#ThereIsHelp: Twitter launches dedicated search prompt for HIV
The notification is currently available for mental health and suicide prevention, vaccination, child sexual exploitation, Covid-19, gender-based violence and freedom of expression.
HIV remains a major issue to public health in 2021, despite significant progress having been made in recent decades. Division and disparity for human rights have long been the contributing factors to the difficulty faced by people living with HIV. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has made it more difficult by exacerbating inequities and disruptions to services related to the disease.
In 2020, around 800,000 children aged zero to 14 years were living with HIV with no access to treatments.
Twitter is one in creating safe spaces, collaborations, conversations — public, private and community —- to combat the stigma around HIV. On 1 December, Worlds AIDS Day, the social media platform launched another global expansion of its #ThereIsHelp notification — a dedicated search prompt for HIV-related information across Asia Pacific and the Americas.
The #ThereIsHelp notification service is Twitter’s efforts to ensure people have access to high-quality public health information and resources. It is currently available for mental health and suicide prevention, vaccination, child sexual exploitation, Covid-19, gender-based violence and freedom of expression.
Now, when people search for keywords associated with HIV, the top search result will now include a notification in local languages, encouraging them to reach out for credible information and sources of help — be it websites or hotlines of local public health authorities or non-profit organizations.
As local organizations continue to use Twitter as a channel to identify and reach out to vulnerable people who they may otherwise not have contact with, and to raise awareness of their important services; the #ThereIsHelp notification service will complement these efforts.
Twitter partners with trusted NGO and government partners in 30 markets to make #ThereIsHelp HIV notification prompt possible, and will continue to expand these prompts in other markets in the near future. In the Philippines, Twitter partnered with HIV-organization LoveYourself Inc. (@LoveYourselfPh).
“We’re committed to protecting the health of the public conversation on Twitter — ensuring individuals can find credible information from authoritative sources is a key part of that mission. We also recognized that it is crucial for the public to have access to a free and #OpenInternet
in combating the stigma around HIV,” said Monrawee Ampolpittayanant — head of Public Policy, Government and Philanthropy, Southeast Asia at Twitter.
“Therefore, we’ve partnered with public health authorities and local non-profit organizations across Asia Pacific to provide people with access to accurate information about HIV, getting the help that they need, and launch dedicated #ThereisHelp notification prompt for HIV. We look forward to continuing the collaborations to help promote inclusion and diversity and fight against inequalities, as well as HIV stigma and discrimination.”