Mitigation of Stigma and Discrimination †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Mitigation of Stigma and Discrimination. Answer: Introduction This report discusses HIV stigma and discrimination as the subject title of the project proposal. The report is a project proposal that aims at investigating ways in which HIV stigma and discrimination can be minimized among the people with HIV and their loved ones. Stigma and discrimination based on HIV are almost as old as the virus. This is because, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV began immediately after the virus was discovered in the late 80s and scientists labeled it as a sexually transmitted disease (Morisky, 2016). Unfortunately, despite the advancements that have been made in research to understand the way of transmission management, to develop adequate drugs and to reduce the effects that the virus has in the human body, very little has been achieved in helping to reduce stigma and bring to end discrimination against people living with HIV. People in the society are yet to understand that HIV is a disease like any other and anyone can be a victim irrespective of their gender, race, and their status in the society. Discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS leads to poor quality health care for the patients. It also scares away patients from seeking treatment or help from close family members due to the fear of getting discriminated against. HIV treatment programs are becoming increasingly affordable and available in poor countries. For the programs and the funds invested in this program and medication, it is important that the people in charge of the health facilities and the society in general respect the rights of HIV positive patients (Ullah Huque, n.d). The research proposal is designed to fill the gap identified in dealing with discrimination and stigmatization related to HIV/AIDS. The report also contains an in-depth literature review that is carried out thoroughly using seven secondary sources of information as indicated in the body of the report. The research methodology used in this research is a combination of qualitative research method and quantitative method. This is to fulfill the objectives of the research as required. The HIV/AIDS is an epidemic in Kenya and it has resulted in the loss of many lives over the years. The loss of these life results in loss of livelihoods for many children, men and women. Their close relatives are left as orphans, widows, and widowers. Apart from the physical suffering that the HIV patients undergo, there is a lot of stigmatization and discrimination against people living with the HIV virus. This has entered with the spirited fight against this epidemic since stigmatization and discrimination resulting from the HIV virus has discouraged many people from going for testing and seeking medical help. The fear of discrimination has made many people fail to disclose their true HIV status and this has resulted in increased transmission and hence eroding the efforts that had been made in the past against the HIV epidemic (Jonas Morton, 2012). This study seeks to establish ways in which stigmatization and discrimination resulting from the HIV virus can be reduced. What are the effects of HIV/AIDS stigma on the patient and their families? What are the factors that bring about stigma and discrimination for the people living with HIV? How can stigma and discrimination for HIV patient be reduced? How can access to treatment and care for HIV patients be improved, especially in resource poor countries? The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that bring about discrimination and stigma against the people living with HIV virus in Kenya. This helps to evaluate the steps and actions which need to be taken to reduce discrimination and stigma against the people living with HIV/AIDS. This study is conducted with a variety of objectives. These objectives have been defined by a review of the subject and personal experience where I have identified the need to fill a gap in research on stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. The research objectives will be a guide to the researcher throughout the research exercise since they will be used as the benchmark upon which the data is collected, and the analysis is done. To identify the factors that lead to discrimination and stigma against the people living with HIV To investigate the level of knowledge that patients have about HIV and how they should live to prolong life to almost normal. To investigate how and to what extend Kenya has been able to achieve the stigmatization and discrimination goals of minimizing HIV stigma and discrimination and promoting an inclusive society. To investigate whether gender is a basis of discrimination for people living with HIV To examine the role that the Government and the society in general can play reducing stigma and discrimination against the people living with HIV. Justification of the study Stigma and discrimination are among the biggest barriers to prevention, treatment, and care for HIV. Previous research has indicated that stigma and discrimination undermine HIV prevention efforts since it makes people fear seeking information about the disease. Fear to seek information on testing and medication has resulted in many people opting against visiting health centers to seek advice and undergo an HIV test. The previous researches have linked the fear of stigma and discrimination to the fear of violence and discouragement management as well as isolation from family members. The fear of isolation by sexual partners if a person is diagnosed with the disease has led to many people being discouraged from seeking medical attention and this has made it difficult to counter the spread of the disease and to treat the patients (Nginya, 2016). HIV is an infection that is feared by many people, especially in Africa. This is because people have limited knowledge about HIV and it has become difficult to make people understand the disease. People usually see an HIV positive person and they see a person who is dying or a person who is not fit to interact with others freely since they have the fear of contracting the disease. The society has many myths and believes about the HIV virus and it has been difficult to make people aware of the different ways the disease can be transmitted. Some people still believe that a hand shake with an HIV positive patient can result in them getting infected too. Other believes sharing of facilities like toilets and plates and spoons can result in contracting the disease. Despite the high number of people in our society who have lived with the disease and the various community education programs to educate people about HIV, the issue of stigmatization and discrimination of HIV patients has hardly been resolved. Due to these unending cases, some of the HIV positive patient may end up believing that what is said about them is true and may lose hope in life and fall into depression. The society thinks that people who are HIV positive is because of immorality and the people end up being outcasts in the society. Some of the reasons why people with HIV in a society are stigmatized is that HIV is a serious life-threatening illness. There is a history of the infection being