Reducing Stigma and Discrimination

Stigma and discrimination are primary barriers to universal access to HIV treatment, care, and prevention. People living with HIV often face discrimination from health providers, employers, family members or friends. And fear of the consequences of revealing their HIV status including denial of care, jobs, or schooling, hinders individuals from getting tested for HIV, disclosing a positive status to others (including intimate partners), or accessing HIV treatment and support services. Women and girls are particularly susceptible.

In health care settings, people living with HIV report that doctors and nurses often refuse to see or treat them. This kind of discrimination results in minimal or poor quality of care, frightens away potential clients in need of care, and undermines effective HIV prevention efforts. As HIV treatment programs become increasingly available in resource-poor countries, access to and use of these lifesaving services will depend on the degree to which health facilities welcome and respect the rights of people living with HIV.

To address these serious issues, EngenderHealth and the International Center for Research on Women issued a joint call to action to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination on World AIDS Day.

To reduce stigma and discrimination in heath care settings, EngenderHealth has developed a participatory curriculum for health workers, which raises awareness among health workers about stigma and their own attitudes and behaviors, as well as clarifies the modes of HIV transmission to alleviate fears about HIV infection. The curriculum has been used to train health workers in eight countries and is currently being used to improve health care in Ghana, India, and Tanzania.