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Stigma is a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something/someone. Several studies show that stigma usually arises from lack of awareness, lack of education, lack of perception, and the nature and complications of the mental illness, for example odd behaviours and violence. But lets come to think of it,  what  exactly is HIV stigma?

HIV Stigma is the negative idea people have about people who are living with HIV or people who are part of populations associated with HIV. The key  populations include men who have sex with men (MSM), female  sex workers, people who inject drugs

When HIV was first identified, people didn’t know how it spread from person to person, which created a lot of fear. Even today, there is still misinformation about how HIV is spread. This lack of knowledge leads to some people being afraid to be around people living with HIV and behaving poorly towards people they believe may be HIV positive. Another side of HIV stigma is related to key population because they are most affected by HIV. When HIV became associated with their identities, it increased both the stigma of these groups and the stigma of being HIV positive. Where someone used to be persecuted for being gay, they were now persecuted for being gay and “diseased.”Additionally, if an individual belongs to more than one stigmatized population, they may face stigma for multiple reasons. The stigma a black gay man faces comes from the stigma of being black, the stigma of being gay, and the stigma from both of those identities being associated with HIV. This idea is called intersectionality.

As a result of stigma, people living with HIV can become targets of discrimination and harassment, and there is less access to condoms, HIV testing, and antiretroviral treatments in at least 28 different countries, including the Nigeria.

HIV stigma can impact people’s everyday lives in many ways. The public’s lack of knowledge on how HIV is spread means that some people may be afraid to be served food made by people living with HIV or use the same bathrooms as them. People living with HIV  are often discriminated against when it comes to housing, employment, health services, and more. Challenging this type of discrimination in court can be difficult and expensive. HIV stigma can also impact the mental health of HIV positive people. If people around you think negatively about you, it can make you feel negatively about yourself. Sometimes, even one loud person saying negative things is enough to hurt. HIV stigma can contribute to depression, which can further exacerbate HIV-related symptoms.

What can we do to reduce HIV stigma? One of the most important things is to educate the people around us about how HIV is really spread to combat fear. Make sure we’re being supportive with our language choices. And we did not refer to HIV positive people with negative terms like “dirty”, “infected”, etc. Challenge stereotypes about HIV positive people and associated populations where you see them. Lastly, advocating for antidiscrimination laws can help protect HIV positive people at home and work.

Nifemi Adeshina – 2020 LeNNIB Champion

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