A woman sits quietly away from the rest of her family. She has her meals using her own “special” crockery and cutlery.
She even has a special rug that she sits on. If she dares to sit anywhere else, there will be no peace in that home.
People take extra care when they visit the toilet after her.
You would think the people she lives with are not her family but they are.
It all started when it was established that all her illnesses were a result of her being HIV positive. Her family began to treat her like she was not worthy of love and attention. They began to treat her like she was a disgrace and someone who ought to be kept away from everyone else.
Hers is not the only such sad story.

 There are numerous such incidences occurring within the workplace, health facilities and in religious circles. That is the ugliness of stigma, the negative emotions or feelings people have for themselves or each other. It is very common for people to stigmatise those living with HIV or even those who are different from them like people living with disabilities.

Haven’t we all heard of people who get fired from a job because they are HIV positive? Have we not heard of relationships that were frowned upon because one party was positive and the other was not?
Some people living with HIV actually practice self- stigma by deeming themselves not worthy of their rights or any good thing, by not standing up for their interests and by tolerating stigma and other forms of abuse from those around them. Many of them have stopped dating because they believe it is best to be alone when living with HIV. Many others have failed to have children because people around them have advised them that they should not. Some women have been chased out of their very homes by partners because they dared to test HIV positive.But is everyone not entitled to love, to having a child and to live their life?

It is disturbing however that despite such high levels of stigma and discrimination there are not enough policies to address stigma and discrimination in many countries and as a result, people living with HIV and those affected HIV related stigma are rarely able to seek recourse.

• Stigma and discrimination constitute one of the greatest barriers to dealing effectively with the epidemic. They discourage governments from acknowledging or taking timely action against AIDS. They deter individuals from finding out their HIV status and inhibit those who know they are infected from disclosing and taking action to protect themselves and others from re-infection and infection.
• The media can be used as a platform to reduce stigma and discrimination. They have a responsibility to report accurately, in a sensitive manner and to give clear messages when reporting on AIDS. All forms of communication, including radio, television, newspapers & other print media, the Internet and other traditional forms of communication have potential to reach a large number of people and should employ their capacity to shape public attitudes, values and perceptions in a non-stigmatising manner.

• The media would do well to look at whether there are any policies to address stigma and discrimination in their countries. If there are none or if there are inadequate, it is high time policy makers were lobbied to make sure that they put such policies in place.
• It would be worthwhile to highlight some of the challenges being faced by people living with HIV in the different countries       
• The media should try and bring out the voices of those living with HIV. Their voices are rarely heard and a human interest story of this kind will reach more people than just facts and figures.
• Issues of stigma have a lot to do with violation of a person’s right. What stories can the media do around this?
• Some people stigmatise and discriminate those living with HIV out of ignorance. This includes those who are afraid of sharing plates and cups and bathrooms with people living with HIV believing this to be risky. It is a well known fact that HIV can only be spread through the exchange of bodily fluids but the media should not assume this is known by all. There is therefore need to educate such people through the media. It is high time the media raised awareness about the negative effects of stigma not only to People living with HIV but societies as well.
• The media should ensure that they do not use language that is stigmatising. HIV and AIDS issues are sensitive to most people and therefore ethical reporting, that is accurate and objective is highly encouraged to avoid stigma and discrimination.

Sources:  
www.unfpa.org/hiv/docs/reportt-cards/ethiopia.pdf
www.unfpa.org/new/coverage/2006/november18-december
www.safaids.org.zw
www.iasociety.org
www.globalhealth.org/reports/reports/text.php3