The National Conference "HIV/AIDS and the working place"
June 14th 2008
On Friday, June 13th, Bucharest hosted the National Conference "HIV/AIDS at the workplace".
This event allowed in the same time the launch of the project "From Vulnerability to Empowerment-Advocacy for reducing the stigma and discrimination of the people living with HIV/AIDS".The event, organized by The National Union of Organizations of People Infected / Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNOPA) enjoyed a high participate rate.
The papers had as audience the representatives of the territorial organizations, UNOPA members, partner or active NGOs in the HIV/AIDS, and also the representatives of economic and governmental institutions: Ministry of Labour, Family and Equal Opportunities, National Authority for People with Disabilities, National Agency for Labour Force Employment, National Council to Fight Discrimination, Occupational Health Commission, NGOs and partner associations.
Benefiting of the financing from Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation (RAA), the project "From Vulnerability to Empowerment" has as a main objective prevention and reducing the stigma and discrimination at workplace of the people living with HIV/AIDS, starting from the premises that an increase of the awareness level among the general population, including the people belonging to vulnerable groups and the ones already affected, will lead in time to the non stigma of the people living with HIV/AIDS.
The project - being carried out for 24 months - brings back into the public's attention the issue of approaching and defending the seropositive people's rights.
It is also desired that developing some education programs regarding HIV/AIDS at workplace would cause a change of mentality among employers and would determine diminishing the reticence they have on employing seropositive people.
Following the presentations and debates within the two workshops, some conclusions had been drawn up:
- It is necessary a better information of the potential employers, including the procedures of limiting the discrimination at work place for seropositive people;
- Applying some legal provisions could cause under certain conditions prejudices to people living with HIV, especially when they are approached issues regarding confidentiality or the compulsoriness of having the HIV test when being employed;
- The need of active involvement by the nongovernmental organizations active in HIV/AIDS in accustoming and amending the legal frame for people with disabilities.
It is praiseworthy the UNOPA's initiative to organize this kind of meetings with the representatives of the HIV/AIDS people with the potential employers and also with representatives of the legal or social protection governmental institutions, as the direct discussions, face to face, allow a more realistic and constructive approach of the identified problems.
Organizing this conference was also appreciated by other nongovernmental organizations from the field, who expressed their support in successful ending of this kind of initiatives.
More information on this event and UNOPA's activity can be obtained accessing www.unopa.ro!
