HIV and AIDS
Stigma and Discrimination

Fears about family rejection, loss of job, and public shunning impede the effectiveness of HIV and AIDS prevention and care efforts. Stigma and discrimination discourage those who are infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS from seeking needed services because seeking services may reveal their HIV status to their families, workplace colleagues, or community. Ideas about the lifestyles of people living with HIV and AIDS contribute to a sense that HIV and AIDS are problems that affect “others,” which may undermine individuals’ estimation of their own risk and reduce their motivation to take preventive measures.

The cumulative efforts of the Population Council's studies and activities on stigma and discrimination indicate that there are a number of practical approaches that can be undertaken to reduce the basis for these fears, including providing information, counseling, skills acquisition, and increasing the opportunities for contact with people living with HIV and AIDS. The Council, through the Horizons program, engages in numerous studies focused on different aspects of stigma and discrimination.

Projects

• Horizons projects

  • Global: Cooperative Project with WHO to Produce a Review of VCT Programs for Youth
  • Brazil: Risk Factors for HIV Infection in the MSM Population in the Metropolitan Area of Campinas City, Brazil, Using Respondent-driven Sampling

  • Burkina Faso: Impact Assessment of Burkina Faso People Living with HIV/AIDS Study

  • Burkina Faso, Ecuador, India, Zambia: Diagnostic Study on the Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS in the Delivery of Community-based Prevention and Care Services

  • India: Improving the Hospital Environment for HIV-positive Clients in India

  • India: Reducing HIV Risk Behavior Among Key Populations by Strengthening Programs Through Community Involvement

  • India: Scaling Up Affordable and Appropriate Care and Support Services for People Living with HIV/AIDS in South India

  • Kenya: Evaluating the Effect of Stigma-reduction Interventions on PMTCT Providers and Clients

  • Kenya: Understanding the HIV Prevention Needs of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nairobi

  • Nicaragua: Stigma Reduction and Community Mobilization for HIV Prevention via Multimedia Programs

  • Senegal: Responding to the HIV/STI Risks and Health Needs of Men in Dakar, Senegal

  • South Africa: Addressing Stigma and Strengthening Prevention, Care, and Support Services for Workers

  • South Africa: A Pilot Community-based Intervention Program to Address the Needs of Elderly Caregivers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

  • Tanzania: Moving Forward: Tackling Stigma in a Tanzanian Community

  • Uganda: Transcending Boundaries to Improve Food Security of AIDS-affected Households in Rural Uganda

  • Vietnam: Expanding Workplace HIV/STI Prevention Activities for Migrant Construction Workers
  • Vietnam: Reducing HIV/AIDS-related Stigma and Discrimination in the Health Care Setting in Vietnam

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See Also

• Horizons Publications/Resources on HIV/AIDS Stigma and Discrimination 

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