MOST BARBADIANS SHOULD be aware of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, what causes it and the efforts to prevent its spread, as well as national efforts to educate about the disease and fight stigma and discrimination.
Governments have placed emphasis on raising national awareness on the issue while labour and industry have also played their part.
However, despite these sustained efforts, the issue of HIV and AIDS remains a concern and a challenge for the country, which means it is still a big issue whether at the level of the community or workplace.
At a recent one-day consultation organized by the Ministry of Finance on Stigma And Discrimination In The Workplace, senior officer Annette Weekes said, “The HIV/AIDS Core Group was formed with a view to disseminating information on the management, prevention and control of HIV and AIDS.
“The aim of the core group is to provide a basic understanding of HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and other chronic illnesses while at the same time promoting a supportive and humane environment for people living with and affected [by] HIV and AIDS.
Reduce discrimination
She noted, however, that “it is envisaged that such training would help to reduce the incidence of stigma and discrimination against [people] living with HIV and AIDS and hopefully, a reduction of the incidence among workers”.
Hughson Inniss, long-standing HIV/AIDS programme coordinator in the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, noted, “It is not AIDS that kills; it is the stigma that kills the spirit. When a person contracts an STI, this creates other problems such as pneumonia that will lead to death in the end . . . not AIDS . . . .”
Unfortunately AIDS stigma and discrimination exist here as it does worldwide and the discrimination exhibited makes it more difficult for people trying to come to terms with HIV and manage their illness on a personal level; it also interferes with attempts to fight the AIDS epidemic as a whole.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said of this problem: “Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease or to seek treatment, if so.
“It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it or taking easily available precautions.
“Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world.”
If the issue of HIV/AIDS as a disease and moreso the stigma are to be overcome, then some of our businesses will need to see this health issue as part of their wider corporate social responsibility efforts, either individually or signing on to and working with The AIDS Foundation of Barbados to ensure full collaboration through joint actions whether by partnering with NGOs, Government and labour.
The advocacy function of the AIDS Foundation and labour is critical as this country ensures there is no breach of fundamental human rights of HIV sufferers who pose virtually no risk to those with whom they interact in the workplace.
Workplace policy
The level of misunderstanding about HIV/AIDS remains high and contributes to the discriminatory treatment of people who are HIV positive or who are perceived to be so. Employers will need an HIV/AIDS workplace policy to ensure employees are accurately informed about HIV/AIDS as it affects them in the workplace. This will avoid unnecessary fears about the disease which could lead to discriminatory acts.
The ILO has issued some guidelines which all employers and indeed senior level employees ought to read and follow.
It states in part that HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue, and should be treated like any other serious illness/condition in the workplace. This is necessary not only because it affects the workforce, but also because the workplace, being part of the local community, has a role to play in the wider struggle to limit the spread and effects of the epidemic.
“There is no justification for asking job applicants or workers to disclose HIV-related personal information. Nor should co-workers be obliged to reveal such personal information about fellow workers.
“HIV infection is not a cause for termination of employment. Employers should consult with workers and their representatives to develop and implement an appropriate policy for their workplace, designed to prevent the spread of the infection and protect all workers from discrimination related to HIV/AIDS,” the ILO guidelines state – worthwhile reading along with the AIDS Foundation documents for all employers and indeed employees.
