The
stigma associated with HIV has existed since the epidemic’s beginning. Stigma
is a mark of disgrace, a characteristic of shame or dishonour. HIV stigma comes
from a fear of the illness, becoming HIV positive, the risk activities
connected with transmission and/or from the lack of information around HIV.
Stigma can be found in the general public, with friends and family, social
service and health care professionals. It is prevalent, it is pervasive, and it
greatly influences the daily lives of those living with HIV.
All
people living with HIV experience stigma, and women are no exception. In 2009
women accounted for 26.2% of all HIV positive test results in the country, a
significant increase in comparison to the rate of 11.7% prior to 1999.
Recently,
the Times Colonist (a Victoria newspaper), ran this article about one woman’s
battle with HIV related stigma. Of course the woman featured in this article was so fearful of stigma that her
name had to kept anonymous. “Having this stigma is so anguishing” she shared, “it
takes away some of the quality of life”. Not only her own quality of life, the
woman expresses concerns about the possible quality of life for her family. As
sole breadwinner her employment is critical and she would not run the risk of
informing her boss about her status.
These concerns are comment among women living with HIV and we cannot talk about women
without talking about the impact that HIV related stigma has on their families.
What happens to women also happens to their families, and passing the stigma
associated with being HIV positive onto their family can be a key concern for
positive women. Women may also worry about the stigma associated with having children
as an HIV positive women, and their reproductive choices might be challenged as
family, friends or professionals limit
their options to conceive.
The stigma associated with HIV is
underpinned by many factors, and women, as an already marginalized group, experience
unique overlapping levels of stigma. Stigma limits access to treatment and
supports, increases isolation and decreases the overall health and wellness of
those living with HIV.
Each person living with HIV will have a
distinctive experience and understanding of the way stigma has influenced his
or her life. So, how can we help combat stigma? One of the easiest and best
ways to fight stigma is to simply be informed. Arm yourself with knowledge
about HIV and how it is transmitted. The next step is to be prepared to share
that information with others. AIDS Calgary has lots of resources, if you want
to know more about anything HIV related please get in touch.
References:
UNAIDS:
https://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/dataimport/publications/irc-pub06/jc999-humrightsviol_en.pdf
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