**2.2.1 Response variables**

226 Social and Psychological Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Their Ramifications

In responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Government of Botswana embarked on various strategies to fight the disease, including HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The National Strategic Framework (NSF) for HIV/AIDS 2003-2009 had as some of its key goals psycho-social and economic impact mitigation and the provision of a strengthened legal and ethical environment. It also had as one of its objectives the minimization of the impact of the epidemic on those infected and/or affected and creation of a supportive, ethical, legal and human rights-based environment conforming to international standards for the implementation of the national response (Republic of Botswana, 2002b). The NSF also identified stigma and denial as creating an environment maintaining the potential for increased infection as well as limiting the ability of people to live positively and responsibly with HIV and AIDS. The provision of voluntary counselling and testing was expected to enable people living with HIV and AIDS to go public with their

In reviewing previous efforts before the NSF to address HIV and AIDS in the country, Government observed that important gaps existed. One such gap was that support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) needed to be expanded in order to increase coverage and further assist in the breakdown of stigma and denial around HIV/AIDS. Another important gap identified was that the legal, ethical and human rights environment required strengthening to enable and support an effective national response (Republic of

The Government of Botswana has assumed that as voluntary counselling and testing becomes easily accessible and people know their status, it will bring down stigma and discrimination. It is argued that in countries such as Uganda, Cuba and others where HIV status is openly discussed, stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS has been dramatically

On the basis of the foregoing, the key objective of this paper is to assess progress made in reducing the prevalence of HIV-related stigma and discriminatory attitudes in Botswana which was and continues to be a key objective in the national response. The purpose of the paper therefore is to estimate the levels and trends of HIV-related stigma in the country using three Botswana AIDS Impact Surveys (BAIS) I, II and III. It is assumed that any reduction in HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is a result of the anti-stigma

Data for this paper were drawn from the Botswana AIDS Impact Surveys (BAIS) conducted in 2001, 2004 and 2008. The main objectives of the BAIS were to provide information to: assess whether programs are operating as intended; assess performance of intervention programs; assess whether people are changing their sexual behavior; establish the proportion of people in need of care due to HIV infection; establish the proportion of people who are at risk of HIV infection; assess the impact of the pandemic at household level; and provide information on issues related to the impact of HIV/AIDS on households and

All the three surveys have asked the same questions that can be used to assess the level and trends in HIVAIDS-relates stigma and discriminatory attitudes. In this paper, the following

reduced, if not completely eliminated (Republic of Botswana, 2002b:31)

interventions that the Government of Botswana has embarked on.

communities (Republic of Botswana, 2002a).

serostatus.

Botswana, 2002b).

**2. Methodology** 

**2.1 Data** 

Stigma is often rooted in social attitudes and it is in this context that trends and levels of HIV-related stigma and discrimination are investigated using variables assumed to measure social attitudes. Participants who did not respond in the affirmative to any of the below three questions were considered to harbor discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS. The following three response variables were used in this study as measures of stigma and discriminatory attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS:

## **2.2.1.1 Unwillingness to care for a family member with HIV/AIDS**

Respondents were asked: "If a member of your family became sick with HIV/AIDS, would you be willing to care for him or her in your household?" This indicator is a dummy variable that equals one for respondents who said "no" or zero if it was "yes".

#### **2.2.1.2 Should not allow a teacher with HIV/AIDS to teach**

Respondents were asked: "If a teacher has HIV/AIDS but is not sick, should s/he be allowed to continue teaching in school?" This binary variable was coded in such a manner that the response "no" equals one or zero if it was "yes".

#### **2.2.1.3. Would not buy vegetables from a shopkeeper with HIV/AIDS**

Respondents were asked: "If you knew that a shopkeeper or a food-seller had HIV/AIDS, would you buy vegetables from them?" This variable was a dummy variable that equals one for respondents who stated "no" or zero if it was "yes".

### **2.2.2 Control variables**

Control variables used for this study included age (10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-64 years), current marital status (married (married plus living together), once married (divorced, separated, widowed) and never married), and the highest level of education attained (no education, primary (non-formal plus primary), secondary and higher).
