Addressing stigma and discrimination in China

“Discrimination does exist. But I don’t take it so personally as before. I just don’t like to end up crying after my conversations with other HIV positive friends. That’s not what we need. I will let the world see my determination and perseverance. HIV/AIDS can never defeat me. I want to let the world have a different view about us.”

The Alliance, with funding from the Levi Strauss Foundation, has been supporting groups of people with HIV to tackle stigma and discrimination in China.

Stigma and discrimination is hindering the effectiveness of the Chinese Government’s Four Frees and One Care policy, which offers free voluntary counselling and testing, free antiretroviral treatment, free prevention of mother-to-child transmission, free schooling for children orphaned by AIDS, and care for people with HIV in 127 sites nationwide.

Fear and self-stigma makes people with HIV in China hide their status, which in turn reinforces the high level of stigma in the community and contributes to misunderstanding about HIV and AIDS.

The Alliance-supported groups have been making insightful contributions towards stigma reduction in China:

  • Groups are providing basic information about HIV and AIDS, treatment, stigma, legal rights and women’s health.
  • Booklets to promote the acceptance of people with HIV have been widely distributed.
  • Village leaders, family members and people with HIV are being brought together in moves to reduce stigma within families and communities.
  • People with HIV are being supported to better understand their rights and to obtain support from medical service provider and their families.
  • HIV negative people have been involved more in group activities, which has led to greater support for people with HIV.
  • A long-term self-help group has been set up. A self-support group of positive people with drug use experience has been working to reduce stigma, blame and moral judgement by working with drug rehabilitation centre correction officers, medical services providers and the police, along with centre inmates.
  • People with HIV are being supported to speak about their experiences and to contribute their experiences to a newsletter.

But much more still needs to be done. For example, one of the groups found that participation in their project was limited, as local people with HIV didn’t have the confidence to become involved.

“The tune is so high, only a few people can sing it”.

Find out more about the project and the specific work carried out by the groups: Tackling stigma and discrimination with groups of people with HIV in China