HIV/AIDS has gone under the radar in recent years. The general public has been more concerned about seasonal epidemics like Avian Influenza and Influenza A (H1N1) instead of the disease that destroys millions of families each year. Many individuals infected with HIV have stated that the difficult part is not the fact that they will probably die from the disease; it is the fact that they have to live with it. They are constantly reminded of their terminal illness every time colleagues, in their ignorance, are afraid to work with them because of their HIV status.
Though the government has instituted several initiatives in the public sector to eliminate discrimination in the workplace, the private sector had been behind in these policies. Therefore, the Labour Department developed a 3-part program to draw the private sector to the table. Ms. Hertha Gentle, Senior Labour Officer, is the Program Coordinator. She said, “The first step was to recruit companies that were interested in developing HIV awareness in their work place. Then those companies appointed individuals to take part in focal point training.” Focal point training is a technique used to execute a large education program. It is whereby individuals are informed and trained by experts and in turn these individuals teach and train a group of their peers. In this case, the focal point was based on the basic principles of HIV/AIDS, policy development and implementation of workplace policies.
The final part of the program was a two-day Peer Education training session held on May 5 and 6. The session was hosted by the Labour Department in collaboration with the National AIDS Commission. There were 14 private companies represented at the session and nine revealed the workplace policy that they have developed. These companies are Belize Ship Handlers, Sagicor, Belize Natural Energy Limited, Grace Kennedy Belize Limited, Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina, Angelus Press Limited, Fruta Bomba Limited and Belize Fruit Packers Limited, Belize Red Cross and Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Ishmael Gonzalez, Personnel Coordinator of Fruita Bomba Limited, said, “We have approximately 800 people in our workforce, and it was imperative that we develop an HIV/AIDS policy to eliminate any stigma and discrimination that may develop.”
Andrea Nisbet, Administrative Assistant at Angelus Press, said that their policy “will not tolerate any discrimination against employees or job applicants based on their HIV status” and that their policy includes a clause that is sensitive to an infected individual’s need of extra sick days for doctor visits. Nisbet said that the program has been an eye opener for her and she believes that with the right information on the HIV/AIDS situation Belize could clarify many of the misconceptions held by the general public.
