Abstract ID: 19001

Author: Peati Maiava

Title: Stigma and Discrimination in Samoa

Subject Area/Topic: Stigma and Discrimination

Issues: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the Pacific experience significant discrimination. Most countries in the Pacific have a low prevalence and PLWHA experience discrimination at the family and community level. The experience of PLWHA in Samoa includes exclusion from families, workplaces and schools. Furthermore, there is widespread lack of understanding of individual human rights with regard to privacy and confidentiality of PLWHA in Samoa.

Description

The Pacific Island AIDS Foundation (PIAF) partnered with the Samoa AIDS Foundation in 2004 to establish an AIDS Ambassador Program. As the sole AIDS Ambassador in Samoa, Peati Maiava a prominent HIV positive woman tells her story about contracting and living with HIV in an effort to advocate for the rights of PLWHA and increase capacity for HIV prevention. Using personal experiences and vivid imagery, Peati tells her personal story of finding out that her husband has contracted HIV through an extra-marital affair, losing her child to an undiagnosed HIV-related illness, and experiencing widespread discrimination in Samoa.

Lessons Learned

The integration of narrative story telling as a main activity of the AIDS Ambassador has been one of the most effective strategies in Samoa to reduce stigma and discrimination faced by PLWHA in Samoa. Juxtaposed with traditional education strategies, story telling utilizes a traditional and culturally competent approach to challenge and changing societal views and attitudes towards PLWHA.

Next Steps

As the only public person living with HIV/AIDS in Samoa, the role of the AIDS Ambassador is demanding. It is hoped that more positive people will be trained as AIDS Ambassadors in the coming year so that this role can be expanded and a greater audience can be reached.