Download this publication - AIDS Data Hub

Attitudes towards PLHIV as neighboursStigma against PLHIVs and their family is rampant although the community FGDparticipants were not conscious of the fact that they were indeed stigmatizing PLHIVs.On the one hand they say that they will accept them into the neighbourhood they wouldalso ask their family members to be careful (berhati-hati).“Kalau apa, kalau kita tahu, memang tak ada masalah lah Cuma darisegi keluarga kita, kita just inform dekat semua famili, untuk …mungkinjangan pergi ke sebelah. Tapi kita, just inform pada keluarga tanpapengetahuan merekalah. Dari segi nak duduk sebelah tak ada masalah.”(“If we know, it is definitely not a problem. Only with our family we justinform them not to go next door. But we just inform our family withoutthe infected person knowing. If they just want to live next door, noproblem”)(Rural, Malay, Male)“Pada pandangan saya lah, saya buat macam biasalah. Kawan biasa,tapi macam Mr. G pun cakap kita take precaution.”(“In my opinion, I will act normal. Normal friends but as MR. G said wetake precautions”)(Urban, Chinese, Male)This obviously shows that by having to say the family should take precautions we haveindeed driving a wedge between the infected and the community. Perhaps the avoidanceis borne out of fear of being infected by them. One member was quick to point out thatwith knowledge on how it is spread he has changed his feelings from avoidance to one ofsympathy. At no time should society hate them.“So they will avoid him, that’s the first thing lah. The other thing I wantedto say, the public view also is created because of the Government.Because see as Che Kah was telling, when they brought the body of hiscousin, they didn’t even let them go near. So the government has put,some sort of impression, you know, the seriousness of the sick. So, whenyou have a patient in the family, they will know the family, the outsidealso will feel the same thing. So, that actually ahh…part of it and I havecome across a lot of that thing also they don’t even, don’t the coffincompletely blocked, closed….so you can even by seeing it you can get itis it? So one you have a family member with AIDS, so the public havethat type of impression you know.(Urban, Indian, Male)Perhaps the following statement sums up how out Malaysian society view PLHIVs“Saya…pengalaman saya memang…memang masyarakat takkanterimalah. Mulut kata takpa-takpa tapi hati ini…memang tak bolehterima.”91