The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) hosted its eighth annual AIDS Candlelight Memorial last Sunday as part of the inaugural Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Festival in Guyana.
The function, held at the Catholic Life Centre, Brickdam was a dedication and memorial for those who lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses.
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is coordinated by the Global Network of People Living with HIV and is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV awareness in the world. Started in 1983, the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries.
Ending AIDS together
Speaking on the International theme, ‘Ending AIDS together’, UNAIDS Country Director Martin Odiit reminded the audience that HIV is still a pandemic with millions of lives lost and around 37 million people currently living with HIV. He posited that HIV remains a challenging reality on the social front with people still experiencing HIV-related stigma, discrimination and human rights violations.
UNAIDS defines HIV-related stigma and discrimination as “… a ‘process of devaluation’ of people either living with or associated with HIV and AIDS … Discrimination follows stigma and is the unfair and unjust treatment of an individual based on his or her real or perceived HIV status.”
Examples of discriminatory and stigmatizing practices may range from neglect, differential treatment, denial of care, disclosing HIV status without consent, and verbal abuse/gossip, Oditt explained.
“Men and women may experience different forms and intensities of stigma. HIV related stigma can manifest in the family, at the workplace and even in health facilities. It is therefore important that the general population, employers and service providers are continuously reminded of the ramifications of stigma, the actions to take, and the value of a supportive, stigma-free environment,” the UN’s resident HIV chief stated.
He revealed that stigma often heightens existing prejudices and inequalities. HIV-related stigma tends to be most debilitating for people who are already socially marginalized and closely associated with HIV, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons, and prisoners.
“The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial reminds us of the impact that HIV still has on our lives. The Memorial emphasizes the need for people living with and affected by HIV to join hands and work together in the response to HIV. Without reducing stigma and discrimination, we will not end AIDS,” he said.
Odiit stated that stigma and discrimination contribute to keeping people from adopting HIV preventive behaviours and accessing needed care and treatment, according to the Director, fear of being identified as someone infected with HIV increases the likelihood that people will avoid testing for HIV, disclosing their HIV status to health care providers and family members, or seeking treatment and care, thus compromising their health and well-being. “Both experienced and perceived stigma and discrimination are associated with reduced utilization of prevention and treatment services. Experience or fear of stigma often results in postponing or rejecting care, seeking care far from home to protect confidentiality, and non-adherence to medication,” Odiit explained.
The UNAIDS director explained that studies from different parts of the world reveal that there are three main immediately actionable causes of HIV-related stigma: Lack of awareness of what stigma looks like and why it is damaging; Fear of casual contact stemming from incomplete knowledge about HIV transmission; and the association of HIV with improper or immoral behaviour.
Reducing Stigma and Discrimination
In his address, Oditt remarked that increasing awareness among the population of what stigma is and the benefits of reducing it is critical. “Raising awareness about stigma and allowing for critical reflection on the negative consequences of stigma for key populations and people living with HIV, such as reduced quality of care and unwillingness to disclose their HIV status and adhere to treatment regimens are important in any stigma reduction programme,” he proffered.
Odiit believes that confronting the perceptions of assumed immoral and improper behaviours being associated with HIV and AIDS is crucial as these promote stigmatizing behaviours towards key populations and people living with HIV. “It is important to emphasize to service providers that moralizing HIV and AIDS promotes stigma and discrimination,” he said.
Ending AIDS by 2030
The way forward, according to Odiit, is in investing in stigma reduction. “We need to engage individuals, groups, government and civil society in reducing stigma. Efforts of education of the current and next generation about HIV, treatment, prevention and care and how it affects our lives must be a priority. We must empower and encourage people living with HIV in all their diversity to live positively and enjoy their right to live a life free of stigma and discrimination. Only then shall we end AIDS by 2030,” he closed.
The inaugural LGBT Pride Festival was held from May 25 to 31 by the Guyana LGBT Coalition comprising of the country’s LGBT-led civil society groups: Guyana Trans United (GTU), Guyana Rainbow Foundation (GuyBow) and SASOD.
