Coming full circle with HIV/AIDS … Region urged to repeal buggery law

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by Andy Liburd
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CMC) – Two and a half decades after it was branded “the gay plague” AIDS is again taking a toll on certain vulnerable groups within the Caribbean Community (Caricom), one of them being men who have sex with men.

Globally, homosexual and bi-sexual males are 19 times as likely to contract HIV than the rest of the population and data released at the 8th Annual General Meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) in October show that in this part of the world, the HIV prevalence among that group is very high.

While data was not available for every member country, the available statistics showed the Bahamas with a prevalence rate of

8.2 per cent in 2007;

Cuba – 5.2 per cent in 1988 and 0.86 per cent in 2007;

Guyana – 21 per cent in 2006 and Jamaica – from 9.6 per cent in 1988 to 31.8 per cent in 2007.

Pressure on House to reject HIV pretesting

PARLIAMENTARIANS REVIEWING the Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS are being encouraged not to allow organisations to pretest potential employees for HIV.

“We believe that pre-employment screening is unnecessary and could lead to discrimination,” a coalition of HIV support groups has said.

The umbrella body comprises the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life and the Latin America and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service.

The Government is pushing for the introduction of the Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS by year end. A joint select committee of Parliament has been set up to examine the Green Paper and make a report to the House of Representatives.

Right of the employer

Last week, Minister of Water and Housing Horace Chang and Opposition Senator Sandrea Falconer said it was the right of the employer to pretest recruits for HIV/AIDS.

“If an employer wishes to pretest a potential employee for medical problems – AIDS, hypertension, diabetes – it’s their right to do so, they are employing them,” Chang said.

Falconer echoed Chang’s sentiments but noted that Parliament, in determining law, must ensure there is no discrimination against employees.

Labour code breaches

But the HIV support groups say allowing employers to pretest for HIV/AIDS is a contravention of the International Labour Organisation Code of Practice on HIV and the World of Work/ UNAIDS guidelines.

“We wish to point out that studies done by the Global Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS have revealed that pre-employment testing usually fails to achieve the desired results of significantly reducing HIV prevalence in a workforce and doesn’t lead to any reduction in risk-taking behaviours to reduce HIV infection rates once employed,” the HIV support groups said.

The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition is also against pretesting.

“This move is a clear violation of the human rights of indivi-duals,” the coalition said.

“Testing … does not in any way inform the personal sexual practices by persons living with HIV, neither does it reduce exposure of co-workers to sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV.”