Impact of hiv related stigma and discrimination on working women in sub-sahara africa

Abstract

This chapter surveys current literature and found that women constitute 60 % of people living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa due mainly to cultural practices. Working women living with the disease are subjected to violence by their employers and co-workers as a direct result of HIV related stigma and discrimination. Workplace violence includes unauthorised disclosure of HIV status, unfair dismissal, victimisation and harassment and social isolation. These were found to have significant impact on the wellbeing of the working women (Asante AD, Scaling up HIV prevention: Why routine or mandatory testing is not feasible for sub-Saharan Africa. Bull World Health Organization.