Eliminating discrimination through non-discriminatory workplace policies

JAKARTA (ILO News) – To commemorate this year’s World AIDS Day, the ILO is organizing an interactive discussion in Jakarta regarding the importance of knowing your status and non-discriminatory policies at the workplace. The event will include a radio talkshow on key principles of testing and actions that both companies and workers have taken to ensure the implementation of non-discriminatory policies at workplace.

ILO recognizes that HIV and AIDS is a public health emergency and believes that the workplace is key to preventing the spread of the epidemic as well as providing information and assistance on treatment and support. The HIV and AIDS policies and programmes in the workplace can also, among other things, help ensure stable production by preventing high turnover of staff and decreasing absenteeism as well as beneficial for corporate reputation."

Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia

The key speakers for this interactive discussion include representatives from private sector, people living with HIV, Provincial AIDS Commission of DKI Jakarta and a public figure (a musician). Participants from a wide range of backgrounds will be able to raise questions and discuss the issue related to knowing your HIV status and non-discriminatory policies at the workplace.

The event is also part of the Knowing Your Status Campaign. Most people with HIV do not know they have HIV due to lack of symptoms. “We need to understand that the test is not an end but a beginning. It gives us the knowledge that we need to live positively and responsibly, with or without HIV,” said Early Dewi Nuriana, the ILO’s officer on HIV and AIDS.

Through this event, it is hoped that people will have a better understanding about benefits of knowing their status. The event also provides venue for participants to further learn about non-discriminatory policies at the workplace. The ILO’s HIV and AIDS Recommendation No. 200 states that persons with HIV related illness should not be denied the possibility to carry out their work and there should be no discrimination against workers with HIV or perceived with HIV.

The ILO latest report, “The Impact of HIV and AIDS on the World of Work: Global Estimates”, reveals that in addition to human suffering, HIV and AIDS cause billions of dollars in lost earnings, largely as a result of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of workers that could be prevented with treatment. The loss earnings attributable to AIDS show a substantial decline from 2005, when they totalled almost $17 billion, but are still projected to amount $7.2 billion in 2020.

For further information please contact:

Early Dewi Nuriana
ILO’s Officer on HIV and AIDS
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 112
Email: [email protected]

Gita Lingga
ILO’s Communication Officer
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Email: [email protected]