UN labour agency project helping workers in India suffering from HIV/AIDS

The United Nations labour agency has launched a new project to help people in India living with HIV/AIDS and their families, who often suffer drastic cuts in income and, as household expenses go up, are forced to compromise on education and face mounting debts.

Some of the household incomes of HIV/AIDS sufferers are depleted by one third, according to a study of the project compiled by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Coupled with a substantial increase in the average monthly expenditure on such things as food and treatment, nearly 38 per cent of respondents reported being forced to withdraw children from school and sending them to work.

The study adds that because many HIV-positive persons depend on the income from a regular job, the prevailing stigma and discrimination at the workplace means many do not disclose their status to employers for fear of losing work.

Herman van der Laan, Director of the ILO Subregional Office for South Asia, said the workplace could serve to help these people secure employment, treatment and social security. “While access to affordable treatment is indeed a key issue, perhaps an equally important, if not greater need is to provide access to regular income,” he said.

The ILO project supports the Ministry of Labour, employers’ and workers’ organizations and businesses to strengthen the workforce response to HIV/AIDS. Initiatives include developing a training manual for trade unions, conducting training programmes for unionists and government officials, and integrating HIV/AIDS within the workers’ education programme.