Fighting HIV at workplace in India
ILO launched a three-day workshop in the Indian capital earlier this week to share the experiences from its project on tackling HIV/AIDS at workplace. It has recommended integration of prevention programmes with other welfare strategies to make them sustainable and cost-effective.
New Delhi: According to UNAIDS, around 2.31 million people are estimated to be infected by HIV/AIDS in India. Moreover, it is most prevalent among economically active population.
- Minister of Labour and Employment M. Mallikarjun Kharge and Director General NACO Sujatha Rao/ Photo credit: Manasi Singh/ OWSA
Within affected households, the illness of a family member means loss of income, and ever increasing medical expenses. Women in particular have to bear the additional burden of care and work.
The stigma and discrimination attached to HIV/AIDS is at times harder to cope with than the disease itself.
That is why workplaces provide an ideal entry point for prevention and care programmes.
To share the lessons learnt in implementation of its programme, ‘Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the world of work: a tripartite response’, International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched a three-day workshop on September 9 in New Delhi.
Affecting labour productivity
Inaugurating the event Minister of Labour and Employment M. Mallikarjun Kharge said: “HIV/AIDS has become a major threat to the world of work and has shown maximum impact on the most productive segment of the labour force.”
Although India reported its first case more than 20 years ago, it has yet to enact a law to prevent discrimination against patients.
Law against discrimination in public employment as it stands today only applies to the agencies of government, and not private firms. However, it is in these private sector units that much of the discrimination of HIV-positive people occurs.
- S. Mohammed Afsar/ Photo credit: OWSA
Started in India in 2001, with support from the US Department of Labour, the ILO programme aims “at putting in place a sustainable national programme on HIV/AIDS in the world of work in India.”
The objective is to contribute to the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the world of work, enhancement of workplace protection and the reduction of adverse consequences of the disease on social, labour and economic development.
“HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue as it affects people in the prime of their working life – it can adversely affect workers and their families, enterprise performance and national economies,” said S. Mohammed Afsar, technical specialist (HIV/AIDS), South Asian region, ILO.
A multi-dimensional response
Summarising the key achievements of the project, he said that the ILO decided to collaborate with NACO, people living with HIV (PLHIV), public and private sector enterprises and workers’ and employers’ organisations to develop advocacy, communication and training materials.
As part of the programme, research was undertaken on socio-economic impact of HIV on infected people and their families. In addition, advocacy posters were developed in regional languages that were used by networks of PLHIV to disseminate information and raise awareness.
Sujatha Rao, Director General, NACO noted that intervention programmes on AIDS at workplace had assumed significance today, as increasing number of migrants workers were getting affected by this disease. Besides, availing quality treatment was beyond their reach due to financial constraints.
Taking these programmes to workers in the informal economy is another challenge. Generally, these workers have low access to healthcare facilities and very few social protection benefits.
Rao added that the vulnerability increased manifold in case of migrant workers, as they were away from home for long durations.
Having built the capacity of the trade union partners, Afsar said that the ILO programme had supported unions like Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Council of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Indian National Trade Unions Congress (INTUC) for taking up HIV/AIDS projects among informal economy workers in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh respectively.
The minister said that the integration of HIV/AIDS in existing programmes of different ministries could be a good way to reach the disaggregated population.
“The response to HIV/AIDS has to be multi-dimensional with active participation of various stakeholders,” he added.
He pointed out that the labour ministry had developed a national policy on HIV/AIDS at workplace after intense consultations with ILO, NACO and social partners.
“It has been approved by the government recently and will be soon launched,” he assured.
