Minister of Commerce and Trade Senator Haynesley Benn has identified HIV/AIDS as one of the major threats to Barbados achieving its vision of becoming a fully developed society by the year 2025.
In his feature address at the opening ceremony of his ministry’s HIV/AIDS outreach programme in Heroes Square yesterday, Benn said that while HIV/AIDS remained the most infectious disease in Barbados, it placed the country’s most potentially productive population at risk and had the potential to derail Government’s efforts to achieve sustained economic growth, since the highest rate of infections occurred in the 15-49 age group.
Vulnerable group
“This most vulnerable group, unfortunately, contains our very young and bright teenagers, young adults and those at the peak of their careers.
“It has been argued that lecturing alone on the topic of behavioural change will not bring the results anticipated, but these young persons must be introduced to attractive activities – perhaps dancing, aerobics or other fulfilling alternatives,” he suggested.
Benn emphasized that because of the age range of those living with the virus, the time would come when “if the virus is not checked [those] persons living with the disease will become familiar in the workplace”.
He foretold that human resource officers would have to be adequately trained in order to be just, both to those who would have to “double up” and bear heavier workloads and to those who might need some leniency.
“At worst, it may be that persons with particular skills might be lost from the labour force.
“This would be a setback as Government and firms grapple with retraining employees. Also, with the feminization of the epidemic, those who are our major caregivers will now themselves need care, leaving their families uncared for.”
