HIV and AIDS

Stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) are common among young people. Yet there are few opportunities for youth to be exposed to interventions that address the key drivers of stigma and discrimination, namely lack of awareness of stigma and its harmful consequences, social judgment and fear of infection through casual contact. This project demonstrated that higher education can be an effective entry point for stigma reduction, by working with several groups and environments, in this case the faculty, students and college. This initiative was part of a larger effort to adapt and pilot test a global stigma reduction framework to the Indian context.

To read the Summary Report, click here. 

Other Case Studies in this Project

• Reducing Stigma to Improve Engagement in HIV Care among Men who Have Sex with Men 
• Gaurav: Reducing HIV-related stigma among female sex workers
• Stigma Busters: Empowering and enabling local governance to work towards stigma-free Gram Panchyat
• Protecting the rights of people living with HIV in the workplace

The Gujarat State Network of Positive People (GSNP+) set out to learn more about the employment needs of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and levels of stigma toward them in the workplace.  To create a supportive and non-discriminatory work environment for PLHIV, GSNP+ recognized the need to address the drivers and facilitators of stigma among both workers (general population) and institutions (senior management and policies).  The project gained buy-in from five industrial associations in the city of Surat, and as a result, GSNP+ held HIV and stigma sensitization trainings with senior leadership and workers from 11 business houses who were members of these associations. Workplace policies also were developed to support the rights of PLHIV and create an enabling environment for their employment. This project was part of a larger effort to adapt and pilot test a global stigma-reduction framework to the Indian context. 

To read the Summary Report, click here. 

Other Case Studies in this Project

• Reducing Stigma to Improve Engagement in HIV Care among Men who Have Sex with Men 
• Gaurav: Reducing HIV-related stigma among female sex workers
• Stigma Busters: Empowering and enabling local governance to work towards stigma-free Gram Panchyat
• Integrating a Youth-based Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Curriculum in Higher Education 

Because of high levels of stigma and discrimination, people living with HIV (PLHIV) rarely participate openly in community-level political and social discussions that affect the implementation of program schemes and policies. Until now, the potential for Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), India’s local governing bodies, to influence community perceptions and responses around HIV-related stigma had not been utilized. This project was successful in training and mobilizing Gram Panchayat (GP) members to lead stigma reduction efforts in five communities and to create a platform for ongoing dialogue between the Panchayat and PLHIV. This initiative was part of a larger effort to adapt and pilot test a global stigma reduction framework to the Indian context. 

To read the Summary Report, click here. 

Other Case Studies in this Project

• Reducing Stigma to Improve Engagement in HIV Care among Men who Have Sex with Men 
• Gaurav: Reducing HIV-related stigma among female sex workers
• Protecting the Rights of People Living with HIV in the Workplace 
• Integrating a Youth-based Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Curriculum in Higher Education 

HIV-positive sex workers are a highly marginalized group in India because of their HIV status and because their work is considered immoral and illegal. As a result they experience intersecting stigmas that impede their health and livelihood options. Using a community-based participatory approach, this project aimed to improve the quality of life of HIV-positive female sex workers (FSWs) by addressing the stigma and discrimination they face. The initiative was conducted in Bagalkot and Belgaum districts in north Karnataka and was part of a larger effort to adapt and pilot test a global stigma reduction framework to the Indian context.

To read the Summary Report, click here. 

Other Case Studies in this Project

• Reducing Stigma to Improve Engagement in HIV Care among Men who Have Sex with Men 
• Protecting the Rights of People Living with HIV in the Workplace 
• Integrating a Youth-based Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Curriculum in Higher Education 
• Stigma Busters: Empowering and Enabling Local Governance to Work towards Stigma-free Gram Panchyat 

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are particularly vulnerable to HIV as well as to other physical and psychological health concerns. MSM experience multi-layered stigma and discrimination as a result of their perceived or real HIV status and their same-sex behavior. Because of social and cultural non-acceptance of their sexuality and fear of being ridiculed, MSM experience internalized stigma, which manifests as guilt, depression, lack of confidence and unwillingness to discuss their sexual lives. This not only influences their mental health but also, combined with enacted or perceived stigma by health care providers, can impede the utilization of health services by MSM. Through a process of research and joint discussion of findings, this project created a foundation for combating stigma at both the individual and institutional levels. It was part of a larger effort to adapt and pilot test a global stigma reduction framework to the Indian context.  

To read the Summary Report, click here. 

Other Case Studies in this Project

• Gaurav: Reducing HIV-related stigma among female sex workers
• Stigma Busters: Empowering and enabling local governance to work towards stigma-free Gram Panchyat
• Protecting the rights of people living with HIV in the workplace
• Integrating a youth-based stigma and discrimination reduction curriculum in higher education

To support India's National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), ICRW with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has adapted an existing global HIV stigma reduction framework for the Indian context and pilot tested the frameowrk in five settings in India (see below for the case study in each setting).  This report synthesizes the lessons learned from the process, including the feasibility and relevance of the framework for use by the NACP and other global stakeholders in informing stigma reduction interventions and measurement. 

Five Case Studies

• Reducing stigma to improve engagement in HIV care among men who have sex with men
• Gaurav: Reducing HIV-related stigma among female sex workers
• Stigma Busters: Empowering and enabling local governance to work towards stigma-free Gram Panchyat
• Protecting the rights of people living with HIV in the workplace
• Integrating a youth-based stigma and discrimination reduction curriculum in higher education