•By Halimah Olamide
The Former Commissioner of Information in Kogi State, Deborah Ogazuma, has declared that creating awareness is key in eliminating the stigmatization of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Ogazuma made the assertion at the day 7 of the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigation Journalism’s (WSCIJ) 16-day Activism Against Gender-Baseed Violence which was tagged: “Reviewing stigmatization against people living with HIV and AIDS”
She noted that while reporting news of rape in the media, the faces of victims are usually blurred out which is a confirmation that the stigma is all over.
“The brutal violation expresses itself more now with the increase in the cases of rape especially of underaged children which could very easily result in the rape victim being infected if the rapist is indeed already infected with HIV.
“Not showing the faces of victims is actually a confirmation that stigma is very much around because they know what the repercussions will be that means we need to work more
“It has been shown that where people have better knowledge and information, there is less stigma taking place, so there is need for more awareness, knowledge going out to people and we have to strategic in the way we communicate this awareness.
“There’s a dire need for information.” She stated.
Award winning multimedia journalist, Adesola Ayi-Aderale pointed out that victims of such conditions most times have to hide for the rest of their lives with the burden that they have to bear alone, hence making it challenging to eliminate the stigmatization especially in Africa.
“If somebody is going to live with a condition for the rest of her life, we cannot even show their faces in the media and it’s a big problem because that shows they have to hide for the rest of their lives with all the inconveniences, secrecies that they alone have to bear and the problem with such situation is that its going to make it more harder end HIV especially in Africa.
“For as long as people who live with HIV-AIDS cannot come out to say it, we will have problems ending HIV-AIDS.
“Once people get to know a person has HIV, that stigma automatically comes upon such person.” She said
The National coordinator of the Association of Women Living with HIV & AIDS in Nigeria (ASHWAN), Esther Hindi harped on the that stigmatization happens in places that are least expected.
She further highlighted the level of discrimination that people living with this condition often face especially from place of worships, schools, work places and even down to hospitals and the doctors that are meant to treat them
“The major places you don’t expect to be stigmatized is where you’re stigmatized. Hospitals, worship places.”
The online event which is hosted on X space (formerly Twitter) began on Saturday 25th Novemever is expected 10th December, 2023 by 4pm.