AIDS support groups and women living with HIV/AIDS in central Thailand

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine community attitudes toward women living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. We also look at strategies employed by women in order to deal with any stigma and discrimination that they may feel or experience in the community. The chapter is based on our larger study of the experiences of women living with HIV/AIDS and their participation in clinical trials in Thailand. We carried out a number of in-depth interviews with women living with HIV/AIDS in central Thailand. We find that women living with HIV/AIDS still deal with stigma and discrimination in their everyday life. However, from the women's narratives, we also find more positive attitudes from local communities. Women deal with stigma and discrimination by joining and participating in HIV/AIDS support groups that have emerged in response to the AIDS epidemic in Thailand. We argue that women are not passive victims but that they act in their own agencies to counteract any negativity they might encounter.