Blame & Banishment - Médecins du Monde

Blame and Banishment: The underground HIV epidemic affecting children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
SECTION V
Forces for change
“I really did not believe that I would reach this age and this state of well-being: I go to the
gym, I feel okay, and no one can tell that I am affected by something such as HIV. I work, I go
to school, I learn, I do the most ‘normal’ things possible. I wish to have a family and to remain
”
as I am now – with enthusiasm.
Marius, 23, infected with HIV as a two-year-old boy, Romania.
After meeting with people like Marius in Romania, Kanat, the father of a two-year-old
HIV-positive child in Kazakhstan, was inspired and found hope for his son...
Challenging the blaming, the fears and anxieties that are at the basis of negative social
attitudes to those affected by HIV is critical if countries in the region are going to continue
to make progress in controlling the epidemic. Bringing about change will also require both
policy and legal reforms. However, these will have little impact unless they are broadly
rooted in social values and system changes.
Education and public information campaigns as well as the creation of an open dialogue
among all stakeholders can play an important role in transforming individuals’ and societal
attitudes in order to understand and redress the injustice of stigma and exclusion. The
activism and advocacy of people living with HIV in many countries of the region has been
an excellent example of mobilization by those affected and has resulted in better access to
treatment and support for people living with and affected by HIV. Beyond that, encouraging
positive action and involvement also requires the mobilization of many different stakeholders,
including health and social workers, community leaders and youth organizations. As the
example below shows, parents can also become an inspired force for change.
One promising example in the region is the Parent to Parent Network (P2P), established by
UNICEF and the East Europe & Central Asia Union of Organizations of People Living with
HIV/AIDS (ECUO).
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