24th November 2009
1st December: World AIDS Day
Almost 30 years since the first person was identified with HIV, ignorance and stigma are alive and well, both in the UK and overseas, according to development agency Tearfund.
The United Nations estimates that 73,000 people in the UK are living with HIV – double the number in 2000. One third were unaware they were infected. Britain has almost twice as many new HIV cases diagnosed in a year than any other country in western Europe.
Veena O'Sullivan, who manages development agency Tearfund's HIV Unit, says, "It is devastating that almost three decades after HIV was first identified, stigma and ignorance are thriving, both here in the UK and overseas. It remains one of the greatest barriers to successfully changing the story of the AIDS pandemic."
Partnering with Christian organisations worldwide to respond to HIV, Tearfund has found that the church can be a very effective way of mobilising communities to end stigma, improve quality of care and improving access to treatment.
"The church at its best can be a source of great hope and support to people living with or affected by HIV. In our work across the world, day in, day out we see church volunteers caring for orphans, the sick and bereaved, helping people get access to treatment and crucially, challenging stigma.
"But ignorance and prejudice remain within the church and until these harmful attitudes are completely let go of, the church’s efforts will be undermined."
Maria*, a Zimbabwean woman living with HIV in the UK, knows all too well that stigma is alive and well, particularly as a Christian.
She had several bruising encounters with churches in the UK until she found a church that welcomed her, HIV and all. "After church services I would make tea and sandwiches for people. I noticed how some people would not take them, even the church leader."
On another occasion, she says, "I was holding a lady's newborn baby at church and congratulating her. You know, they are so beautiful that you are tempted to kiss them. But she took the baby away from me. And I broke down and cried. I thought, Lord forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Dr Stephen Watiti is a doctor at Uganda's specialist HIV hospital, Mildmay. Himself HIV positive and Christian, he believes that stigma prevents more people from seeking treatment, particularly if they are Christian.
He says, "When religious leaders come for treatment some don't put on the dog collar. Religious people find it very difficult to register for treatment using their own names. They don't want to be known as HIV positive."
Tearfund is committed to working in partnership with local churches and Christian organisations across the world to tackle HIV and AIDS.
Says Veena O’Sullivan, “There is no room for complacency and stigma in the fight against HIV and AIDS. For every three people who access treatment, five people are newly infected. We take two steps forward and one step back. The church, with its reach and influence, can and must do more to change the face of the AIDS pandemic.
Around 33 million people live with HIV worldwide – equivalent to over half the British population. HIV today has a young face, with almost half of the 2.7 million new infections a year among 15-24 year olds
* not her real name.