Stigma and Discrimination

The effects of stigma and discrimination (S&D) can be felt on many levels: individual, family, community, programmatic, and societal. Recognizing the importance of addressing and measuring S&D, Futures Group has pioneered efforts worldwide to understand and reduce HIV-related S&D and has produced tools, publications, and software to facilitate S&D advocacy, policy, planning, and evaluation efforts. We work with people living with HIV, religious and community leaders, and public and private sector representatives to build multisectoral capacity and support surrounding S&D in order to reduce barriers to effective implementation of and access to HIV programs.

Building on efforts to integrate family planning, reproductive health, and HIV initiatives, Futures Group also focuses on training service providers and community members to reduce S&D in the provision of family planning and reproductive health care to HIV-positive women. Our team remains committed to developing and applying new tools and approaches to S&D and recently piloted a citizen’s monitoring model in Ethiopia and Vietnam through the USAID│Health Policy Initiative, which will serve as a tool for key stakeholders to engage in policy dialogue and advocacy to reduce S&D barriers impeding HIV service delivery.