This report presents the results of the study entitled Discourses and Representations of HIV in Fiji and their Impact on the Experience of People Living with HIV and AIDS. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Reproductive Health Clinics of Suva, Lautoka and Labasa and the Fiji Network for People Living with HIV and AIDS (FJN+) between November 2007 and December 2008.

The full impact of secondary stigma (stigma directed at family) on an HIV-positive individual is unknown. This qualitative research explores perceptions of secondary stigma in the Vietnamese context and its influence on the ways in which an injection drug user (IDU) copes with HIV infection.

This study focuses on the experiences and perspectives of HIV-positive women living in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. The purpose of the study is to give voice to women living with HIV and to allow their stories and view  to inform an improved HIV response where the dignity of each and every woman and man is respected and protected.

In the USA, the ban on mobility for people with HIV was removed in January 2010. The legislative change in the USA and the changes announced in China received broad media coverage. We very much hope that these examples will have a domino effect, resulting in the revision of legislation in other countries. For many people, travel is an important aspect of quality of life. Others have to stay in foreign countries for longer periods for personal or professional reasons. Up-to-date information helps them to decide on the most appropriate behaviour. This data collection not only provides a reliable orientation for PLHIV, but also indicates the extent of discrimination against people with HIV.

In the USA, the ban on mobility for people with HIV was removed in January 2010. The legislative change in the USA and the changes announced in China received broad media coverage. We very much hope that these examples will have a domino effect, resulting in the revision of legislation in other countries. But we have to keep in mind that there are also countries in Europe (including some of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany) that still operate restrictions which contribute to the discrimination of people living with HIV.

In the summer of 2009, I visited a humble orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. Here, like many parts in the world, the very existence of marginalized people with stigmatized illness is hidden away.