Stigma and discrimination are the major obstacles to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Fear of discrimination may prevent people from seeking treatment for AIDS or from acknowledging their HIV status publicly. People with or suspected of having HIV may be turned away from health care services, denied housing and employment, shunned by their friends and coleagues, turned down for insurance coverage or refused entry into foreign countries.

In some cases, people living with HIV/AIDS may be evicted from home by their families, divorced by their  spouses and suffer physical violence or even murder. The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS may extend into the next generation, placing an emotional burden on children who may also be trying to cope with the death of their parents from AIDS.

What should be done: With its focus on stigma and discrimination, the Campaign will encourage people to break the silence and the barriers to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Only by confronting stigma and discrimination will the fight against HIV/AIDS be won.