What Your Government Can Do - Ending HIV Stigma

Living Positive Victoria and the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) call on all political parties to:
 Commit to funding community initiated HIV stigma campaigns to address HIV stigma and discrimination
 Commit to funding programs that build the resilience of children affected by HIV
 Commit to funding family therapy counselling and support community based peer education programs for families living with HIV to build stronger communications and relationship within these families
 Reduce gender inequities faced by woman and girls living with HIV through a broad response which addresses discrimination against these groups
HIV stigma continues to be one of the most significant barriers to stoping onward transmissions of HIV. HIV stigma is a barrier for people who would ordinarily seek information, advice, testing and treatment. Without accurate, accessible and up to date information in the community, ignorance, fear and apprehension will continue to fuel the spread of HIV across our communities.
The need to challenge HIV stigma is demonstrated through evidence based research and the development of community based campaigned such as ENUF. Even so, people living with HIV continue to face stigma and discrimination and benefit from the resilience building programs and services offered by community organisations.
Commitment to broad awareness campaigns and specific actions targeting women, girls and children affected by HIV, means that there can be better awareness of HIV for prevention and health management and less fear towards those at the margins of the population affected by HIV.
Kim, Christabel and Wayne all live with HIV. They represent some of the diversity of people living with HIV and share their hopes for the realisation of commitment to this action and what that might mean for them.

Here is what they have to say about ending HIV stigma:
“I am a women, a mother, a grandmother living with HIV. 55% of all people living with HIV globally
are women, but in Australia many still believe that it is a gay man’s problem. We require serious
political commitment and investment to enable our families, children and future generations to be
free, to make informed choices and decisions, to protect themselves from HIV. People living with HIV
face discrimination and stigma which stifles us into a state of fear and silence and thus lack of
autonomy. It is a vicious cycle that must be broken. There is a need to strengthen commitment and
action for integrating gender equality into local and national program responses. We need to ensure
that there is equal and equitable access to knowledge, prevention, treatment, care and support for
all those who need it. Informative HIV campaigns and programs must be directed at the broader
Australian public, as they have a right to appropriate HIV information that will break down the
discrimination and stigma and prevent them from becoming infected with HIV. I need to see my
Grandchildren and their friends informed and skilled so they will never have to deal with stigma and
discrimination because of HIV, or become infected as I did, through lack of HIV education.”
Kim – 60 years old and living with HIV for the past 20 years
“I was shocked when I was diagnosed with HIV. Straight people assume their community is negative
and this misconception changed my life. As a young heterosexual woman I did not realise how
relevant this issue was to me. And then after my diagnosis the shame and stigma hit me, and it came
from people in my life who I did not expect it from. It hurt me so deeply, so personally. HIV does not
have boundaries; it can't be labelled and does not confine itself to particular sections of society. HIV
disproportionately affects women and children globally; young women living with HIV in Australia
face an isolating type of stigma. HIV is well known in the gay community, it’s not known enough
outside of that community. We need support to build resilience among those most marginalised, to
change community attitudes and to make sure that those who are most vulnerable are always
protected."
Christabel - 26 years old and living with HIV for the past 4 years.

“There is so much evidence that HIV stigma is getting in the way of real progress in Australia, and having even worse impacts in much of the world where HIV has taken a firm hold. My experience in being diagnosed with HIV and then living with HIV as a straight Aussie male sat way outside the bulk of the population of people living with HIV in Australia and so my struggle against stigma has been long and at times isolating. We know that people living with HIV can have families, and families especially need ongoing support to build resilience, so that the children and grandchildren of people living with HIV can understand what’s happening in their family so that they are not afraid. And we need broader reach campaigns into all communities to make sure that women, children and families, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and straight guys like me, get the message. We are all at risk of HIV, we can end Hi transmissions and we can live together with HIV.”
Wayne – 55 years old and living with HIV for the past 22 years.
Living Positive Victoria and VAC call on all political parties to hear the community call for the resources and political will needed to end HIV stigma.