If true change comes from within then all of us, both collectively and individually, can have an impact on improving social attitudes towards people living with HIV and AIDS.
People living with HIV and AIDS are still routinely subjected to discriminatory treatment.
And HIV-related prejudice touches every aspect of their lives, from family and intimate relationships to employment, housing, health care, insurance, income support, travel, and even immigration.
There are a number of things that all of us can do to address stigma in our society, regardless of our HIV status.
Begin with yourself.
Examine your own attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs about HIV/AIDS, and people living with HIV and AIDS.
Reach out to community.
Examine the role that you can play to promote dialogue, understanding, and support for people living with HIV and AIDS in your community.
Make your spiritual community a safe place.
Although religious congregations are typically considered environments of unconditional acceptance, some have also excluded groups of people out of fear or ignorance. People with HIV and AIDS are represented in all faith communities and deserve to be welcomed, accepted, and supported.
Learn and grow.
Stigma and discrimination are rooted in ignorance and fear. You can avoid this by keeping up to date on information pertaining to HIV and AIDS.
Express your knowledge.
Share your knowledge, especially about how HIV is and is not transmitted. Find creative and compelling ways to share information within your community.
Affect change.
Advocate at every level to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination as well as for improved care, treatment, and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Think positively.
Speak out and mobilize others to speak out against HIV/AIDS-related discrimination. Use inclusive and affirming language when speaking about people with HIV/AIDS. Listen to and honour the courageous voices and experiences of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Rejecting self-stigma
Internal stigmatization—also called self-stigma or felt stigma—refers to ways that stigmatized people, in turn, stigmatize themselves. Some people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly those who are newly diagnosed, may view themselves as somehow guilty or responsible for their situation. They may even worry that they pose a threat to the health of those around them, avoiding or sacrificing meaningful relationships in the process.
People living with HIV/AIDS can empower themselves to reject self-stigma through:
Counseling: Sensitive and supportive counseling can help newly diagnosed people explore the impact of their HIV status.
Peer support: Community-based peer support prevents social isolation while forming the basis of mutual support and self-empowerment for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Treatment: Effective treatments render the disease more manageable and, in effect, reduce the stigma associated with HIV-related illnesses.
Active Involvement: Activism, participation in support groups, and volunteering foster a proactive self-advocacy and self-empowerment approach to coping with HIV infection.
Public Disclosure: In spite of the threat of stigma and discrimination, many people living with HIV/AIDS find it liberating and affirming to go public about their HIV status.
Social policy and legislative changes
There are numerous political strategies that can help to reduce the impact of AIDS-related stigma and discrimination through changes to social policy and legislation.
Strategic framework: A strategic response to AIDS-related stigma and discrimination should be included in the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS.
Community participation: People living with and affected by HIV/AIDS as well as AIDS service organizations should be involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of HIV/AIDS policies and programs.
Research, analysis, and advocacy: Funding should be made available for research and action plans to address AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.
Law reform and legal services: Further legislative reforms and legal services are required to protect people living with HIV/AIDS in dealing with and addressing related discrimination.
Education: Education and training programs should be targeted to service providers, children and youth, and workplace settings to dispel the myths and assumptions associated with HIV/AIDS.
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