HIV- and AIDS-related stigma, discrimination, and human rights: A critical overview

Against the backdrop of the developing global epidemics of HIV and AIDS, demands have been made for a radical scaling up of the international response. Central among the steps that need to be urgently taken are efforts to combat stigma and discrimination. This article offers a conceptual overview of the relationship between the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS and discrimination and human rights, with the goal of demonstrating the interconnectedness of these concerns and describing elements of a future, and potentially more effective, programmatic response.