Healing in pandemic times

Indigenous peoples, stigma, and COVID-19

Indigenous Health, Northern Health and the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) present this short animated video addressing the ongoing issue of stigmatization experienced by Indigenous peoples in the health care system.

Healing in pandemic times: Indigenous peoples, stigma, and COVID-19 is intended for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences. The animated video reviews key terms such as stigmatization, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination in an easily understandable way.

Related Resources

There is No Vaccine for Stigma

There is No Vaccine for Stigma: A Rapid Evidence Review of stigma mitigation strategies during past outbreaks among Indigenous populations living in rural, remote and northern regions of Canada and what can be learned for COVID-19

A new resource from the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) and Northern Health on evidence-based recommendations to counteract COVID-19 related stigma is now available. 

Download the full report from the NCCIH website today

Terms and definitions

Stigma

Stigmas arise from broad unfounded negative generalizations about groups of people. Stigmatizations devalue or lessen another person.  Stigma often results from fear about things we don’t understand. Stigma can start from a stereotype. 

Stereotype

Stereotyping happens when someone groups people with a certain characteristic together and makes assumptions without knowing them. A stereotype is a generalization that doesn’t take people’s individual differences into account.

Prejudice

Prejudice is an unfavourable belief or feeling someone holds about others. A prejudice involves ‘pre-judging’ – it’s not based on experience or facts.

Discrimination

Discrimination happens when people express and act on their prejudice, stigmatizing and discriminating against people they consider different. Stigmatization and discrimination often target race, gender or a condition such as COVID-19. 

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