Stigma Prevents PWAs from Receiving Food, Care, and Treatment in Zimbabwe

Date: November 11, 2002

Zimbabwean households already affected by HIV/AIDS and those headed by women, children or the elderly may have difficulty accessing food aid because of stigma, according to a recently released AIDS country profile.

The AIDS Profile Project, undertaken by the University of California San Francisco's AIDS Policy Research Center, found that despite high levels of awareness of HIV/AIDS, high levels of stigma remained. Consequently, there was tremendous fear around being tested for HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe. Over 90 percent of those infected are unaware of their HIV status, the country brief said.

Traditionally, sickness and disease were considered punishment by one's ancestors for immorality and unfaithfulness and people with HIV/AIDS were still perceived as having done something wrong.

"Zimbabwe's Tsungirirai AIDS Service Organization reports that 'HIV/AIDS is a disease of shame. People with HIV are shunned and treated with contempt and described as immoral' Even in recent years, when a sizable number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) are open about their condition, stigma remains and tends to prevent PWAs from receiving adequate care and treatment," it added.

According to the profile, reports of AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in communal farming communities found that community leaders and tribal authorities at times made discriminatory statements during their funeral orations.

In their responses to the epidemic, many faith-based organizations still found it difficult to address stigma and discrimination towards people with AIDS (PWAs), as they could not openly discuss sexual behavior and sexuality.

See Also

• AIDS in Zimbabwe: Disrupting the Community's Social Fabric, Betty Gittens, GBGM, February 2000.
• AIDS Pandemic Hits Hardest in Africa, UMNS, October 29, 2002.
• A Generation of Hope: Orphans of the Zimbabwe Crisis: Online video and resources.
• World AIDS Day 2002, "Live and Let Live" (Overcoming Stigma and Discrimination).
• Zimbabwe AIDS Profile, AIDS Policy Research Center, University of California San Francisco.
• Zimbabwe United Methodists Confront AIDS Crisis, Betty Gittens, GBGM, February 9, 2000.

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