DAPCU UDUPI Response : DAPCU-Stigma & Discrimination

Stigma is a common human reaction to disease. Throughout history many diseases have carried considerable stigma, including leprosy, tuberculosis, cancer, mental illness, and many sexually transmitted diseases. HIV/AIDS is only the latest disease to be stigmatized. But HIV related stigma is attitude based. Changing attitudes are not that easy. Eliminating stigma completely remains at this stage only a dream, but an overview of the interventions does suggest that something can be done through a variety of interventions, such as focused information dissemination, counseling, coping skills acquisition and direct contact with someone that is living with HIV or AIDS. But in our District through a fair amount of interventions in every nook and corner, proven that the stigma is getting reduced.

Roles and Responsibilities of DAPCU:

  Ø  To protect right of those who are infected and provide access to available care support and treatment.
Ø  To access to condom, treatment of STI /RTI infection, Motivating for HIV testing
Ø  To make available the scope for social security coverage to for HIV positives.
Ø  Issues of contraventions or disturbances with respect to stigma & discrimination in accessing and utilizing the rights, services, provisions and benefits available for PLHIVs have been tackled by DAPCUs.
Ø  Co-ordination among HIV/AIDS facilities of the district to provide better services to HIV-AIDS positive clients
Ø  Sensitization Programme
Ø  Create awareness among students/youths through RRC regarding HIV/AIDS
Some of the interventions are:

• People living with HIV/AIDS need to be educated on their basic human rights;
• These rights will enable them to enforce it through the legal process;
• In order to mitigate the effects of discrimination and stigma, institutions should implement their HIV/AIDS policies based on sound information and taking into account the rights of everybody; and
• HIV negative people need to be educated too, in order to create an environment free of fear of HIV biased social attitudes and no stereotypes towards HIV.
• Attitude and behavior change interventions is highly needed in sensitizations.

Access to Services:

•  PLHIVs are educated with the help from Staff of ICTCs/ ART Centers and TI-NGOs about their rights, services, provisions and benefits granted by Government & Societies.
•  All the stand alone and ppp’s are providing services
•  Link worker scheme is also has predominantly serving the group.
• Bus pass felicity has been provided to all the positives by not disclosing their status.
•   OVC scheme is also linked to the children’s.
•   Availing medical care at hospitals.
• Health Care settings:

All the staffs of hospitals are sensitized.ASHA and Field staffs are making sure that each case of the area are being accessed to the services.

District Administration and its departments:

•    On Quarterly basis A meeting with DC and other DLN and NGO’s, ART is conducted where many issues related to HIV is discussed and sorted out.
•         A Sensitization programme has been conducted to police force
•      A Sensitization programme has been conducted to all the Lawyers and Judges.
•     Inter departmental sensitizations done with Women and child, Education, Health Dept.
•      All the teachers of the High schools are being sensitized.
•    A committee is formed under DC to coordinate and facilitate Social entitlements schemes to the Positives

Community Setting:

  Ø  All the SHG, GP Members and community people are regularly sensitized through DAPCU team, counselors and LW’s and Health staffs and TI, DLN’s.

                      WAP Sensitization at Fish canning Factory

The ever-presence of stigma and its persistence even in areas where HIV prevalence is high makes it an extraordinarily important yet difficult attitude to eradicate.. Given the fact that AIDS stigma caused enormous barriers to public health programs–from the denial and silence, to problems associated with disclosure, health seeking behavior, and to the communal violence