HIV
Marriage is built on trust, but for many Kenyans living with HIV, revealing their status to their spouse feels too dangerous.
A new report reveals that nearly half of all married
people with HIV have kept it a secret, fearing the intense stigma within their
own families.
This is according to the Kenya stigma index 2024, released recently by the National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/Aids in Kenya (Nephak).
The report – titled Kenya assessment Report 2024– reveals men are more likely to reveal their status compared to women. That is because women are often blamed for bringing the virus into the marriage.
The Nephak report is based on interviews with 1,305 Kenyans living with HIV/Aids from all counties.
“Out of the 1,305 respondents, 732 (56 per cent) reported that their spouses were aware of their HIV status, with 309 males (59 per cent ) and 423 females (54 Per cent),” the report indicates.
Experts say failure to disclose one’s HIV status within a marriage or relationship carries significant health risks.
Partners unaware of their spouse’s HIV status may continue engaging in unprotected sex, increasing the likelihood of transmission. Moreover, non-disclosure prevents couples from seeking joint support, including treatment adherence and mental health services.
The report
suggests women are hesitant to share their HIV positive status with their
husbands because
they experience more stigma and discrimination.
“Often, they found themselves unjustly accused as carriers of the virus, leading to isolation from their families and abandonment by their husbands,” the report says.
“Many women recounted instances of betrayal by family members, rejection in the workplace, disinheritance following the death of their spouses, and abuse for becoming pregnant while living with HIV.”
Many women said that when word went out that they were positive, they were no longer invited for extended family activities such as cooking.
“Cumulatively, more women than men had experienced verbal harassment (46.3 per cent vs 40.5 per cent) and physical harassment (23.9 per cent vs. 18.1 per cent). Additionally, more women had been excluded from family activities (30 per cent vs. 21.1 per cent) and social gatherings or activities (30 per cent vs. 25.8 per cent),” the report indicates.
Men also explained how they
suffered at the hands of their partners.
“I would like to add that disclosure is very difficult, especially in relationships. This is because, you find that the moment you disclose your status to your partner, they start cheating and give you conditions when it comes to being intimate. Some of these conditions include them not wanting to be kissed,” one man from Kiambu told the researchers.
The report also indicates
parents rarely reveal to their children that they (parents), are living with
HIV.
Only about three in every ten families make this revelation to their children.
A woman from Nairobi explained why should could not reveal her status to her children.
“My children do not know and I don't want them
to know. My husband already knows and that is enough. I have not disclosed to
my mother and my siblings, I don't want them to know,” she said.
Nephak CEO Nelson Otwoma said stigma levels in Kenya have been going down and the latest findings will help further in the fight.
“We trust that their input, opinion and surveys will contribute to response to HIV-related stigma and discrimination and eventually to the improvement of the health and well-being of people Iiving with HIV including those from key populations in Kenya,” he said.
This report is a follow-up to the 2021 Kenya Country Assessment Report that also recorded a decline in levels of stigma and discrimination over the years.
The 2024 survey also revealed a high discordance rate of 36 per cent, where one partner is HIV positive and the other one is not.
The survey’s national steering committee was chaired by Dorothy Onyango, the CEO of Women Fighting Aids in Kenya.
She said the country will not end Aids as a public health threat by 2030 if HIV-related stigma and discrimination is not tackled.
“Clearly, HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to hamper the efforts aimed at delivering HIV prevention, treatment and care interventions in all counties and among all populations,” she said.
“Although some regions and certain populations are more affected, the report is a great milestone in the efforts in generating evidence that PLHIV and those who work with them need to confront HIV-related stigma and discrimination and to ensure the sustained increase in the uptake.”
The report reveals high levels of internalised stigma with seven out of ten people finding it difficult to disclose their HIV status to someone.
Three out of every four Kenyans living with HIV said they
were unable to find a love partner because of their status, while a similar number
stated they have been unable
to cope with stress and forge close and secure relationship.
“About 20 per cent decided not to have sex,” the report says.
