China is going to focus its AIDS prevention work on the country's 200
million migrant workers who are more vulnerable than other groups
to the deadly disease, said Hu Xiaoyi, Vice Minister of Labor and
Social Security, on Friday.
China will launch a three-year education campaign to acquaint
migrant workers and their families with knowledge about AIDS
prevention and reduce discrimination against HIV carriers in the
workplace.
The main aims of the program are to raise public awareness of
AIDS prevention, protect the employment rights of people with HIV
and reduce stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
China's Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MOLSS) is
responsible for carrying out the program which is funded by the
United States Department of Labor.
Hu Xiaoyi, vice minister of MOLSS, said a great number of
Chinese migrant rural workers are vulnerable because they are less
aware of HIV/AIDS.
"The education program will target enterprises with large
numbers of migrant rural workers and provide relevant training
courses," Hu said.
The?new AIDS prevention program being co-sponsored by the
Chinese and American governments.
The education program will be mainly conducted in work places
that employ large numbers of migrant workers, said Zheng Dongliang,
the program's director?in Beijing?on Friday.
Migrant workers are mainly young men who are away from their
spouses for most of the year, leading some to seek the services of
prostitutes, which in turn makes them vulnerable to HIV
infection.
Statistics from Beijing's Health Bureau show that migrant
workers accounted for about eighty percent of Beijing's new HIV
carriers last year.
At the program's launch, Zheng said employers and migrant
workers will be taught how AIDS is transmitted and how it can be
prevented. Free brochures will be given out to workers.
"We also want to protect the rights of HIV carriers to work and
reduce the stigma they face in the workplace," he said.
The stigma is so great in China that many migrant workers
hesitate to take free HIV tests that are available at their work
place, fearing they may be fired if they test positive.
US Embassy counselor Deborah Selogohn said the education program
will also help raise the awareness of the migrant worker's spouses
to prevent them from being infected.
Selogohn said that the HIV/AIDS workplace education project has
been implemented in 23 countries and she was glad to see its launch
in China.
She said through the program, the US government will help build
capacity and share effective approaches in preventing and treating
HIV/AIDS and caring for HIV/AIDS sufferers.
China has 200 million migrant workers, of which more than 120
million work in cities. The remainder work in towns.
This week's Caijing Magazine's online edition reported
that the US Department of Labor is providing US$3.5 million in
funding for the program, implemented by China's Ministry of Labor
and Social Security (MLSS).
According to Zheng, the Chinese ministry has conducted pilot
projects of the program in Guangdong, Yunnan and Anhui provinces in
China last year.
China is at a key stage in its fight against AIDS/HIV. A report
from the International Labor Organization estimates that China
could lose five million laborers by 2015 if it doesn't take
effective measures to address the grave problem.
China reported 183,733 HIV and AIDS cases in 2006, up 30 percent
from 2005. The increase was partly due to an improvement in case
reporting.
Experts from the Ministry of Health estimate there are actually
650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in China. Chinese Vice Premier
Wu Yi has vowed to limit the number of AIDS
cases to 1.5 million by 2010.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2007)
