Tolerance and Respect
Senior 3 · History and Citizenship
Tolerance and Respect
Lesson 2 of 3
25 min
Aline, aged 15, has lived with HIV since birth. She takes one tablet every evening and is healthy. At boarding school, a classmate saw her medicine and told others. Soon girls moved their mattresses away from hers, and someone wrote a cruel word on her locker. Aline began hiding her tablets, and then stopped taking them. Within months she was often ill and missed classes. When her teacher finally asked what was wrong, Aline cried: "I would rather be sick than be the girl with HIV."
Source A. A case study written by Ganzaa, based on situations reported by health and education workers.
Analysing the source. HIV did not make Aline ill; stigma did. Her classmates' rejection made her afraid, fear made her hide her treatment, and without treatment the virus was no longer controlled. The diagram shows how this becomes a vicious circle that harms both the person and the whole community.
Definition
Discrimination: treating a person or group unfairly because of who they are, such as their sex, origin, religion, disability or health.
Self-stigma: when a person starts to believe the negative labels others give them, and feels ashamed or worthless.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): medicines that control HIV, so that a person living with HIV can live a long, healthy life.
Disability: a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which, together with barriers in society, can limit a person's full participation.
Inclusion: making sure everyone can take part fully and equally, by removing barriers.
| Group | Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People living with HIV | 3.0% of adults aged 15 to 64, about 210,200 adults, were living with HIV in 2018–2019 | Rwanda Biomedical Centre, RPHIA survey |
| People with disabilities | 391,775 people aged 5 and above, 3.4% of that age group, had a disability in 2022 | NISR, Fifth Population and Housing Census |
HIV is not passed on by sharing a desk, a classroom, a toilet, food, plates or a hug, or by mosquito bites. A person living with HIV who takes treatment every day can live a long, healthy life and study and work like anyone else. Fear of HIV is based on false beliefs; stigma, not the virus, is often what keeps people from testing and treatment.
| Who | Common forms of prejudice | Impact on relationships and life |
|---|---|---|
| Peers at school | Mocking, exclusion from groups, cyberbullying | Loneliness, low self-esteem, falling results, dropping out; some victims become aggressive themselves |
| People living with HIV | Gossip, avoidance, rejection by friends, partners or family | Hiding status, missed treatment, poor health, self-stigma, isolation |
| People with disabilities | Name-calling, pity, being kept at home, being left out of games, lessons and jobs | Lost education and income; their talents are wasted; dependence instead of independence |
| People seen as different | Mocking of people with albinism, refugees, people from another region, religion or country, or orphans and poor pupils | Fear, exclusion, broken friendships, and divisions that can grow into conflict |
Prejudice harms the whole community too. A class that mocks one pupil teaches every pupil to fear being different; a society that excludes people loses their talent and risks division, as Rwanda's history shows.
Worked example: explaining an impact
Question: Explain how stigma against people living with HIV can harm public health. (3 marks)
Step 1 people who fear stigma avoid being tested, or hide their status.
Step 2 they do not start or continue treatment, so HIV is not controlled; they become ill, and the virus can be passed on more easily.
Step 3 more illness creates more fear in the community, which feeds more stigma. Stigma therefore harms everyone, not only the person who is stigmatised.
Warning
Privacy is a right. A person's HIV status or other health condition is their private information. Telling others without their permission, as happened to Aline, is a serious wrong.
In Aline's story, at which moments could a classmate have changed what happened? What exactly could they have said or done?
Tip
Name the group, the behaviour and the impact. "People with disabilities (group) are often left out of games (behaviour), so they lose friendships and confidence (impact)." Three parts make a complete point.
Practice
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
