Marlon Gattiker: What myths are there in Ukraine regarding HIV?
 

Anzhelika Zoloch: That HIV only affects drug addicts. But that is clearly a myth. Nowadays, drug addicts are very well educated and know how to protect themselves. They are better informed about prevention than other people. They also know what to do if they are diagnosed with HIV. There are mobile and stationary locations for clean syringes.

And what other associations does HIV have in Ukraine?
 

People think that HIV is the same as AIDS. They are very afraid and think that HIV means the end of life. In Ukraine, self-stigmatization is almost more of a problem than discrimination. That's why education in schools is very important, and I was also involved in that. Embarrassment among teachers is a big issue: they are often ashamed to talk about sex. We teach students to talk to their parents about sexuality.
 

How is sexuality generally dealt with in Ukraine?

In our culture, we don't talk about sexuality, it was the same in the Soviet Union. Mothers don't talk to their children about sexuality. I encourage young people to talk to their parents about sex. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of discrimination related to different sexual orientations. There is a myth that you can become homosexual through airborne droplet transmission. The emergence of such myths is strongly related to a lack of willingness to engage with different sexual orientations and identities. Among poorly informed people, there is a fear that LGBT education could cause their children to become queer. At school, sexuality is only treated on the fringes of biology lessons. Real education is provided by NGOs, where I have also worked.

And how did parents react to your sex education?

Sometimes I had problems with parents. Once, a woman called me about 100 times and complained about my sex education. She said it was unbelievable that she was bringing up her daughter to believe that sex is only for marriage. I then explained to her that sexual health is a very important topic, especially for protecting yourself. It was an important conversation for this mother. She told me at the end that she comes from a very religious family, but that she understood my work.
 

What does war mean for people with HIV?

People with HIV take their medication in larger quantities to the front and when they have leave from the front, they can take more medication with them. As far as I know, the medication supply works. In addition, everyone has to take an HIV test before going to the front. This is also a way to educate people about HIV, especially young people. We have many people taking this test.
 

How was the issue of HIV dealt with in the Soviet Union?

The government would rather sweep the issue under the table than take care of the sick. HIV was kept secret, not least because of its association with homosexuality. The forced psychiatric treatment of homosexuals was very much feared and an HIV infection could always be seen as an indication of homosexuality.
 

To what extent do these prejudices still cause people to be hesitant about psychotherapy today?

Because of the forced treatment, there is still a great deal of skepticism about psychotherapy. Getting help from institutions is still a hurdle for many people in general – this mistrust is a legacy of the Soviet Union. But despite this, many people are interested in psychotherapy, want to find out about it through social media and see what they can do to get better.