World AIDS Day 2002: Eliminating the Stigma

Written by Mason Booth, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

December 1, 2002 — “If I shake your hand, I’ll catch it.” “I can’t work with you, you’ll infect me.” “You must have done something to deserve it.”

While more than 40 million people around the world living with HIV and AIDS face obstacles on a daily basis, stigma and discrimination remain the two most often encountered.

To combat the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Sahara Africa, where more than 30 million people are suffering from HIV/AIDS, the American Red Cross is supporting education programs to teach residents the basic facts of the disease.

“When someone with HIV or AIDS is told ‘I can’t be near you, I don’t want to catch it’, it makes it so much harder. They are stigmatized, just because people don’t know the facts,” said Regina Clemons, senior associate, African American HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator for the American Red Cross.

Since 1988, Dec. 1 has marked World AIDS Day, as an opportunity to open worldwide channels of communication, strengthen the exchange of information and experience, and forge a spirit of social action.

This World AIDS Day, the American Red Cross is encouraging people to break the silence and the barriers to effective HIV prevention, education, and treatment by supporting efforts to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS.

Fear of HIV/AIDS has had a devastating effect on those infected and affected. Just the threat of discrimination prevents many people from being tested, seeking much needed treatment for AIDS, and disclosing their HIV status.

Meanwhile, individuals with, or suspected of having, HIV have been turned away from health care facilities, denied housing and employment, rejected by their friends and families, turned down for insurance coverage or refused entry into foreign countries. There have been cases where people with HIV/AIDS have been evicted from homes by their families, have been abandoned by their spouses or partners, and have suffered physical violence and even murder.

The stigma attached to HIV and AIDS also may extend beyond those with the disease into their next generation, placing an added emotional burden on children who may also be trying to cope with the death of their parents from complications related to AIDS.

Only by confronting stigma and discrimination can a complete fight against HIV/AIDS be won.

How the Red Cross is Helping

While the headlines about HIV and AIDS have slowed to a crawl, the virus itself continues to claim more lives daily as 40,000 new infections are reported each year. The gap between knowing the facts and applying the facts to prevention behavior continues to contribute to the rate of new infections.

To combat the continued spread of HIV and help eliminate stigma and discrimination, the Red Cross conducts education and prevention programs, both domestically and internationally, to teach communities the basic facts of HIV/AIDS and ways to apply the facts to behavior.

Domestic Initiatives

Since first joining forces with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Red Cross has provided prevention education to more than 18 million people across the United States.

In July 2001, Disease Prevention Education (DPE) division in Health and Safety, Youth and Community Services at Red Cross national headquarters launched the American Red Cross HIV Prevention Network. The Network represents the collective efforts of the national headquarters and over 1,000 chapters to combat the further spread of HIV and decrease fear associated with the disease. The Network is support by six Red Cross senior public health professionals who work with Red Cross chapters and other community organizations to build capacity to bring HIV prevention programs to communities, schools, places of worship, and community centers.

Red Cross HIV prevention efforts also include culturally specific programs designed to target African American and Hispanic/Latino communities as more than half of all people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the United States are African American and Hispanic.

To find an HIV/AIDS program in your region, click here.

International Initiatives

The American Red Cross’ assistance doesn’t stop at the nation’s borders, however. Recognizing the devastating global effects of the disease, the Red Cross has launched lifesaving HIV prevention education programs overseas.

In Sub-Sahara Africa, more than 30 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS, 58% of whom are women. The situation in some nations, such as Malawi, is so bad, that labor forces are being depleted. With fewer agricultural workers, harvests are insufficient,, exacerbating the hunger crisis already affecting the region.

In partnership with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the American Red Cross is implementing HIV/AIDS projects in Africa and India under the umbrella of their Global AIDS Program (GAP). Currently, the American Red Cross is supporting programs to promote blood donor recruitment in Kenya and Uganda, blood safety in India, and prevention in Malawi and Lesotho.

Click here to learn more about American Red Cross international HIV/AIDS programs.

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