Until recently there were no quantitative data on the extent, nature or pattern of AIDS-related discrimination in Asia. APN+ therefore designed a peer-led study to document the discrimination faced by positive people. We decided that positive people would be most able to gain access to other positive people and that respondents would feel most comfortable sharing their experiences with others diagnosed with HIV. We hoped the experience might be mutually empowering for both researcher and respondent, and this turned out to be so. Over a period of three years (2000-2002) APN+ trained nearly 50 positive people in four countries (India, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand) to go into the field and collect data. The project was funded by UNAIDS. The researchers collected a wealth of information via 760 structured in-depth interviews with positive people. The findings are the first systematic documentation of the extent of discrimination in the region. The APN+ study findings confirm observations made in various countries: instances of discrimination are common and widespread, even in Thailand, long upheld for its progress in responding to HIV. The different levels of discrimination experienced in different countries are not remarkable but the gap of experiences between the sexes is significantly different, with women bearing the brunt of AIDS-related discrimination.

Specific aims, structure and governance of ANP+

APN+ GIPA position

October 1-2, 2004 the Asia-pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+) and The pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (PIAF) held a meeting in Suva, Fiji Islands, with representatives of organizations in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea and Australia. They discussed needs and issues for the Region, the nature and status of current regional initiatives, and shared information, experiences and possible solutions to problems. On the first day, representatives gave presentations on the work of their organizations and the issues they confront. A number of groups in the Region are still in the early stages of organizational development. For example the Fijian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (FJN+) was formally registered as a positive network in September 2004, and IZA foundation in Vanuatu was set up in March 2004. Igat Hope, in Papua New Guinea, is not yet a registered group, but it is the process of drawing up a constitution and recruiting for a coordinator. Some groups are receiving support in their efforts. NAPWA Australia, which has developed manuals for organizational development and fund raising, is assisting Igat Hope for their constitution and registration process. Participants were also invited to identify the needs of their positive communities. They expressed various classic needs, such as needs for capacity building and collaboration with other stakeholders, sustainable access to ARVs, and access to counseling, information on ARVs and treatment preparedness. They also articulated what they perceive the obstacles to be to getting those needs met. And, for better or for worse, most of them are the same as those that exist everywhere else: fear and prejudice, lack of resources and skills, lack of support from governments, NGOs and health care providers, discrimination, insufficient visibility of HIV+ people, lack of food and nutrition, and lack of networking within the Region. Solutions proposed include raising resources, PLWHA leading activities, empowerment and capacity building of PLWHA, increasing access to information, VCT and PMTCT, treatment literacy and education, increased awareness, planning for orphan care, addressing youth issues, addressing discrimination, and increasing dialogue with governments and other players. On the second day, presentations were given on human rights, stigma and discrimination, the principle of the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA), PLWHA empowerment, and on the work of the pacific Red Cross HIV/AIDS Committee. In addition, funders and other key players met to discuss the possibility of a pacific Conference that would not be PLWHA specific but open to all stakeholders. Participants were asked which issues they would like to see on the agenda if a pacific meeting were to take place. They mentioned the need for gender specific sessions, positive prevention and positive living, and ARV treatment education and preparedness. APN+ reiterated its full support and assistance in any pacific initiatives, as did PIAF.

For more information on the governance issue relating to the APN+ management structure