FAWorAIDS: Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day

Up until today, there are still myths and stigmas that surround HIV/AIDS. These myths and stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS create major barriers to prevent further infections, reduce the impact, and provide appropriate care, support, and treatment. Stigma can lead to discrimination and other violations of human rights, and fundamentally affect the well-being of people living with HIV. According to UNAIDS, there are many well-documented cases where people living with HIV are deprived of their rights to medical care, work, education, and freedom of movement. This negative stigma resulted from many factors, including the lack of public knowledge of the disease, misconceptions of the HIV transmission mode,  lack of treatment access, irresponsible media reporting on the AIDS epidemic, the incurability of the disease, and prejudice and fear related to many sensitive social issues, including sex, illness and death, and drug use. One of the HIV/AIDS-related stigmas is that the disease is only caught by certain groups that deserve to get HIV/AIDS because of their choices. Designated on 1 December, World AIDS Day is an international day dedicated to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and to mourn those who have died of the disease. World AIDS Day aims to alleviate stigmas surrounding the disease and boost recognition by underlining their equal rights.

In commemoration of World AIDS Day 2020, members of the Center for Indonesian Medical Students’ Activities Universitas Gadjah Mada (CIMSA UGM) took the initiative to carry out an online project namely FAWorAIDS, Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day 2020. FAWorAIDS is a series of events held by SCORA CIMSA UGM which consists of Instagram Live, IGTV Series, article publication written by a peer educator trainer (PETRA), and fundraising through Kitabisa.com.

On December 5th 2020, CIMSA UGM teamed up with sayaberani_id to answer questions about myths and stigmas that surround people living with HIV through Instagram Live with the theme of “Debunking the Myth, End the Stigma”. We had Andri F. Bobby from sayaberani_id as our speaker and Aisy Kaspol from SCORA CIMSA UGM 2015 as our moderator. During the live broadcast, the viewers were actively engaged through interactive live Q&A sessions.

In the first IGTV series, CIMSA UGM carried out an online social experiment through OME.TV and an interview to see the public reaction and opinion of people living with HIV including the myths and the stigmas. The second IGTV series was an interview with Ragiel Setya and Magdalena Diah who shared their experiences as HIV positive people.

Finally, FAWorAIDS was closed with the publication of an article about HIV/AIDS in Indonesia written by Ridzky Pratama, a Peer Educator Trainer. The article entitled “HIV dan AIDS, Apa Kabar” aims to spread information and raise awareness about myths and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. During the activity, a fundraising through Kitabisa.com is conducted in order to help people living with HIV to get their rights and the life they deserve.

-Shafira Fitri Fawzia & Saphira Fawwazul Atsin