Can Stigma be Conquered?

The first time I heard of the word stigma was at the onset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This word was everywhere, on the radio, in newspapers, in brochures and posters but I did not understand what it meant.

With time I began to get the idea what this word was all about. It was a word that brought fear in every one who was HIV positive and to those who were not sure whether they had the disease or not.

So what is stigma?

AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is described as prejudice, negative attitudes, abuse and maltreatment directed at people living with HIV and AIDS.

Different societies and cultures have shown varying levels of stigma and discrimination and these in turn have instilled fear in people of being discriminated against. This fear has resulted in people running away from knowing their HIV status and disclosing their HIV status if they know it.

Governments and non-governmental organizations are working hand in hand with many African countries where the disease has caused a lot of havoc, to bring awareness on the disease.

In the beginning it was not easy to break the cultural barriers and talk about issues concerning sexuality which are considered as taboo. But as the disease claimed more lives and infections sky rocketed people resorted to opening up and bringing the truth about HIV/AIDS into the open. HIV/AIDS has created thousands and thousands of orphans in Africa and as such communities are working hard to bring awareness of the disease to both young and old.  In Malawi for example, children in primary school (between the age of 5 and 12) and in secondary school (12-18years of age) are taught about the danger of HIV/AIDS and how they can contract it as well as avoid infection. In the rural areas, health personnel and social workers are working hard to bring awareness on HIV/AIDS.

But how has this awareness affected the issues of stigma and discrimination in these societies?

Uganda was badly hit by the pandemic but the country embarked on huge HIV/AIDS awareness campaign which showed remarkable results in the society, their perception of the disease as well as stigma and discrimination.

In Malawi, I noticed that people are more open to talk about their HIV status, they are also open to tell their friends and family members to go for HIV testing if they suspect the disease. The interesting thing that I noted was people will say “ it is better to go and get these free medication and stay alive than hide the disease and die from it”. This attitude has helped many people to come in the open and get treatment. There are still some who do not want to know their HIV status and even if they see all the symptoms leading to HIV/AIDS they would still deny being tested.

A study in Botswana showed that stigmatising attitudes lessened three years after the introduction of the national program providing access to treatment.  A reduction in stigma was also observed in Tanzania with the introduction of the antiretroviral treatment (ART).

The Secretary general of the UN, Ban Ki Moon said and I quote “ Stigma remains a single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear social disgrace, of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world.”

So can stigma be conquered? I believe the answer lies with each and every one of us. If we have to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we need to work together against stigma and discrimination.