Introduction & Announcement of the Electronic Discussion on Stigma and Discrimination for South Asia

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the E-Forum Challenging AIDS Stigma and Discrimination in South Asia.

This e-forum is meant to raise a spotlight on `AIDS Stigmain the South Asia

region. It is a platform for all those facing the challenge of AIDS stigma

either in their personal lives or as part of their work, to share their

knowledge, experiences, ideas, expertise and good practices with colleagues

and friends across the region. The purpose of this e-forum is to move beyond

the rhetoric of debating whether there is stigma, to seriously working towards

stigma reduction and elimination. In doing so we take the position that stigma

due to AIDS exists.

The e-forum will be moderated in a structured way. It will seek to discuss the

following three themes:

1. Stigma impact: This theme will bring out the multiple and diverse ways in

which stigma due to AIDS impacts people and proves to be an obstacle in the

fight against the epidemic in this region. The key question is: In what ways and

in what settings ( family, education, health etc ) is stigma due to HIV/AIDS

impacting people living with the virus, their family members, and those involved

in care, counseling, treatment and support services, or engaged in AIDS

research, programs and interventions?

2. Response to stigma: This theme will focus on stigma reduction efforts at

individual, community and institutional levels. A range of contexts will be

included namely, the family, health, work, education and the NGO sectors.

Strategies ranging from education campaigns, to behavior change communication,

to human rights protection may be highlighted. The key questions are : What are

people living with HIV/AIDS, and those engaged in care and support as well as

those working on this issue, doing to deal with AIDS stigma and what barriers

they are encountering in this process? Are there anti stigma interventions,

small or big, in the region which may be shared with others?

3. Agenda for action: This section will aim to bring out a few recommendations

for combating stigma in collaboration with partners in the region and within the

individual countries. The key questions are: What needs to be done to deal with

AIDS stigma more comprehensively and systematically in order to mitigate its

impact and even eliminate it? What are the key recommendations for developing a

regional strategy for AIDS stigma reduction and elimination?

Each of the above themes will be introduced by 2/3 Key Resource Persons selected

from the different countries of the region. You may respond to the issues

highlighted by them, expand on the issues, debate and challenge them or throw up

fresh ones reflecting your concerns and position. Each theme will run for

approximately one week. The total duration of the forum is expected to be about

4 weeks.

The e-forum is expected to a) widen our understanding of the multiple and

complex ways in which stigma impacts people and care and support provision;

make visible small and big, individual and collective, successful and

effective, ongoing efforts to deal with stigma in the region; c) identify

key recommendations to help develop mechanisms and frameworks to address AIDS

stigma more comprehensively.

Above all, this e-forum is expected to forge a unity of thoughts, ideas and

action plans in the region around the issue of stigma due to HIV/AIDS.

The summary of the e-discussion will be documented and the key recommendations

emerging from the forum will be shared with all participants.

Friends, the success of this e-forum will depend on your active,enthusiastic and

constructive participation.

So, welcome once again to the e-forum `Challenging AIDS Stigma and

discrimination in South Asia. We look forward to your valuable participation.

To participate in this forum please follow these simple instructions:

1. Type www.youandaids.net in the internet explorer. On the left, you will see

a link to E-FORUM ON CHALLENGING AIDS STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION IN SOUTH ASIA.

2. Click on the link. It will take you to the E-Forum ON CHALLENGING AIDS

STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION in SOUTH ASIA " e-workspace " .

3. To enter any of the sections, click on the links on the menu-bar on top.

It will ask for your user name and password. For convenience, the username is

your first name and the first letter of your surname. For example, the username

for Shalini Bharatwould be shaliniband the password has been set as " password " .

You may change the password if you wish.

4. Please note that every time a new message or a document is posted

on the " e-workspace " , you will receive an e-mail alert informing you about

the new addition. The email sender will be notes_unaids. This is an

exclusive forum open only to members.

If you wish to unsubscribe or send an anonymous posting, please send an

email to Shalini Bharat at <mailto:sbharat@...>sbharat@.... In

case of any problems or doubts please send a mail to

<mailto:karishma.singh@...>karishma.singh@... or

<mailto:himanshu.joshi@...>himanshu.joshi@....

Looking forward to a rich and dynamic exchange of information, views and

perspectives on AIDS stigma from our region.

Shalini Bharat

Professor and Head

Unit for Family Studies

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai, India

Tel : 91-22-25563290-96 ext. 313

Fax : 91-22-25562912

E-mail: sbharat@...