HIV/AIDS stigma: finding solutions to strengthen HIV/AIDS programs

HIV/AIDS stigma is less context-specific than assumed

AIDS related stigma has pernicious effect on the epidemic’s prevention. Fear of stigmatisation dissuades people from seeking help from treatment, care and support services.

What factors perpetuate and contribute to stigma against those infected with HIV/AIDS? Contrary to common assumption, this report finds that causal factors of AIDS stigma were similar across all four countries studied - Ethiopia, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia - and that woman bore the brunt of it.

Recommendations to address stigma and overcome social fears that perpetuate it include:

build knowledge about HIV and AIDS and provide information on how HIV is not transmitted
create stigma-free messages and safe discussion spaces to delink HIV from social taboos
involve infected persons, as they have unique experience and knowledge necessary to design appropriate stigma-reduction responses
measure stigma quantitatively
work with communities, healthcare providers and the media to develop, test and evaluate stigma-reduction efforts

ICRW and its partners have also developed an HIV stigma-reduction toolkit based on this report

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HIV/AIDS stigma: finding solutions to strengthen HIV/AIDS programs