ICRW well-represented at XVI International AIDS Conference

ICRW researchers spoke about the importance of girls' education and property rights for women as means to limit the spread of HIV, as well as how gender-based violence contributes to its spread.

Click here for more information and links to their presentations.

New report: HIV/AIDS Stigma — Finding Solutions to Strengthen HIV/AIDS Programs

HIV/AIDS-related stigma has long been recognized as a crucial barrier to the prevention, care and treatment of HIV and AIDS.  This synthesis report draws from six years of research on HIV/AIDS-related stigma in Ethiopia, India, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia.

Click here to read the report.   

HOW TO REDUCE THE STIGMA OF AIDS

methods, tools and measurement:
latest findings from the field

ICRW, with GlaxoSmithKline's Positive Action program and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, hosted a day-long symposium to discuss recent research on HIV/AIDS-related stigma and promising strategies and tools for stigma reduction.

The symposium, held Aug. 12, 2006 in Toronto, sought to maximize learning, the cross-sharing of lessons, and the building of capacity and potential collaboration among key groups working to reduce the stigma of AIDS.

Get the facts about stigma.

Click here to learn more about ICRW's participation in the XVI International AIDS Conference.

The day-long program, on the eve of the XVI International AIDS Conference, featured presentations by renowned international AIDS specialists and hands-on, skill-building.

If you missed the symposium, click on the links below to see selected presentations and remarks.

Opening Plenary

Advances in the field of stigma

ICRW and its partners continue to break new ground in AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. Four leading experts revealed lessons learned from stigma-reduction programs and the connections between stigma, gender and violence.

Opening Remarks: Richard South, GlaxoSmithKline's Positive Action Program

Moderator: Sarah Degnan Kambou, International Center for Research on Women, United States

Presenters:

Pfiriael Kiwia (left) answers a question as Khuat Thu Hong looks on.

• Khuat Thu Hong, Institute for Social Development Studies, Vietnam
• Pfiriael Kiwia, Kimara Peer Educators and Health Promoters Trust Fund, Tanzania
• Juan Jacobo Hernandez, Colectivo Sol, Mexico
• Laura Nyblade, International Center for Research on Women, United States

Plenary and Luncheon

Stigma's pernicious effect on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care is finally being recognized, and efforts to combat stigma and discrimination are promising. A distinguished panel of leaders discussed stigma, policy and leadership, and the experience of living with and challenging the stigma of AIDS.

Moderator: Geeta Rao Gupta, International Center for Research on Women, United States

Speakers:

• Keynote: Peter Piot, UNAIDS, Switzerland
• Gcebile Ndlovu, International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, Swaziland
• Alvaro Bermejo, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, United Kingdom
• Justine Frain, GlaxoSmithKline, United Kingdom

Skill-building Sessions

Participants learned how to effectively use the anti-stigma toolkit, Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma: Toolkit for Action (9.6 MB), or how to measure stigma and evaluate programs in various settings with different populations.

• Session 1: Use of stigma-reduction tools in low prevalence/concentrated epidemic settings
• Session 2: Use of stigma-reduction tools in high prevalence/generalized epidemics
• Session 3: Measurement of stigma and evaluation of program success in reducing stigma
  
  Session 3 Presentations:
  • Setting the Stage: Workshop on Stigma Measurement
  
  • Values: Shame, Blame and Judgment
  
  • Fear of Casual Transmission of HIV and Refusal of Contact with People Living with HIV or AIDS
  
  • Enacted Stigma: What Do We Know about Measuring It?
  
  • Disclosure
  
  • Approaches to Measuring Stigma: What Are Our Options?

Click here for plenary speaker biographies.

speakers included:

• Geeta Rao Gupta, President, ICRW, Washington, D.C., USA
• Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Brighton, UK
• Chipo Chiyya, Regional Trainer for Stigma and Discrimination, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Lusaka, Zambia
• Sue Clay, Regional Coordinator for Stigma and Discrimination; Lusaka, Zambia
• Justine Frain, Vice President, Global Community Partnerships, GlaxoSmithKline, London, UK
• Juan Hernandez, President, Colectivo Sol, Mexico City, Mexico
• Charles Katende, Senior Evaluation Specialist, Social and Scientific Systems Inc., Maryland, USA
• Ross Kidd, Consultant, ICRW, Gaborone, Botswana
• Oratile Kidd Moseki; Training Officer; Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS; Gaborone, Botswana
• Pfiriael Kiwia, Executive Director and Program Coordinator, Kimara Peer Educators and Health Promoters Trust Fund, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Kerry MacQuarrie, Research Associate, ICRW, Washington, D.C., USA
• Nthabiseng Nkwe; Program Officer; Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS; Gaborone, Botswana
• Laura Nyblade, Social Scientist/Demographer, ICRW, Washington, D.C., USA
• Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS, Geneva, Switzerland
• Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Program Coordinator, Institute for Social Development Studies, Hanoi, Vietnam
• Khuat Thu Hong, Director, Institute for Social Development Studies, Hanoi, Vietnam

Why Is Stigma Important?

The United States, other developed countries, developing countries, nongovernmental organizations and individuals collectively spend billions of dollars to fight HIV and AIDS.  Stigma has a profound impact on HIV/AIDS programs, often limiting their reach and decreasing their effectiveness.

Data suggest that fewer people seek HIV testing because they fear a positive result and the stigma that follows. People who do get tested often don't return for their results for fear of being seen at a clinic known to test for HIV.

People who are HIV-positive face social repercussions that may include:

• Eviction from their homes;
• Threats of physical violence;
• Loss of property and/or other assets;
• Abandonment by their partners; and/or
• Poor medical care.

Stigma also affects people's willingness to disclose a positive test result to others, including their spouses.  In some cases, people know that they have HIV for years but do not tell even their most intimate partners for fear of stigma and its consequences. This can have serious repercussions for preventing further transmission of the virus.

If government and nongovernment agencies want HIV/AIDS programs to be most effective, stigma must be addressed.

Conference Sponsors:

 

for more information:

Click on these publications based on ICRW research to learn more about HIV/AIDS-related stigma:

	Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma: Toolkit for Action (Revised Edition) (1) Introduction and Module A (2) Modules B and C (3) Modules D and E (4) Modules F and G (5) Module H (6) Module I (7) Module J (8) Moving to Action Module (9) Picture Booklet

	HIV/AIDS Stigma: Finding Solutions to Strengthen HIV/AIDS Programs

	Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma: Toolkit for Action (9.6 MB)

	Common at its Core: HIV-Related Stigma Across Contexts

	HIV & AIDS-Stigma and Violence Reduction Intervention Manual (5.2 MB)

	Measuring HIV Stigma: Results of a Field Test in Tanzania (2.3 MB)