HIV-related employment discrimination highlighted
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Mandatory HIV testing of workers in China should be revoked and the right of people living with HIV (PLWHIV) to employment should be protected, a report released in Beijing Tuesday advocated.
The report, HIV and AIDS Related Employment Discrimination in China, was released at an event held by the International Labor Organization (ILO), UNAIDS and Marie Stopes International.
The report documents discrimination against PLWHIV in workplaces across China, including the mandatory testing of workers, the denial of job offers, forced resignations, mandatory job changes and demotions.
The ILO and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) jointly conducted the research.
The report notes there are several challenges in China.
For example, people with HIV are prohibited from working in the civil service and in hotels, cafes, bars, beauty salons and hairdressing salons.
Xiao Jun (a pseudonym), who was recently refused a teaching job because of his HIV status, said, "The report highlights the kind of discrimination we face on a daily basis. Nobody can live without work, and there is no valid reason for denying us our right to work."
The report recognized that progress has been made in reducing employment discrimination in China.
For example, the 2006 Regulation on the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS and the 2007 Employment Promotion Law guarantee HIV-carriers' right to work.
UNAIDS released a report in 2009, The China Stigma Index, which found more than 40 percent of HIV-positive people had faced HIV-related discrimination, with nearly one in six having been refused employment.
The release of the report is scheduled to coincide with World AIDS Day, which this year focuses on protecting the rights of PLWHIV.
