Stigma Index gets underway in Sudan
Whilst Sudan faces an extremely important moment in its political history another historic event is also taking place. As Northern and Southern Sudan are due to finalise the details of separation in July the People Living with Stigma Index will be well underway.
People Living with HIV will be finding out for themselves how they are experiencing stigma across the country and to see how effective stigma reduction initiatives are. After undertaking an intensive training session community researchers will steer their peers through a questionnaire designed to capture experiences of stigma in such diverse settings as, health facilities, at home, in intimate relationships and in the workplace. Participants will be asked about their knowledge of legislation and the rights of people living with HIV.
Sudan is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to carry out the People Living with HIV Stigma Index and this is the first initiative by and for people living with HIV in Sudan.
An accurate rather than anecdotal picture of how stigma related to HIV is experienced in Sudan will be drawn up. Providing the Sudanese Network of People Living with HIV, The Women's network, Sudan National AIDS Programme (SNAP), Sudan AIDS Network (SAN), the Sudanese Family Planning Association (SFPA), UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, other UN agencies and a variety of government offices with robust data on the situation faced by people living with HIV and giving them the tools to better target the issues through their programmes, policies and partnerships. The results of the People Living with HIV Stigma Index are expected in September 2011.