For Immediate Release:	August 16, 2006
For More Information:	Sandra Bunch, The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), sbunch@icrw.org, (202) 742-1240
Sponsor Organization:	The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
New Research Finds Stigma Is Pervasive, Fuels Spread of HIV – Especially Among Women
TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2006—More money than ever is being spent to fight AIDS and expand HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs. But new research from the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) finds that the fear of AIDS stigma and its consequences – such as the loss of a job or property, threats of violence, abandonment and poor medical care – is limiting the reach and effectiveness of these efforts, threatening hard-won progress against AIDS around the world. “We’ve made important scientific and medical gains in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” says ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta. “But we’re lagging in our understanding and ability to cope with the social norms and barriers that contribute to its spread. In many parts of the world, people living with HIV and AIDS are in constant fear of being found out and what will happen to them and their families when that happens. “If we’re to end the AIDS pandemic, we must address AIDS stigma and discrimination,” adds Rao Gupta, who will speak Aug. 12 at the symposium, How to Reduce the Stigma of AIDS, sponsored by ICRW, GlaxoSmithKline’s Positive Action program and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. “Fortunately, with the help of our international partners and funders, ICRW research is finding proven strategies and tools for improving on-the-ground HIV/AIDS efforts.” AIDS stigma is common for people living with HIV and AIDS, especially women. In a survey conducted in Tanzania, ICRW found that more than half of people with HIV and AIDS had experienced at least one form of stigma or discrimination, including isolation, physical and verbal abuse, and job loss. In nearly every case, women reported experiencing stigma more often than men. “Despite all we’ve learned about HIV and how it is transmitted, AIDS still is associated with improper sex and immoral behavior – sexual norms that are applied differently to men and women,” says Sarah Degnan Kambou, who leads ICRW’s work on AIDS. “Both are stigmatized for breaking the norms and being infected with HIV, but men are more likely to be excused for this behavior while women are blamed and labeled.” Women also experience more severe forms of stigma, according to the ICRW research. Of those surveyed, nearly one in four women reported threats of physical violence as a result of people knowing about their HIV/AIDS status. For men, it was one in three. Less than 10 percent of people surveyed reported physical acts of violence, but of those who did, women experienced this violence twice as often as men. “People’s fear of AIDS stigma reduces the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs because people who are infected may be reluctant to use these services,” says Laura Nyblade, ICRW’s lead researcher on AIDS stigma. “And the disclosure delays we’re finding after testing – even among spouses – are deeply troubling for preventing further transmission of the virus and accessing care, support and treatment.” Among HIV-positive men surveyed in Tanzania who had a partner or spouse, the average time between testing for HIV and disclosing their status was two-and-a-half years. For women, the delay was twice as long – four years and three months. What can be done? Until recently, few people have known how to address stigma and its impact on HIV/AIDS programs and how to evaluate and then refine these efforts. But ICRW and its partners have created – and continue to improve – new tools to fight stigma as well as indicators to measure stigma and its effects. For the HIV stigma-reduction toolkit click here. “For the first time, we have the tools and information we need to design holistic and effective interventions to combat stigma – interventions which will improve both the quality of HIV/AIDS programs as well as the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS,” Nyblade says. “That said, more research is needed to continue improving these tools, refining our information and expanding efforts.” Business and government leaders and decision makers also are doing their part but can do more. “Business has a critical role to play in fighting the stigma of HIV/AIDS,” says Dr. Justine Frain, vice president of Global Community Partnerships at GlaxoSmithKline. “Through our programs we educate our employees and support communities to help ease fears and erase barriers to treatment.” For more information, fact sheets and reports on ICRW’s work on stigma and AIDS, visit online. The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a private nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of women in poverty. ICRW ’s seminal research on women and AIDS early on revealed the disproportionate risk and vulnerability of women in the developing world to HIV/AIDS