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For over 27 years, our world has been living with HIV. And in just this short time, AIDS has become one of the make-or-break global crises of our age, undermining not just the health prospects of entire societies but also their ability to reduce poverty, promote development, and maintain national security. And in too many regions AIDS continues to expand – every single day 7 400 people are newly infected with HIV, and nearly 5 500 people die from AIDS- related illnesses. Download this publication |
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Although there have been many notable successes in both the prevention and treatment of HIV, stigma and discrimination have been intractable problems associated with the AIDS epidemic throughout the world. Stigma certainly has well-established individual consequences: it has been shown to delay HIV testing, restrict utilization of preventative programs, and hinder the adoption of preventative behaviours like condom use and HIV status disclosure (Brooks et al., 2005). Stigma may also have consequences for individual economic well-being as well as broader socioeconomic development (beyond the impact of HIV disease alone). In Asia, where the epidemic arrived relatively late, HIV is spreading with rapid speed. In 2005, the number of AIDS cases in Asia topped 8 million; this is compared to approximately 3 million people just 10 years prior (UNAIDS, 2006). Determinants and consequences of stigma and discrimination on socioeconomic development in Asia have yet to be empirically assessed. Download this publication |
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Despite the pervasiveness of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in national HIV epidemics and their harmful impact in terms of public health and human rights, they remain seriously neglected issues in most national responses to HIV. Download this publication |
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Universal access signifies both a concrete commitment and a renewed resolve among people the world over to reverse the course of the epidemic. It is not a new initiative. It is a process that builds on past initiatives and infuses existing initiatives with new momentum. Download this publication |
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The countries of Asia and the Pacific stand at a crossroads, facing two diverging routes to the future. One route is “business as usual”. Though the easiest and cheapest route to take at the beginning, it ends up in rising levels of HIV infection and a toll far higher than the estimated 500 000 AIDS-related deaths that occurred in the region during 2004. The other route is one of determined prevention and care initiatives. Harder and more expensive at the beginning, it ends up stopping the epidemic in its tracks, and minimizing both its human and economic costs. Download this publication |
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From the start of the AIDS epidemic, stigma and discrimination have fuelled the trans- mission of HIV and have greatly increased the negative impact associated with the epidemic. HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to be manifest in every country and region of the world, creating major barriers to preventing further infection, alleviating impact and providing adequate care, support and treatment. Download this publication |
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From July 2001 to November 2002, the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+) conducted the first regional documentation of AIDS-related discrimination in Asia. The project is an action-based, peer-led study that aimed to develop an understanding of the nature, pattern and extent of AIDS-related discrimination in several Asian countries. The project was designed and implemented by people living with HIV (positive people) and received ethical approval and funding from UNAIDS. Download this publication |
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Stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS are the greatest barriers to prevent- ing further infections, providing adequate care, support and treatment and alleviating impact. HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination are universal, occurring in every country and region of the world. They are triggered by many forces, including lack of understanding of the disease, myths about how HIV is transmitted, prejudice, lack of treatment, irresponsible media reporting on the epidemic, the fact that AIDS is incurable, social fears about sexuality, fears relating to illness and death, and fears about illicit drugs and injecting drug use. Download this publication |
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Stigma and discrimination present major challenges to the successful implementa- tion of workplace HIV/AIDS programs. Stigma is defined as a social process that marginalizes and labels those who are different, and discrimination is defined as the negative practices that stem from stigma, or “enacted” stigma. In the workplace, employees may suffer from HIV-related stigma from their co-workers and supervisors, such as social isolation and ridicule, or experience discriminatory practices, such as being fired from their jobs. The fear of negative reactions from colleagues and employers may discourage workers from undergoing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and seeking available prevention and care services. Download this publication |
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In India, as elsewhere, AIDS is perceived as a disease of “others” – of peo- ple living on the margins of society, whose lifestyles are considered “perverted” and “sin- ful.” Discrimination, stigmatization, and denial (DSD) are the expected outcomes of such values, affecting life in families, communities, workplaces, schools, and health care set- tings. Because of HIV/AIDS-related DSD, appropriate policies and models of good prac- tice remain undeveloped. People living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) continue to be bur- dened by poor care and inadequate services, while those with the power to help do lit- tle to make the situation better. Download this publication |