“Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world”
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations
The UN General Assembly is committed to the goal of universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 for all those who need it. In spite of this many people are not accessing the services they need for fear of stigmatization and discrimination. Many people are afraid that by disclosing their HIV status and using HIV services they will be rejected by their families, friends and communities. They are often unaware of their rights.
HIV-related stigma is based on fear and ignorance about HIV and AIDS. The illness has also been highly stigmatized because of its associations with sexual behavior, drug use behavior, and the fact that in many places it disproportionately affects those considered outside the so-called mainstream of society – including men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, injecting drug users (IDU), and migrant populations.
We work closely with young people to try and dispel the ‘myths’ that surround HIV/AIDS. Through our programs we teach that people living with HIV/AIDS are not to be feared, but treated with compassion and understanding, just as should be the case with any other illness.