STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION OF HIV POSITIVE PREGNANT WOMEN AND MOTHERS IN THE HOME, COMMUNITY AND HEALTH CARE SETTINGS.

Abstract : Background: Adult HIV prevalence in India is estimated at 0.30% among males and 0.22% among females. More than 90 percent of women acquire HIV from their husbands or their sexual partners, not due to their own sexual behavior. The NACO Technical Estimate Report (2015) estimated that 35 thousand HIV positive pregnant women in India needed Prevention of Parent to child transmission(PPTCT) services. Experience worldwideconfirms that women tend to suffer more than men from HIV related stigma in terms of loss of respect, employment, protection and property rights that places women at a greater disadvantage in communities, largely so in developing nations.(1) Objective: The first objective of the study is to identify the day to day challenges that the women living with HIV face in terms of physical dimension ,psychological dimension, socio-economic dimension, health care dimension and how the stigma associated with the disease makes it all the more complex for them in their livelihood. The second objective is to study the stigma and discrimination faced by HIV positive pregnant women and mothers in the home, community and health care settings. Method: Key informant interviews were conducted with 11 HIV positive women who were either pregnant or mothers. The interviews were conducted in two public health care settings. Semi- structured questionnaire was used. The interviews were audio recorded and extensive notes were also taken. These were translated from Tamil language, transcribed and openly coded. It was next organized into domains, themes and sub-themes. Results: Stigma and discrimination, at the home, community and health care settings, do exist against the HIV positive women. Poverty and other challenges combined with stigma make it worse and increase the suffering of the women with HIV all the more. Stigma is a disease in itself. Conclusion:It is a known fact that HIV/AIDS has no cure. But stigma and discrimination against the women infected with HIV is preventable, creating a supportive environment for them for the rest of their life. Combined efforts to reduce the stigma and discrimination need to be taken along with measures to eradicate HIV/ AIDS in order to yield the best outcome.