Here is another ICAAP abstract for which the [him] moderator was unable to obtain a paper. Readers already know his views on raising awareness.
[him] moderator
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TuOA12-02 Raising Awareness Dealing with Discrimination in Myanmar Society
Thaw Zin Aye
7 sisters, Myanmar
Issues : In Myanmar, there have been numerous instances of HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination. Stigma and discrimination are harmful because they can lead to feelings of shame, guilt for PLHIV (People Living with HIV/AIDS), and result in their isolation. Such attitudes also lead others to discriminate or deny services or entitlements.
Project : A small-scale awareness-raising campaign was started by a group called Media Initiative – a community-based group led by a medical doctor
in Yangon, Myanmar. Student volunteers distributed information on HIV/AIDS in townships, bus stops, train stations, bazaars and local clinics
Results : It was found that the impact of the epidemic has not yet been felt to the extent that people feel concerned by it. It also feeds into the stereotypes that only “certain types of people” can get HIV, and further intensifies discrimination and stigma against PLHIV.
Lesson Learned: In Yangon, most people rejected the information that was distributed to them. Due to its early epidemiology, HIV/AIDS has been associated with socially condemned behaviors such as commercial sex, drug use, and men having sex with men. As a result, most people, whatever their socio-economic background, feel that they are not at risk for infection, because they are not involved in the behaviors which they see as “risky behaviors”. This dismissal of information leads to continued ignorance, and the misconception that only “risky behaviors” put people at risk for infection. Strategies that reach out to people need to be designed keeping in mind the specificity of Myanmar culture. HIV information must be mainstreamed in the national and local media to encourage people to develop more tolerant attitudes towards PLHIV, and to become more aware of their own risk of HIV infection. Other channels of information such as schools, local clinics, religious organizations, and community-based organizations should also become actively involved in such awareness-raising activities.
