Stigma And Discrimination Faced By Plhiv In Public And Private Sector Organizations: Evidence From Bombali District.

Since the first index case of HIV in Sierra Leone in 1987, stigma and discrimination has been identified as a key impediment in the national HIV response in the country. Numerous attempts have been made to prevent stigma and discrimination but it still poses as one of the biggest challenges in the national response against HIV in Sierra Leone.

HIV-related stigma remains pervasive and its effects debilitating. Stigma and discrimination deny people living with HIV the right to fully participate in their communities, affecting all aspects of people’s lives, including access to treatment and care, and access to work. 

There have been Community engagement/outreach services to educate the public on HIV through radio discussions, visits to schools and other institutions, workshops, trainings, symposium, public lecture etc. From the review, the gaps identified in this article are the inadequate popularization of the stigma and discrimination act and inadequate political will to bring to book perpetrators of stigma and discrimination. Little has been done in terms of research into stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV, especially those working in the public and private sectors in Bombali District.

As it was noted, stigma and discrimination can appear as big barriers for HIV/AIDS-infected people, which hinder them from accessing health, medical and care services. The results of this research can inform patients, families and health givers of practical aspects of HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination

There is inadequate awareness on laws on stigma and discrimination. Too often people, tend to believe that their actions are always right due to limited knowledge on the subject matter. Most people do not know that there are legal implications for their abuses against people living with HIV; be they discrimination, marginalization, stigmatization, gender base violence and similar abuses. HIV positive people are considered inferior in many quarters. Many people are of the belief that HIV positives are promiscuous and therefore should blame themselves for their condition.

In addition, stigma and discrimination policies have not been effective so far. Most times perpetrators go unpunished or better still compromises are struck to avoid punishment. This trend should be rewritten and institutions strengthened to act accordingly.