their pain was preventable. Listen to those living with HIV who face stigma in clinics and are denied dignity and basic rights. Listen, learn, and act—act now.

To our community, and to everyone living with HIV: we see you, we hear you, and we will never stop fighting for your right to live fully, safely, and without shame. We stand together as a global family, and we will not allow your voices to be silenced again. Reach out, stand with us, and know that you are never alone.