Issues affecting HIV-positive women who attend community care centers in Kerala, India : practitioners’ accounts of stigma

This research identifies the psychosocial needs of HIV-positive women attending two of the newly established Community Care Centres in Kerala, as recounted by the health care practitioners of those services. Findings include the complex and devastating impacts of the stigma associated with HIV=AIDS on women’s lives, including their avoidance of health care due to fear of disclosure and the denial of their children’s access to education. The report suggests that further research into the linkages between the different stakeholders, to fully exploit the successful strategies employed by each to combat the stigma, may well be beneficial in addressing one of the most damaging and pervasive challenges of the disease.