AIDSImpact.com:: - Santa Fe, USA 2011

Abstract #390 - Narratives of loss and uncertainty: HIV positive asylum seekers in Scotland
Authors: Presenting Author: Dr Dina Sidhva - University of Edinburgh
Additional Authors: Dr George Palattiyil,
Aim: Asylum seekers with HIV have received little attention hitherto in Scotland. Media reports and practitioners in the field point to the pain and uncertainty experienced by these individuals who came to Scotland, since the dispersal policy of 2000. Migration to the UK has altered the nature of the HIV epidemic as many people have come from countries with high prevalence. The process of immigration is complex and raises a number of issues for positive people. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work to support themselves or their families, but have to rely on benefits which are significantly lower than basic income support. This is detrimental to their emotional and physical well being and impacts on their self-respect and mental health and sometimes pushes people into near destitution. The fact that they could be deported to a country where they will not be able easily access HIV treatment to maintain their health, exacerbates the uncertainty of their future. After fleeing from their own countries to escape persecution, they often have to deal with both discrimination against them as asylum seekers and the stigma surrounding HIV. Against this background this study explored the journeys that these respondents made to Scotland from different parts of Africa; with a special focus on their lived experiences of being HIV positive and an asylum seeker.
Method / Issue: The research aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of HIV positive asylum seekers; with a particular emphasis on issues related to their human rights. Twenty positive asylum seekers living in Glasgow (Scotland) were interviewed individually and collectively through two focus group meetings over the period of a year. The research could be described as interpretative and the methodology qualitative and exploratory. Unstructured, open interviews and focus groups, along with participant observation were utilised to gain an insight into the lives of the respondents.
Results / Comments: The narratives of the respondents focussed on the immensity of their lives as asylum seekers with the additional burden of being HIV positive. Each narrative, without exception, revealed the twin aspects of loss and uncertainty. Asylum seekers spoke about pain, hurt, isolation, a life characterised by forced inactivity, about the loss of loved ones, children, spouses, parents, friends, home, culture and their way of life. Their narratives also revolved around issues related to disclosure, their relationship with the Scottish host community and their uncertain futures. So too, about a general lack of understanding and pervasive confusion about asylum procedures, lack of support, alienation, discrimination and the emptiness of their present existence and a general feeling that their human rights were infringed on.
Discussion: Loss and uncertainty are the central themes that dominate the narratives of the HIV positive asylum seekers. Intervention should focus on advocating for their human rights and on the more visceral issues of pain and loss such that this highly vulnerable group of individuals are able to recover and become more integrated and valued members of Scottish society.
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