High level policy dialogue on stigma and discrimination and punitive laws towards people living with HIV in the Russian Federation

The project was implemented by the International Labour Organisation jointly with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization within the framework for cooperation with the UN Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

Project goal: Address stigma, discrimination and legal obstacles to effective HIV response through involvement of PLHIV and human rights NGOs, legislative and executive government institutions in fostering an enabling legal environment for the HIV response in the Russian Federation.

The project was initiated in conjunction with results of the PLHIV Stigma Index Survey in Russia implemented by the Analytic Center of Yuri Levada. The survey took place in 2010 upon request of the NGO “Community of people living with HIV” and with support of the UN joint group on HIV/AIDS in Russia including the ILO.

At the time of the research 16 percent of the 660 respondents living with HIV were not working and were not job searching while the rest of the survey participants were full-time or part-time employed as salaried employees, self-employed, had irregular earnings, or were seeking for a job. More than one third (35 percent) of the respondents experienced at least one type of discrimination and stigmatization due to their HIV-status within 12 months prior to the survey. Meanwhile 1/5 of the respondents stressed that discrimination was caused by the official institutions and/or organizations. More than one third of the survey participants (41 percent) faced the situation, when their HIV status was revealed to their social environment without their consent.

Project implementation:

Stage 1: Conduct of a legislation and law-enforcement practice research on observation and protection of the right to labour, health (reproductive health and health of the injecting drug users) and education for people living with HIV in Russia.

Stage 2: Organization of a round-table discussion “Observation of right to labour, health, and education for people living with HIV in Russia” at the National Parliament with participation of representatives of the legislative and executive power, employers, trade unions, NGOs and representatives of the people living with HIV community.

Project results:

• On 17 October 2011 a round table discussion on “Observation of right to labour, health, and education for people living with HIV in Russia” took place at the National Parliament. This event was jointly organized by the Committee on Labour and Social Policy of the National Parliament and the ILO Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The participants developed general Recommendations for the Government of the RF, Ministry of Health and Social Development of the RF, Ministry of Education and Science of the RF and Federal Service for Control in Education and Science, Profiled Committee of the National Parliament and the ILO Moscow Office, and parties of the Russian Tripartite Commission on Regulation of the Social and Labour Relations.
• A number of information and analytical materials were developed within the project including working paper on legislation and law-enforcement practice review “Observation and protection of the right to labour for people living with HIV in Russia”. Results of the overview on observation of right to education for the people living with HIV in Russia were included into the joint UNESCO and ILO policy paper “Recommendations on HIV policy in education sector: education, protection, and support of learners and educators affected by and living with HIV”.
• Working paper on legislation and law-enforcement practice review “Observation and protection of the right to labour for people living with HIV in Russia” was distributed among participants of the All-Russian conference for managers and specialists of the territorial and regional Centers for the prevention of and fight with AIDS, experts on HIV epidemiology and prevention “Improving surveillance of the efficiency of antiepidemic procedures implemented as part of counteraction for HIV spread” (December 6-7 2011, Suzdal).