accompanied by other diseases such as TB and hence bringing about fear among the people in the society (Nginya, 2016). The other reason why people with HIV infection may be stigmatized or discriminated against is that many people do not understand how the virus is transmitted or contracted and they therefore fear getting the infection through social interactions with an HIV positive patient. The patient ends up isolated. Most traditional African societies have very strong views on sexual behavior. People may therefore think that a person engaged in irresponsible sexual behavior and, as a result contracting the disease, should not be allowed in the society. The issue of stigmatization management and discrimination of HIV positive patients has brought about the increase in the spread of the HIV virus. Stigmatization also discourages many people in Kenya from going for testing. Consequently, the sickness is been diagnosed when the virus has brought the body in the final stage and has left the patient completely weak. (Liamputtong, 2013). It is impossible to save the patients at this stage and death within a short period of time is. From the above findings, it is very evident that there is need to come up with ways in which stigma and discrimination against HIV positive people can be reduced in Kenya It is key to find out why people with HIV are stigmatized by their close family members, their communities, or society in general. This study seeks to answer the research questions listed in the report to help fill the gap identified in research. Research methods and methodology This research study uses qualitative research methods to ensure to carry out the research. Qualitative research methods depend on descriptive data to analyze the variables being investigated in this research study. The study will also use the qualitative research method to fill the research questions listed in the research proposal. The qualitative research method is used to uncover trends in thoughts and opinions of the people of Kenya on HIV infected people. The research method will help to understand the beliefs and myths that influence people to stigmatize and to discriminate against people living with HIV. This method is very effective for this study. The descriptive nature of this study allows to capture the different opinions and views of people or communities (Chenneville, 2017). The qualitative research method will also help the researcher to answer the questions on how stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV can be reduced. The research depends on secondary sources of data. The study will be conducted based on literature from recently written and verifiable sources of secondary data. Many books have been written over the years concerning the HIV epidemic in Kenya and other African countries. The studies carried out by authors both in Kenya and other countries where the issue of stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV is common have been evaluated and analyzed to provide secondary data for this study.The study will also be conducted using journal articles that are peer reviewed. This makes the results of the research on which the articles are based credible.. For this research, the internet provides also up to date data on stigmatization and discrimination against HIV positive people. Data collected by various nongovernmental organizations that is available online will be evaluated. Trends in the thoughts and beliefs of people towards people with HIV are established data from the ministry of health Kenya. Those will be also important in conducting this research. The government has spearheaded various campaigns aimed at educating the masses on the HIV virus and how people can live healthy and productive lives despite being infected with the virus (Streck, 2013). The data will help to provide information on the effectiveness of these campaigns and to what extent they have helped to reduce discrimination and stigmatization of the people living with the HIV virus. The analysis of the qualitative data collected will be done by comparing the historical data with the primary data collected in this study. The comparison will be done to establish the achievements in the reduction of stigma and discrimination against people with HIV. The comparison will help to determine the difference between now and then (Macharia, 2015). The data collected will be coded and classified into different classes depending on how similar the data is. A framework for comparison will then be established against which the data collected will be compared and conclusions made from the data. Conceptual Framework HIV/AIDS related stigmatization and discrimination have been mainly influenced by the actions and attitudes of the families, communities and communities where the people are living in. This framework focuses on stigmatization and discrimination as individual aspect and on how individuals behave and act to one another to bring about stigmatization and discrimination (Opiyo et al., 2016) Mostly, stigmatization is viewed as a social process and it is largely associated with the beliefs, traditions and customs of a society. Stigmatization and discrimination are used to create differences and hierarchies in the society. Most societies tend to create a difference between what is viewed as normal and what is not considered normal. They tend to discriminate against the people living with HIV as they see them as less human than others. The society creates a perception where people with HIV are viewed as being immoral and engaging in reckless sexual activities. People in a society tend to view people with HIV as people who bring misfortune to the whole family and the community in general. There has been widespread physical violence directed towards the people living with HIV. Sociological analysis of discrimination is important in this framework since it emphasizes on the structural aspects of discrimination. It also concentrates on trends of dominance and oppression as a group of people struggle for power and equal treatment (Azetsop, 2016). Stigmatization and discrimination of HIV patients are linked to a variety of factors that will form the basis of this conceptual framework for this study. These factors include: Sexuality-stigmatization and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS is mostly associated with sexual stigma. This is because HIV is mainly sexually transmitted, and this has created a perception in the society that every person who gets infected with the virus is sexually immoral. Gender- stigmatization is also related to gender of an individual. The impact of HIV/AIDS stigma has been more profound among women than among men (O'Connor Earnest, 2011). This reinforces pre-existing economic, cultural, and social discrimination and disadvantages that women undergo in the society. The factor of race and ethnicity is established as another factor upon which stigmatization and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS is based. It has been perceived in some quarters that African sexuality is more susceptible to the virus while others believe that the immorality of the people of the west brought the virus to Africa (Omonaiye, 2013) The social class has also been used as a basis of discrimination with some people