Learning About Labels

The project itself taught me so much. Probably the most prominent thing I will take away from this trip is how society relies far to greatly on labels. The kids and adolescents I visited were harshly labeled by words such as “AIDS”, “HIV”, and “Disability”, “Handicap”, “Mental Illness”. These labels often casted these individuals as outcasts in their country. But the individuals I met were people, just like everyone else. Every child had their own personality; some were shy, some more outgoing. Some were masters at ping-pong, while others loved music and dancing. They are as diverse as any other group of children you would meet, and they feel just like you and me.

The first place we visited was Casa Doru, a segment of an AIDS/ HIV hospital responsible for the care of children and young adults afflicted with the virus. In Romania the stigma against AIDS/HIV is horrifying. People really know nothing about the disease, its not like in the United States where there are PSAs all the time about how the disease is contracted and how it spreads, etc. People literally believe ridiculous myths.

The AIDS virus was first brought to Romania in the late 1980s during the Communist regime, in which the Communist leader ordered thousands of babies and toddlers that were malnourished to receive blood transfusions of untested blood coming from Africa, in order to strengthen these children. Thus now a whole generation, my generation, of young adults in Romania often have AIDS. An unofficial number is around 7,000, an that is just known cases, the estimates of people who are walking around, not knowing they have contracted the virus, either at a young age or through unprotected sexual activity, is unthinkable.

Fear is the main contributor to the stigmas surrounding AIDS. Certain laws in Romania actually dictate jobs that people with the disease are legally not allowed to hold. On top of that individuals who are afflicted with AIDS/HIV often have to keep secret their condition or else they might find themselves fired. Even if their employer doesn’t find out about their condition they often miss too much work because of the side affects of anti retro-virals. Because of this many patients stop taking their medications which leaves them even worse off. Besides worrying about work they often have to hide their condition from society in general otherwise they can find themselves evicted from their homes, alienated from their friends, etc. We were told not to take any pictures or even take out our cameras at the hospital, for the patients there often get scared someone; their boss, their landlord, their neighbor, etc. might see them an their life could fall to shambles.