Stigma and Discrimination
If you think that recent medical advances have made HIV/AIDS a chronic disease – think again. HIV/AIDS remains a crisis in Canada and around the world, according to public health officials. So what is fueling this continuing health crisis?AIDS activists and public health professionals explain that health and well-being are nearly impossible when other fundamental rights are violated. People’s attitudes – fear of disease, stigmatizing and blaming others for the epidemic, discriminating against those they know or suspect to have HIV – make fertile ground for new cases of HIV.Stigmatization leads to discrimination.In the early days of the epidemic, acts of discrimination were obvious: children living with HIV/AIDS were refused entry to schools, adults living with HIV/AIDS were denied service in restaurants. Today, discrimination is more subtle. Where at one time an individual was fired for an HIV-positive status, now he/she may be laid off or pressured to the point of quitting.Acts of discrimination are violations of human rights.The people and communities most affected by HIV/AIDS are those with limited access to fundamental social and economic rights. Denying the rights of people with HIV/AIDS limits their ability to care for themselves and their families. Denying the rights of healthy individuals makes them more vulnerable to infection. Stigma and discrimination can stop people from seeking information about HIV or requesting an HIV test.So what can be done?Ensuring legal and policy protection for people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS is essential if AIDS is to be stopped. But often, before legal and policy reforms can be achieved, efforts must be made to increase public education, and support for the issues behind the law.Consider what you and your family, friends and co-workers can do to be part of the solution Contact AIDS Thunder Bay for further information, for workshops, or for support. |
