Addressing Stigma and Discrimination in HIV/AIDS Affected Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Vietnam

Thi Thu Nga Tran^{1, 2} and Lillian Mwanri^1,

¹Discipline of Public Health, School of Medicine, Flinders University, South Australia

²Department of Counselling and Community Support, District 8 Preventive Medicine Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Cite this paper:
Thi Thu Nga Tran and Lillian Mwanri. Addressing Stigma and Discrimination in HIV/AIDS Affected Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Vietnam. World Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2013; 1(3):30-35. doi: 10.12691/jpm-1-3-4

Abstract

Vietnam, like many other developing countries experiences over whelming challenges related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, including significant stigma and discrimination of people who are affected by HIV infections. HIV pandemic has resulted in increased numbers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). Different strategies are required in addressing these challenges. The aim of this paper is to review the literature and describe interventions aimed to decrease HIV stigma and discrimination in OVC. The focus is to identify aspects of these interventions that are effective in Vietnam. The findings demonstrate that the Vietnam government and international agencies such as the UNAIDS and UNICEF are employing joint strategies to address the growing problems of OVC in the country. This has included increased care and treatment programs, provision of Information-Education-Communication programs, encouraging parents and peers in reducing HIV stigma and discrimination, utilizing Non- Governmental Organisations’ support, and improving policy intervention on HIV stigma and discrimination reduction.

Keywords:
Vietnam HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination OVC effective interventions

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