May 19, 2023
It is Address the persistent stigma and discrimination in the face of PLHIV!!!
International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) joins the rest of the World to commemorate The International Candlelight Memorial Day. This year’s global theme is “Spread Love and Solidarity to Build Stronger Communities” globally While carrying out an activity that was aimed at addressing the human rights barriers to accessing HIV, TB and Malaria services in Uganda including HIV Stigma and Discrimination, , ICWEA listened to the tells of a person who t had faced stigma and discrimination.
“I was let go from my job at the local government after falling ill. Five months later on treatment without change, my family – a wife and five children abandoned me. I was hungry and sick and my elderly mother brought me a cooked me once every two to three days when she could, sometimes not. At 50 years of age, I was weighing 42kg” narrated Oscar a participant at one of our meetings.
There continues to be significant challenges People Living with HIV(PLHIV) face due to persistent stigma and discrimination leading to feelings of shame, self-doubt, and isolation, preventing individuals from seeking the care and support they need. Well it is a shame that it has taken all our countries in Eastern Africa and the Rest of the world this long to unlearn stigma and discrimination and learn more virtues like empowerment, caring and saying no to all forms of stigma and discrimination.
By addressing both stigma and self-stigma, we can help stop the perpetual negative language around HIV transmission, burst myths and misinformation about life with HIV, and end HIV stigma and discrimination that have long been a barrier to effective HIV prevention and treatment.
“Women and girls living with HIV often fear stigma and rejection from their families not only because they stand to lose their social place of belonging, but also because they could lose their housing, children, and ability to survive and thus shunning treatment” noted a Director at ICWEA.
HIV stigma, self-stigma and discrimination in young women and women living with HIV has caused significant psychosocial and health issues more than ever leading to poor HIV treatment outcomes. The isolation that the social rejection brings lead to women and girls to low self-esteem, depression and even thoughts or acts of suicide.
“ I had been rejected by friends as a result of disclosing my status to them. I have lost my intimate partner and actually faced a lot of violence that almost cost me my life. I could no longer adhere to my HIV treatment for fear that my friends will find out my HIV status.” Narrated a young women living with HIV in one of ICWEA engagements.
These and more are voices of young women from a safe space and beneficiaries of the “Building self-resilience among young women living with HIV project implemented by ICWEA in Burundi and Uganda
Yet, despite its devastating effects, stigma often is at the bottom of the priority list in HIV programming For all our communities in the Eastern Africa region to even be close to Ending HIV by 2030 , there must be tremendous change of perception and eradicating stigma and discrimination once and for all.
Ending
A world free of stigma is a world where every single person is valued, respected, appreciated and thriving with dignity, where a every single person is accepted, loved and feels worthy This is the only way to make sure women and young women living with HIV and all PLHIV are on treatment and that there are no new infections.
If we do not take the stand to end stigma and discrimination, we keep running in a vicious cycle with no end.
As we honor those before us that rest in the skies, we hope to achieve what they fought for and died believing for. Let’s act now to end HIV by 2030 by our countries intentionally prioritizing HIV stigma and discrimination programming especially for women and girls living with HIV
About ICWEA
The International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa is a regional advocacy network and membership-based organisation.
ICWEA mission is to Vision is a Holistic health & rights for women and girls living with HIV in their diversity where they thrive and live dignified lives.
For more Information contact/email
Communications: 0785756893 or 0705276266
