Spreading HIV Awareness in Russia: An Evaluation of the Russian Media Partnership within Trans-Atlantic Partners Against AIDS

The Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS (RMP) unites leading media outlets in the fight against AIDS. By bringing together media leaders, the program aims to increase coverage of HIV issues with the ultimate goals of raising awareness of HIV prevention and treatment as well as reducing stigma and building tolerance towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Despite the growing rate of HIV infection amongst non-high risk behavior youth in Russia, prevention efforts remain limited. Public discourse about sexual behavior and protection measures remains limited, and inaccurate or incomplete information is common. Additionally, high social stigma towards PLWHA poses a barrier for those infected to receiving information and treatment which would allow them to continue to live productive lives. Given this environment, media can potentially play an influential role in mainstreaming the topic of HIV/AIDS. The objective of this workshop was to create a framework that will assist in replication of the model in other regions and countries.