By Marcus Shaw, Specialist – Advocacy and Strategic Projects, WAAC.

Step Forward: Fight Stigma is a campaign developed by WAAC to increase awareness of stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV (PLHIV) whilst also normalising HIV as a chronic health condition (a condition that is long lasting that can impact quality of life). Breaking the cycle of stigma and discrimination is crucial to support the good health and wellbeing of PLHIV.

While medication and treatment for HIV have significantly progressed since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, social acceptance and understanding continue to lag. Stigma and discrimination remain a core concern for PLHIV who report poor treatment from the general population, medical professionals and other human service staff. Many of these groups remain misinformed and may refer to outdated or incorrect HIV data, research or evidence. Stigma has been well-recognised as a key barrier for people to support their health and wellbeing. For PLHIV, this can have an impact on medication adherence, accessing support services and health seeking behaviours, which can result in a reduction in positive health outcomes. Ongoing negative experiences for PLHIV continue to perpetuate the narrative that HIV is problematic – for the individual this results in increased stress, shame, self-stigma and ultimately resulting in a diminished sense of self-worth and poor quality of life. With a reduced value of self, we begin to tolerate and accept what is generally considered unacceptable standards of treatment, we begin to adapt our behaviours and hide our stories, we begin to pull back from supports and services, we begin withdrawing from society.

We see the influence of stigma and discrimination on every level – individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, national and international. When we see stigmatising rhetoric, public policy, legislation and law at the broadest level of our society, the ability to challenge this is extremely difficult. However, if we work within our scope of control, there will always be things that can be changed.

Step Forward: Fight Stigma, highlights that on an individual level, people want to create change and can create change – it may be a lack of knowledge or experience that creates division, when we lean into those gaps, we begin to listen, understand and support.

Due to continuing medical advances in treatment, HIV is considered a chronic health condition, with PLHIV being able to live, age and function whilst managing their condition. HIV, like so many chronic health conditions, requires ongoing medical support and intervention, and may cause limitations in some functions or daily tasks. This campaign sees HIV compared to a range of other conditions, with the aim to normalise HIV as a chronic condition while also highlighting the amount of stigma PLHIV face compared to other conditions. While different conditions may have varying levels of stigma and discrimination attached to them, it is the normalisation of things such as cancer, arthritis, asthma and diabetes in the mainstream that have allowed for a reduction in associated prejudice. In more recent times, this can be seen with certain mental health conditions – an increased awareness and openness has allowed for a more understanding and inclusive society. Hopefully, this is a change we can see with HIV.

Please visit the Step Forward: Fight Stigma landing page to access additional campaign resources to assist in continuing to fight stigma.

This article has been adapted from a piece published through AMA (WA) and on the WAAC website.

Published: December 2023