Md Al Amin Sadman Dhaka
For 24-year-old “Zohir Alam” (a pseudonym), a student from Jashore, the hardest part of living with HIV is not the physical symptoms but the emotional burden.
He grew up with family conflict and fell into drug use when he was young. Now he is trying to rebuild his life, but society’s judgment makes that difficult.
“I’m terrified of what people will think. They judge me for my past. No one will see what I went through or how lost I was,” Alam said.
This fear has changed his daily life. He avoids the social gatherings he once enjoyed and visits the hospital at unusual hours, so no one notices him.
To him, the stigma feels like “a loneliness that settles deep in the heart,” showing how emotional pain can be heavier than the illness itself.
Medical professionals say that Alam’s experience is not unique and warns that social ostracization is directly impacting public health outcomes.
Psychologist Faysal Ahmed Rafi attributes this deep-seated stigma to the public’s association of HIV/AIDS solely with unsafe sexual behaviour. In a society where sex remains a taboo subject, patients are often viewed through a “lens of moral judgement” rather than a medical one.
“This constant criticism isolates them and sometimes forces them to withdraw from care. The ongoing stress often shows up as irritability or self-isolation,” Rafi explained.
Local physicians note a significant trend of patients discontinuing life-saving treatment due to the fear of judgment.
“Secrecy is a major barrier to care. Sometimes patients simply don’t return for treatment. They don’t even tell their families. We try our best to encourage them to continue their care,” said Dr Shimul Talukdar, the focal person for the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) program at Sirajganj General Hospital.
Recent studies corroborate the anecdotal evidence of isolation. A study titled “Internalized HIV/AIDS-related Stigma in a Sample of HIV-positive People in Bangladesh” found that 68% of HIV-positive individuals struggle with shame regarding their status, while 54% experience significant guilt.
Furthermore, a 2022 study on social vulnerabilities highlighted “exclusion from family” as a primary concern. The research noted that many households continue to segregate patients by separating their utensils, bedding, and living spaces from the rest of the family.
Public health experts are urging a shift in the way reproductive health is approached in Bangladesh, saying the issue has long been overshadowed by stigma and cultural discomfort.
Dr Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, adviser to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said greater awareness and open discussion are essential to preventing many avoidable health problems.
“With proper awareness and open communication, many problems can be prevented. Reproductive health is vital, but shame and silence allow diseases to spread. If people and health providers can discuss HIV, STIs, and gynaecological issues more openly, far fewer will suffer,” he said.
