全球网站 | 
English 简体中文
Ahead of World AIDS Day 2012, UNAIDS Launches “Work Together For Zero Employment Discrimination” Weibo Campaign
Source: | Author:hkb980dd | Published time: 2012-11-29 | 204 Views | Share:
UNAIDS today launched a new Weibo campaign, ahead of World AIDS Day, calling for zero discrimination against people living with HIV in employment settings. The “Work Together for Zero Employment Discrimination” campaign will run through the World AIDS Day period, ending in mid-December. To get involved in the campaign, UNAIDS is calling on Weibo users to post messages opposing employment discrimination, and calling for equal employment opportunities for people living with HIV.
 
People living with HIV (PLHIV) face serious discrimination in various settings. Discrimination constitutes a major obstacle for efforts to expand prevention, treatment and care services, and ultimately leads to greater numbers of people getting infected with HIV. In China, PLHIV experience discrimination in many contexts.
 
PLHIV often face challenges accessing medical treatment; they are excluded from educational or training opportunities; and they are often denied employment opportunities. A 2011 survey of business owners carried out by the International Labour Organisation in China, found that 65% of business owners believed PLHIV should not enjoy equal employment rights. Almost half of 1000 survey respondents believed that PLHIV should be deprived of equal employment opportunities. These statistics demonstrate that employment discrimination among the general public is prevalent in China. More worrying is the fact that people living with HIV are also discriminated against in some laws and policies: for example, PLHIV are expressly prohibited from serving as civil servants under China’s General Health Inspection Standards for Civil Service Recruitment.
 
In recent years, a number of people have been denied employment based on these Standards, despite the fact that discrimination is prohibited by China’s Regulations for AIDS Prevention and Control. In recent weeks, Xiao Dong, a man living with HIV from Jiangxi Province, was denied employment as a teacher due to his HIV positive status. Xiao Dong has applied to have his case heard by local courts. Since 2010, three other people living with HIV have been rejected from employment as teachers. Those who have sought redress from the courts have had their cases rejected or refused. These cases likely represent the tip of the iceberg, and do not include the many people who were not willing to go public in order to seek justice, or those who simply chose not to apply for these positions in the first place.
 
Discrimination in employment settings creates a culture of silence around HIV and makes scaling up coverage of prevention and treatment services highly challenging. Addressing employment discrimination must be a priority for China’s HIV response. Employment discrimination which is enshrined in laws and policies, such as China’s civil service entry restrictions, are particularly harmful, and should be revised as a matter of priority.
 
Through the 2012 World AIDS Day “Work Together for Zero Employment Discrimination” campaign, UNAIDS is seeking to draw attention to this issue, and to mobilize Weibo users to call for an end to employment discrimination. Getting involved in the “Work Together for Zero Employment Discrimination” campaign is simple. All you have to do is post a message opposing employment discrimination against people living with HIV on your Weibo account, using the hashtag #零就业歧视# and mentioning @unaidschina Visit the UNAIDS Weibo page for more information.
 
Try to think about why discrimination against people living with HIV in employment settings is harmful. If you have a relevant personal experience why not share it? Try to think about what can do to fight employment discrimination. Try to get your friends and family members involved in the campaign by spreading the word. If you have pictures which you think can help to strengthen your message, why not add them to your Weibo message!