Manifestation and Marking of HIV Stigma in Indonesia: A Scoping Review

A comprehensive understanding of HIV stigma is crucial for designing effective stigma inter-ventions. This scoping review offers an overview of the manifestations and markings of HIV stigma in Indonesia. Articles published in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and other sources were searched. Studies selected were published between 2019 and 2023, written in English, and focused on the manifestations or markings of HIV stigma in Indonesia. A thematic approach was applied to analyse the findings. From an initial pool of 4,797 articles, 764 advanced to the title and abstract screening process, with 40 ultimately included in the review. The findings indicate HIV related stigma toward People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Indonesia can manifest in various forms, in-cluding avoidance of contact with PLHIV, differential treatment of PLHIV, negative reactions toward PLHIV, and self-stigma. These stigmatizing behaviors were observed across various societal levels, including family members, the general public, colleagues in the workplaces, healthcare providers, and even PLHIV themselves. The findings further revealed the dual burden of stigma experienced by vulnerable populations such as children, adolescents, pregnant women, and key populations. Additionally, this review noted the presence of stigma marking directed at PLHIV, portraying them as dangerous, unclean, immoral, bad and irresponsible, and even sinners. In conclusion, In Indonesia, HIV stigma may take many different forms and occurs in many different society levels. This underscores the need for comprehensive, collective action, and cross-sectoral interventions to effectively address these issues.