CALENDAR

HIV/AIDS: Law & Practice

6-June-2012

AFRICA: Southern & Eastern Youth Conference on HI

21-April-2012

Global Health & Innovation Conference 2012

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HOT TOPIC: Combating HIV/AIDS Related Stigma in Egypt

In November 2009, the Cairo-based US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3) invited representatives from several institutions and organizations involved in HIV/AIDS-response to build a national forum consisting of partners from different sectors to combat stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) in Egypt.

The Egyptian Anti-Stigma Forum was then created as part of the Ford Foundation-funded project entitled "Promoting HIV/AIDS Human Rights and Challenging Stigma and Discrimination in Egypt. The forum is the umbrella under which several organizations gather to conduct joint actions aimed at fighting stigma in the community. Stigma and discrimination deeply affect the lives of people living with HIV around the world. The burden of these attitudes is even heavier in conservative countries such as Egypt. Interventions to combat stigma and discrimination require a rights-based approach involving multi-disciplinary joint action by a broad array of actors and a focus on different groups. But more importantly for any advocacy action to produce the desired outcome -- it must include effective participation by PLHA. With this in mind, members of the forum were chosen following a strict and vigorous selection process that ensured the involvement of civil society actors, media experts and non-governmental organizations concerned with social, healthcare, educational and legal issues, along with broad participation on the part of PLHA themselves.

In the months that followed, members of the Egyptian Anti-Stigma Forum met regularly to receive the appropriate training; exchange experiences and develop the necessary tools to raise awareness, sensitize the community and break the silence surrounding HIV-related stigma and discrimination in Egypt; and develop an anti-stigma advocacy plan. The plan currently underway includes activities ranging from information sharing and community education and awareness to advocacy for policy changes.

The Forum's work has been guided and enriched by the participation of PLHA who have provided input and firsthand accounts of their experiences with stigma and discrimination. This has been particularly valuable given the relative scarcity of studies exploring HIV-related stigma in Egypt. This report aims to fill the existing gap in knowledge by examining ways in which PLHA are stigmatized and discriminated against by various actors in their respective social milieus.

View the full report in English or Arabic

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Knowledge Portal

Letters from Egypt: HIV/AIDS: Testimonials of stigma and discrimination

A collection of testimonials from Egyptian men and women living with HIV detailing their experiences with stigma. Available in English and Arabic.

Needs assessment and coping strategies of persons infected with HIV in Egypt

The aims of this study were to identify the psychosocial and health care needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS and to determine their coping strategies. The study was conducted in 3 governorates of Egypt on 153 people infected with HIV. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The majority of the people had been forced to change the pattern of their sexual behaviour. Fear of stigmatization and feelings of anxiety, hopelessness and depression were frequently reported, resulting in a negative psychosocial impact on the infected person. Decreasing stigma and providing psycho-social support would help people living with HIV/AIDS to utilize effective ways of coping with the negative sequelae of the infection. See more

The AIDS pandemic continues to be an escalating health problem throughout the world [1]. It has drawn attention to global inequalities in access to appropriate health care and the lack of basic human rights
[2,3]. While the prevalence has been falling in some countries and advances have been made in treatment and care, the global AIDS epidemic is still an issue of concern [4]. In Egypt, according to the latest data obtained by the end of 2006, the total number of reported people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) was 934 [5]

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Asmaa - film trailer

Based on a true story the film is about the life of an HIV patient in Egypt, Asmaa who was denied medical treatment when her disease was discovered.

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UNAIDS Terminology Guidelines 2011 Mid Term Additions
This revision of UNAIDS' preferred terminology reflects evolving language. Click here to access the guidelines

News Alerts

From Village to Village in NYC, Still Battling AIDS Stigma While the word "stigma" (meaning a mark of disgrace) sounds archaic and perhaps biblical, its lethal reach is ever-present, blocking people from HIV testing, imprisoning HIV-positive people in fear of rejection from families and friends, and setting up people for sexual violence if they try to negotiate safer sex.

Stigma in Women Living with HIV This educational powerpoint was launched by Women for Positive Action on March 8, 2012 in honor of International Women's Day.

Ghana: Ambassadors on HIV Heart to Heart campaign face death threats Reverend John Kwashie Azumah, Minister of the Gospel at Mount Zion Evangelical Ministries and member of ambassadors on HIV Heart to Heart campaign has said the team had received threats on their lives since they went public with their HIV status.