perceiving the virus as a preserve of the poor people in the society. There is a lot of literature available that on this subject of study. The literature review of this study is obtained from the sources of references listed at the end of the report.The issues of stigmatization and discrimination of the people living with HIV have been going on for a long time. HIV/AIDS related stigmatization and discrimination have tremendous negative effects towards the fight against the HIV epidemic (Odindo Mwanthi, 2008). Stigmatization and discrimination of people with the virus has discouraged people against seeking treatment and further information regarding the HIV virus and ways in which the disease can be managed. The healthcare professionals in charge of testing and treatment of HIV positivepatients, sometimes fail to keep patient information confidential. (Liamputtong, n.d.) This has brought about an issue where very few people are willing to get tested since they fear that people will know about their status and stigmatize them. According to Omonaiye (2013), there are approximately 37 million people worldwide infected with the HIV virus. More than 65% of these people are from sub Saharan Africa. In Kenya, by the year 2017, there were approximately 1.6 million people living with the HIV virus, there are approximately 62,000 new HIV infections each year. The HIV prevalence in Kenya had fallen to 5.9% by the year 2015 (Gitonga, Waithaka John, 2017). The government has been able to make big strides towards reducing HIV prevalence rate and reducing the mortality rate resulting from HIV related illnesses in Kenya. However, despite these strides made in reducing HIV relate deaths, the social problem related to the disease has been increasing (Choi, 2014). One of the biggest challenges faced by the government to reach the people infected with HIV is the stigma that comes with people realizing that someone is suffering from the disease. Stigma sparks secrecy and denial, which are catalysts to transmission of HIV (Co rno de Walque, 2013). The reaction of the society and family towards people with the virus varies depending on various factors such as the level of education of the family members and their understanding of the disease. There are several factors that increase stigma. Such factors include cultural constructions and stereotypes. Most communities in Kenya live a communal life or the societies are closely knit. This means that what affects one person is a concern for the whole community and its difficult to conceal your own life. The closely-knit society can be a positive for HIV patient or a negative. It can be a positive when the community is be able to provide the support and care that a person needs to live longer with the disease (Van, 2013). However, this factor has been a negative for most people in the society that tend to stigmatize and discriminate against the people living with the virus. This is mostly influenced by the beliefs, culture, and traditions of the society. Many people know HIV as a very deadly disease and they fear the people with the disease since they are afraid of getting infected (Van, 2013). This can be attributed to lack of proper education on the HIV/AIDS disease. Stereoty ping is also widespread despite schooling and education, people still have their own assumptions and beliefs on HIV, its effects and how it is transmitted. The stereotypes have brought about unending pain and suffering for people with HIV since they are treated differently in the society (Stangl World Bank, 2010). Access to and the role of antiretroviral therapy has also impacted by the level of stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients. Access to antiretroviral therapy in Kenya has increased more than 15 times between the year 2005 and the year 2017. However, despite this increase in accessibility, many people are not ready to accept their new condition and prefer to live in denial hence they dont get the much-needed medical care and medication. Even after getting tested, many people are not ready to disclose their status to close family members. A research carried out in Kenya in the year 2015 indicates that of the 72% of people who were found to disclose their status, 23% disclosed it to their parents, 10% of siblings, and 29% of pastors (Y Hong, 2012). The HIV virus is also associated with changes in body such as getting thinner and loss of hair. This means that any person showing those symptoms or body changes risk to be discriminating against. People living with HIV/AIDS have also been discriminated and stigmatized in relation to religious beliefs and practices. Some religions do not allow people living with HIV to attend church or join their congregation (Kapungwe, 2009). Other religions preach against people living with HIV and portray them as immoral and not fit to live in the society. This has catalyzed stigmatization and discrimination for these people. Gender is another factor that is commonly associated with stigmatization. Women living with HIV are more stigmatized and discriminated against compared to men living with the virus (Loue, 2013). There are different ways through which stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV can be reduced. One of these methods is by starting programs to educate the people about the causes of the HIV/AIDS, infection and ways in which its contracted from one person to another. The people in rural areas are very ignorant on matters relating to HIV/AIDS (Connerley Wu, 2016). The customs and beliefs of the people in the society have had a huge impact on the people living with HIV for many of them fear disclosing that they have the diseases and they end up infecting others. The other way through which stigmatization can be reduced is through focus groups. People should be organized in focus groups where they can get educated on how to live with the disease and to resist getting stressed due to discrimination by the society (Mwaura, 2008). Religious groups need to play a role in reducing stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV. Religious leaders nee d to understand the HIV disease and can educate their followers on the importance of caring for people living with the virus and to stop treating them differently (Clement, 2016). Introduction of a school curriculum where HIV lessons can be taught to children from an early age can play an important role in reducing discrimination in the society since the children will grow up understanding that even the people with HIV are normal human beings and they should be taken care of (Bohle, 2013) Conclusion This research project focuses on researching on ways in which stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV in Kenya can be reduced. The report begins with the listing of the problem statement and setting out of goals and objectives of the research study. The research questions are also designed to help guide the researcher in carrying out the real research. The methodology to be used in this study is a qualitative research method and it will depend mostly on secondary data. The report also contains a detailed literature review that reviews the past literature about discrimination and stigmatization resulting from the HIV infection. 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