Twenty-five years after the beginning of the HIV epidemic, there is still a lot of stigma and fear around HIV.
People living with HIV can encounter stigma in all sorts of different places. For example: in their communities, in their workplace and even in the media, which sometimes publishes inaccurate or stigmatising coverage around HIV. This means that often people do not tell others about their status because they are worried they will lose their job, home, friends and even their family.
People living with HIV are finding it even harder to disclose their status to their sexual partners, because of fears about criminal prosecution. Since 2001, people living with HIV in the UK have been prosecuted for recklessly transmitting HIV. This makes many people living with HIV feel like others see them as criminals and makes them worried about telling other people of their status, because of fears of what their reaction could be.
Listen to people's experiences
|
|
|
'Has not told his parents about his HIV status to avoid hurting them, but he wonders if he feels ashamed.' |
'Makes an appeal to the community explaining why HIV should be discussed openly and not stigmatised.' (Video played by an actor) |
|
|
'Argues that prosecutions of people for HIV transmission stigmatises him as a potential criminal' |
Please be patient, some videos may take a short time to load.
- Breaking the silence: The National AIDS Trust challenges discrimination against people living with HIV wherever it occurs.
- Speaking out: We work with people living with HIV to challenge stigmatising and inaccurate media coverage around the virus and have produced guidelines for journalists on how to write accurately about HIV.
- Making ourselves heard: We are campaigning to change the law, so that people aren't prosecuted for reckless transmission of HIV. We are also working with the police and the legal system to ensure that all criminal prosecutions for reckless HIV transmission are as fair and balanced as possible and that evidence is accurate.
Find more information about discrimination against people living with HIV on the National AIDS Trust website.
The National AIDS Trust relies on donations, which enable us to carry out this important work. Find out how you can support us.
* Copyright: DIPEx. It is prohibited to copy, distribute or modify this video content without the express permission of DIPEx
