UN Labor Meeting Urges End to Mandatory HIV Tests

On Thursday, the International Labor Organization urged countries to end mandatory HIV screening for prospective employees, among other non-binding measures overwhelmingly approved at the annual ministerial meeting in Geneva. The ILO recommends HIV prevention in the workplace and access to voluntary screening for employees.

HIV testing is mandatory for job seekers in many countries, including for military and health care positions, said Sophia Kisting, head of ILO's HIV/AIDS program. "That is spread fairly globally," she said of the practice. "Sometimes the workers don't even know they're being tested" for HIV during pre-employment exams, said Anna Torriente, an ILO legal consultant.

Often, testing is compulsory for employees in the transport, airline, and maritime industries, said Kisting. "In the maritime sector it is very much the practice to not let workers who are HIV-positive onto the boats," she said. "The explanation is that it is very hard work, it's long absences from home. If somebody gets sick it will be difficult to give them full treatment they may need. It comes from the past of HIV."

Nonetheless, "Mandatory testing drives HIV underground because it's stigmatizing," Kisting said. Voluntary and confidential HIV screening would boost uptake, she said.

Unionists would have preferred that the recommendations were adopted at an ILO convention, which then would be binding on member states, said Jan Sithole, a labor advocate. However, there was little support from government and employer representatives, he said.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org/.


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