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People often have many of their human rights deprived from them when they are diagnosed with leprosy. This is in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human rights and it needs to change.
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/rs13926_img_1344_1.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Throughout history, the odious term ‘leper’ has been used as an insult to those affected by leprosy
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/rs9174_rs8628_purulia-hospita.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
It is no coincidence that hardly any white people are diagnosed with leprosy.
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/COVID-19-response-in-India-f9.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Despite the difficulties many of us are facing due to Covid-19, now would be the worst time to forget about people affected by leprosy.
![Tara, on the left, stands at the front of a celebration event in Nepal](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/tarabecab113-a748-4bbd-b4aa-f.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.png)
I'm Taranath from Nepal and I invite you to see what leprosy has really meant for my life. See how stigma and fear has affected me in almost every area of my life and how I have overcome all of it.
![A portrait photo of Paulino, a village leader in Mozambique](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS38867_10_chiurre_leader_rel.e05eae3e.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Across the world there are more than 100 laws that discriminate against people who have experienced leprosy. They are totally unacceptable. Here’s a look at some of the key ways these laws can punish you simply for a curable medical diagnosis.
![A picture of Amar Timalsina standing outside a building in Nepal](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/20210617_125212.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
This is the story of Amar's divorce, which happened when his wife learnt that he had once been diagnosed with leprosy.
![A man on a hospital bed in Myanmar looks to his left, at the photographer. He is proudly wearing a Liverpool FC top.](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS36460_RS12997_RuthTowell_RE.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
There have been headlines across the world since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic which have seen people compare Covid-19 with leprosy. Any comparisons between these diseases are inaccurate at best and harmful at worst.
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/_Ruth_Towell_Twitter_Post.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.png)
We are supporting the Sasakawa Health Foundation's Global Appeal 2022, which is asking for the support of philanthropic foundations across the world.
![Phulti was sent to live in a cave by her family, but now she receives care at TLM's Anandaban Hospital. Here she poses for a photo with Ruth, from the TLM staff.](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/Phulti_with_Counselor_Ruth_-_.6ba3a949.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Ruth and Bishnu from TLM Nepal share some of the lessons they’ve learnt from the frontline of mental health care for persons affected by leprosy.
![Members of the community stand together with baskets containing crabs](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/20191106_115046.4642717e.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
This innovative crab-farming project has been turning heads within the leprosy sector because it has transformed a whole community.
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS35671_RS13142_RuthTowell_RE.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
The TLM Myanmar team found that the best way to raise awareness, defeat stigma, and increase the number of leprosy cases they found was to hear the stories of persons affected by leprosy.
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS38473_Khun_Myo_Kwin-MAPAL_M.da1dec56.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
We need to put persons affected by leprosy at the centre of all of these conversations. It is not a magic answer, a silver bullet that will solve all our problems, but it is the only way we’ll make real progress.
![Niranjan from Bihar is a happy patient at our Delhi hospital](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS40488_LeprosyMissionHospita.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
How does a broader medical focus help us to achieve our goal of zero leprosy? Dr Rajeev Nathan, Medical Superintendent of TLM Community Hospital, New Delhi, explains more.
![Members of OPALCO - DR Congo's Leprosy Peoples' Organisation - laughing together in a meeting](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS44440_20220502_DRC_Kinshasa.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Leprosy Peoples’ Organisations must find themselves at the heart of efforts to defeat leprosy in the years to come.
![TLM representatives outside the UN building in New York](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/IMG_4463.f04bbb8b.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
The Leprosy Mission attended the UN's 16th Conference of State Parties on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in June 2023.
![Profile pictures of the four winners of the award: two men and two women](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/WBA_web_banner_1.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.png)
These are the winners of the Wellesley Bailey Awards 2024
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Because of a leprosy diagnosis, Thresia experienced self-stigma and feared being teased at school. Now, she's back studying and ready to pursue her dreams.
![Suresh and Mangala pose together in front of a tree covered in red flowers](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/20220308_114430.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Because of leprosy, Suresh and Mangala both faced enormous challenges before they met each other. Now they are happily married, parents to three beautiful children, and they use their work to transform the lives of persons affected by leprosy in India.
![](https://leprosymissioninternational.contentfiles.net/media/images/RS44274_TLM-TamilNadu-8663-sc.03f84650.fill-600x400-c100.jpg)
Ashok life is transformed after attending the Vocational Training Centre. After being hospitalised for leprosy, he is now providing for his family in a job that he loves.