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Response stories

Stigma and discrimination at work due to HIV status

Sometimes, in order to feel successful in life, you don’t need to achieve something significant for others, the main thing is to overcome a milestone in your head.

This is what happened to Hanna, who became a victim of stigma and discrimination in the workplace because of her HIV status. And all because once a woman was spotted taking ART pills. After that, the employee accused Hanna of endangering all the other employees and shamed her for having the disease, and for not telling others about it.

Anna then hid her status from everyone and was ashamed of it. But this situation helped to reassess her attitude towards it.

After the incident, Hanna turned to the REAct documentator. He, in turn, referred the woman to a friendly psychologist, who helped her to realize the “normality” of this disease, and to stop hiding it among her close circle. And it helped! Hanna stopped feeling the burden of the secret. Relationships at work and with loved ones have improved due to the increased level of trust. Moreover, the woman’s well-being, both physical and psychological, has also changed for the better.

Hanna now jokes that if it weren’t for the incident and REAct’s help, she would have hid her status anyway, fearing her own shadow.