Causes of stigma and discrimination toward HIV/AIDS carriers.

 chela-kahama.blogspot.com

HIV/AIDS, HIV means human Immune Virus and AIDS means Acquired immune disease syndrome. By definition HIV/AIDS is lack of body immunity.   

Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is experience of prejudice. People living with HIV/AIDS face not only medical, HIV stigma as phenomenon was considered to be everywhere HIV/AIDS has been accompanied by stigma this common in Sub-Sahara Africa.

In Africa discrimination and stigma, is among of problem which challenging African societies this because of most of African people have characteristics of selfishness something which become common even in problem like in pandemic diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, means that no one can care about problem of others that’s why the stigma and discrimination still a problem in sub-Sahara Africa.

There are many factors that lead stigma and discrimination as well as other is issues related to that as explained here below.

Wrong beliefs, most African people have wrong beliefs or prejudice as many of them believe in which craft one affected with sexual transmission diseases people when they see one has incurable diseases they one is witched so after realizing that fearness of other members of the community is to avoid to fall under the same disease.

Lack of enough education about HIV/AIDS to many people in Sub-Saharan Africa is a problem also as many people having little knowledge about HIV infections and how to take care infected people the results is stigma and discrimination to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Ignorance of people in most cases among major factor for stigma and discrimination to people living with HIV/AIDS. Because of ignorant of people that’s why the problem of stigma become big day after day in Sub-Sahara Africa as people are conservative they are not ready to adopt change since HIV/AIDS reported in 1980s wonderful enough people still stigmas people living with HIV/AIDS.

People avid cost to take care people living with HIV/AIDS the truth is that to take care people who are living with HIV/AIDS sometimes it needs enough money to insure healthy of effected people example medicines, foods and fruits need money. So because of poverty of people in Africa and other developing countries that’s why people decide to discriminate infected people to avoid cost.

Government is not committed enough to eradicate stigma in the community as matter of facts many governments of Africa include Tanzania are not very much committed to eradicate problem of stigma and discrimination that’s is why still the war against stigma is exist. But if the government have clear strategies against stigma things would be not very much hard as we observe today it, means that even government has it is contribution for the problem to exist.

People think that are less concern on one way or another to take care infected people, by believing that, once a person get infections is matter of laziness and preferring unsafe sexual intercourse so this cause stigmization in the community. Because people withdraw to deal with people living with HIV/AIDS this lead the problem of stigma and discrimination something which is against human rights because everyone has right to live regardless he or she suffering from what.

Some infected people disseminated themselves this also is very common to under developing countries like Tanzania people who are living with HIV are isolate themselves from the community because they have low self esteem compared with their economic status hence this is  another problem for stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Classes in the community is another’s factors for stigma and discrimination in natural facts for infected persons who are poor and those who are rich for the poor people’s are the most stigmized by the community but for those who are rich are not very much stigmized because of their status so this may be also a factor for stigma and discrimination of people.

SOLUTION

Provision of education in the community as people given enough education concern HIV/AIDS it is possible the problem of stigma and discrimination against people living will reduced to the maximum or eradicated at all in the community.

Government should set clear strategies to remove stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS this may make people aware as stigma is not accepted and must  understood that is against human rights because every individual has right to live.

Every family should know that this disease HIV/AIDS is like other diseases so there is no need to discriminate people living with HIV rather than to take care and love them that is the good way to treat people living with HIV/AIDS psychologically.  

Organizations like NGOs and other government organizations should support war against stigma and discrimination by providing education and funding small groups which will help to spread massage in every angle of the country so as everyone to be aware that stigma is not acceptable in any community around the world.

CONCLUSION

In Africa particularly Tanzania there are so many problems including HIV/AIDS which bear another problem which is stigma and discrimination, hence the solution is government, private sectors and community should be actively not only to remove stigma but to be committed to make sure that HIV/AIDS is alleviated in our country by change behavior, provide education and running various seminars about effect of HIV/AIDS from national level to family level economically and socially, by doing so will help to remove or eradicate, this problem of HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.