Overcoming HIVAIDS-related stigma and discrimination : an examination of educational campaign posters

• Main Author: Johnny, Leanne M.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 2003
• Subjects: AIDS phobia.; Health education.; Stigma (Social psychology); Advertising.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=19393

As a corollary to The Declaration of Commitment, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June 2001, the international community recently adopted a World AIDS Campaign that seeks to eradicate HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination. To this end, the campaign incorporates several educational strategies, such as a poster campaign, that advocate the just and equal treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS. In an effort to develop an understanding of these educational efforts, this study deconstructs the 2002-2003 World AIDS Campaign posters. While the overall results suggest that the campaign has been successful in redefining the image of HIV/AIDS, it was also found that the posters may actually serve to reinforce stigma and discrimination. Using a textual analysis, this study uncovers the underlying ideological and cultural assumptions that exist within campaign posters and indicates how they operate in relation to the overall objective of the campaign.