The legacies of cultural denigration, racism, colonialism, and cultural genocide have had a devastating effect on Aboriginal people in Canada and throughout North America. A 2005 study reported in the Canadian Aboriginal People living with HIV/AIDS: Care, Treatment and Support Issues indicates that 16% of the 195 Aboriginal people living with HIV/AIDS reached in the study attended a Residential School. 60% of the group said that they had a parent attend a Residential School; while 85% noted that they had a parent, guardian or grandparent who had attended. (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, 2008 p.13)
The effects the Residential Schools have had a long lasting effect on Aboriginal people for generations to come. Often the effects of poverty, discrimination, and the weight of historical events such as the residential school system lead to negative and destructive coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse.
“I came out of a Residential school pretty screwed up, and it has caused way more problems that just don’t “go away”. It caused mis-guidance and poor judgment that led to me getting HIV and Hep C. I can live with the disease, but the “mental” damage from Residential school is a very serious disease.” (CAAN, 2008, p.53)
“Since 1998, the proportion of positive HIV test reports attributed to Aboriginal persons has remained steady, at just over 20%... However, in 2006 the proportion of positive HIV test reports attributed to Aboriginal persons was 27.3% among the provinces and territories reporting ethnicity information with their HIV reports” (PHAC, 2007, p. 49).
In addition to the higher rates of HIV, the epidemic has unique characteristics within Aboriginal communities. Injection drug use accounts for 58.8% of the HIV cases among Aboriginal persons. By comparison, in the non-Aboriginal community; injection drug use accounts for only 24.8% of the HIV cases.
Within the general non-Aboriginal population, the most frequent modes of transmission of HIV are MSM (38.9%), heterosexual contact (31.5%), and IDUs (24.8%). In the Aboriginal population the highest incidence of HIV is IDU (58.8%) followed by heterosexual contact (29.4%) and a much lower rate of MSM (6.8%).” (PHAC, 2007 p.50)
A National Response
Each year the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network releases a new Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week campaign to address the disproportionately high rates of HIV among Aboriginal communities, and to address the underlying causes and inequalities faced by Aboriginal people.
The 2008 campaign includes a poster and booklet with a character named SID who is said to help HIV spread. SID stands for; “Stigma: the negative & often untrue things people believe about HIV, AIDS & Aboriginal People Living with HIV/AIDS, Ignorance: in that most people don’t know as much as they think they do, Discrimination: things people do to treat Aboriginal People Living with HIV/AIDS unfairly” (CAAN, 2008).
An excerpt from the campaign website states
To see this year’s campaign, download free materials etc please see: http://www.caan.ca/aaaw/index.htm
A Local Response
AIDS Calgary is committed to working collaboratively with Aboriginal communities, individuals and agencies to address the prevention and support needs of Aboriginal people living with, at risk for or affected by HIV/AIDS. Approximately 18% of our clients living with HIV/AIDS are Aboriginal.
We endeavor to serve the diverse Aboriginal community via focused outreach, supporting Aboriginal clients living with HIV/AIDS, community partnerships, and building staff competency in working cross culturally. Some activities have included attending health fairs, youth events, school presentations and case conferences in reserves in our service area. We also provide outreach to urban Aboriginal agencies within Calgary as required. In these activities we incorporate Aboriginal specific HIV/AIDS educational materials, designed by Aboriginal groups.
Our work also includes a partnership with Bloodlines, a Canadian Aboriginal magazine focused on HIV/AIDS, in which we provide local connections and distribute the magazine to Calgary and area communities, agencies and individuals. As an example we ensured that all participants of the 2005 Alberta Harm Reduction Conference received copies of the latest Bloodlines issue. To learn more about Bloodlines please see: http://www.red-road.org/bloodlines/index.html
References
CAAN, (2008). Canadian Aboriginal People living with HIV/AIDS: Care, Treatment and
Support Issues. Retrieved November 25, 2008 from
http://www.caan.ca/pdf/CAAN_CTS_English_Final.pdf
CAAN, (2005). (n.t.). Retrieved November 25, 2008 from
http://www.caan.ca/aaaw/index.htm
Public Health Agency of Canada (2007). HIV/AIDS Among Aboriginal Persons in
Canada: A Continuing Concern. Retrieved June 21, 2008, from http://www.phacaspc.gc.ca/aids-sida/publication/epi/pdf/epi2007_e.pdf
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