What is HIV and AIDS?

stigma and incorrect moral judgments. Stigma can be exhibited in a number of
ways such as name-calling and gossip leading to exclusion of not only HIV
positive people, by family and friends of those affected.
In China, there many initiatives to educate people on HIV and AIDS but stigma
and discrimination remains widespread. In a recent knowledge, attitudes and
behaviour survey conducted in 6 cities across China, 31.7% respondents thought
that “people with HIV or AIDS deserved their disease because of their behaviour”
(CHAMP, 2008). In the same survey nearly half of all respondents (48%) would be
“strongly unwilling or unwilling to eat with a person living with HIV and AIDS”.
People living with HIV who reveal their status or whose status has been revealed
frequently experience social exclusion, as do their families. There have been
cases where people have been denied treatment or refused medical care for
illnesses because they are HIV positive; this is often caused by fear.
More efforts are needed to educate people about HIV., to make them see it can
affect us all, not just “other people”. HIV mainstreaming has proven effective in
educating the masses. Taking a multi-sectoral approach to HIV and AIDS
education is needed, so that HIV is no longer just a health issue. All ministries
must be united in preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS. Targeted campaigns are
already in place such as the work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in
Beijing, working in conjunction with Ministries of Labour and Social Security to
reach migrant workers (see www.workonaids.org for more information).
Government policy such as the recent 2008 Employment Promotion Law which
states that anyone with an infectious disease has the right to work, helps to reduce
levels of stigma and discrimination.
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