Trinh Thi Le Tram, director of the Hanoi-based Centre for the Law,Healthcare and HIV/AIDS policies, says she still remembers the case of akindergarten teacher who was sacked from her teaching post after shewas infected with HIV from her husband.
According toTram, the school transferred her to an assistant's position, and she wasonly allowed to do minor administration work despite having worked as ateacher at the school for 10 years. The teacher called the hotline atthe centre.
"We explained to the school's managing boardthat they had breached the Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention," Tram said. "Thewoman was later reinstated to her teaching post."
Withincreased support from the Government, social agencies andnon-government organisations in recent years, many people living withHIV have been able to find employment. But many with the disease arestill calling for concrete policies and more support to help them findwork and end discrimination.
Tram said under the Law onHIV/AIDS Prevention issued in 2006, the Government encourages businessesto hire HIV infected people. However, many companies still foundloopholes to discriminate against people with HIV/AIDS.
Since 2007, the centre has reportedly given support and advice to morethan 2,000 people living with HIV who need help such as legalcounselling on employment-related matters.
"For peopleliving with HIV, jobs are extremely important, which allow them toforget about the disease, reduce economic pressure and integrate withthe rest of the community," Tram said.
Self-help groupsacross the country have also been providing support to people livingwith HIV by allowing them to become part of a network of people thathelp each other out in finding work. Pham Thi Hien, head of the Vi NgayMai Tuoi Sang (For a Brighter Tomorrow) group in Bac Ninh province, saidmany HIV-positive people could not work in labour intensiveenvironments at industrial zones and businesses.
"That'swhy many of them need more financial support so they can starthome-based businesses such as raising cattle or sewing clothes," shesaid.
Members of the group managed to donate enough moneyfor a member to buy a sewing machine and assisted her in finding amarket for her products. But getting donations from businesses wasproving difficult, said Hien.
Dam Thi Thanh Hoa, anemployment specialist with USAID's HIV Workplace Project, said it wasimportant that people living with HIV did not have to worry about theirhealth conditions while seeking employment. They needed to be confidentabout their abilities, said Hoa.
"It's important thatpeople living with HIV see themselves as the same as any otherjob-seekers, so they can find jobs that are suitable to their desiresand abilities," Hoa said.
The 3-million-USD USAID HIVWorkplace Project, carried out during the 2008-13 period, has beenimplemented by Chemonics International within the framework of the USPresident's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief programme.
So far, the project has supported nearly 500 people living with HIV,high-risk individuals to secure stable jobs or set up their ownbusinesses through micro-finance services. In addition, the project alsosupported beneficiaries in finding markets for their products.
The project also supported 118 enterprises in seven localities — Hanoi,HCM City, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, An Giang, Can Tho and Hai Phong— toformulate HIV workplace policies such as allowing employees who have HIVto take time off to get medicine on a monthly basis or promoting afriendly environment at the workplace for them.
Nguyen ThiHoa Binh, director of the Centre for Assisting Women in PreventingHIV/AIDS under the Vietnam Women's Association, said that by 2015,international funds for HIV prevention work would be limited, thusrequiring further efforts within communities and local governments.
"Without further effort to provide micro-finance loans and assist themin finding jobs, unemployment will make HIV patients more vulnerable tounsafe practices, and increase the possibility of spreading the virus tothe community," Binh said.
Binh said there was a need toimplement awareness campaigns to eliminate discrimination towardsHIV/AIDS patients and push for more concrete policies to create jobs andprovide vocational training for HIV infected patients.
DoThi Ninh Xuan, deputy head of the Department for Prevention of SocialEvils under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, saidthe Government should provide more favourable policies for smallbusinesses to hire HIV patients, such as lowering taxes or eliminatingland taxes for businesses that use land to provide vocational trainingfor them.
Xuan said HIV patients must also receive legal protection from the local authorities and other social organisations./.
According toTram, the school transferred her to an assistant's position, and she wasonly allowed to do minor administration work despite having worked as ateacher at the school for 10 years. The teacher called the hotline atthe centre.
"We explained to the school's managing boardthat they had breached the Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention," Tram said. "Thewoman was later reinstated to her teaching post."
Withincreased support from the Government, social agencies andnon-government organisations in recent years, many people living withHIV have been able to find employment. But many with the disease arestill calling for concrete policies and more support to help them findwork and end discrimination.
Tram said under the Law onHIV/AIDS Prevention issued in 2006, the Government encourages businessesto hire HIV infected people. However, many companies still foundloopholes to discriminate against people with HIV/AIDS.
Since 2007, the centre has reportedly given support and advice to morethan 2,000 people living with HIV who need help such as legalcounselling on employment-related matters.
"For peopleliving with HIV, jobs are extremely important, which allow them toforget about the disease, reduce economic pressure and integrate withthe rest of the community," Tram said.
Self-help groupsacross the country have also been providing support to people livingwith HIV by allowing them to become part of a network of people thathelp each other out in finding work. Pham Thi Hien, head of the Vi NgayMai Tuoi Sang (For a Brighter Tomorrow) group in Bac Ninh province, saidmany HIV-positive people could not work in labour intensiveenvironments at industrial zones and businesses.
"That'swhy many of them need more financial support so they can starthome-based businesses such as raising cattle or sewing clothes," shesaid.
Members of the group managed to donate enough moneyfor a member to buy a sewing machine and assisted her in finding amarket for her products. But getting donations from businesses wasproving difficult, said Hien.
Dam Thi Thanh Hoa, anemployment specialist with USAID's HIV Workplace Project, said it wasimportant that people living with HIV did not have to worry about theirhealth conditions while seeking employment. They needed to be confidentabout their abilities, said Hoa.
"It's important thatpeople living with HIV see themselves as the same as any otherjob-seekers, so they can find jobs that are suitable to their desiresand abilities," Hoa said.
The 3-million-USD USAID HIVWorkplace Project, carried out during the 2008-13 period, has beenimplemented by Chemonics International within the framework of the USPresident's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief programme.
So far, the project has supported nearly 500 people living with HIV,high-risk individuals to secure stable jobs or set up their ownbusinesses through micro-finance services. In addition, the project alsosupported beneficiaries in finding markets for their products.
The project also supported 118 enterprises in seven localities — Hanoi,HCM City, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, An Giang, Can Tho and Hai Phong— toformulate HIV workplace policies such as allowing employees who have HIVto take time off to get medicine on a monthly basis or promoting afriendly environment at the workplace for them.
Nguyen ThiHoa Binh, director of the Centre for Assisting Women in PreventingHIV/AIDS under the Vietnam Women's Association, said that by 2015,international funds for HIV prevention work would be limited, thusrequiring further efforts within communities and local governments.
"Without further effort to provide micro-finance loans and assist themin finding jobs, unemployment will make HIV patients more vulnerable tounsafe practices, and increase the possibility of spreading the virus tothe community," Binh said.
Binh said there was a need toimplement awareness campaigns to eliminate discrimination towardsHIV/AIDS patients and push for more concrete policies to create jobs andprovide vocational training for HIV infected patients.
DoThi Ninh Xuan, deputy head of the Department for Prevention of SocialEvils under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, saidthe Government should provide more favourable policies for smallbusinesses to hire HIV patients, such as lowering taxes or eliminatingland taxes for businesses that use land to provide vocational trainingfor them.
Xuan said HIV patients must also receive legal protection from the local authorities and other social organisations./.
