SEPTEMBER 2004 — FHI/Nepal commissioned the study Women and HIV/AIDS: Experiences and Consequences of Stigma and Discrimination - Nepal to investigate and understand the causes,  manifestations and consequences of HIV/AIDS related stigma and subsequent discriminatory acts.

The study was conducted to explore the attitudes and fears that non-HIV positive community members have regarding how HIV/AIDS is contracted, as well as their perception of HIV/AIDS as a moral transgression. In addition, the study also aimed to present the experiences and consequences of stigma and discrimination on people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), as they confront the responses and attitudes of individuals regarding HIV/AIDS, and interact with them in families, communities and health care settings.

FHI/Nepal hopes to gain an understanding of factors that enforce stigma and how they create barriers to HIV prevention, care and support efforts. FHI/Nepal will use the research findings to develop pilot interventions to minimize the influence of HIV related stigma and discrimination in Nepal.