Guangdong scraps HIV tests for teaching candidates
Source: Xinhua |
May 30, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A REGULATION abolishing HIV tests for teaching candidates in south China's Guangdong Province comes into effect on September 1.
The revised health standard for candidates no longer contains clauses banning HIV carriers and AIDS patients from holding teaching positions.
Guangdong is expected to become the first on the Chinese mainland to do away with mandatory HIV and AIDS tests.
The Equity and Justice Initiative, a non-governmental organization based in the southern coastal city of Shenzhen, proposed abolishing the tests for teaching applicants in January. Guo Bin, its director, said yesterday: "They are sending a signal to the public that we need to respect and guarantee the basic rights of social minorities."
Cheng Yuan, director of Nanjing Tianxiagong ("justice for all"), an NGO that has helped HIV carriers file lawsuits regarding employment discrimination, said the regulation was a "landmark breakthrough."
"The education sector is open to HIV carriers, which means the 'sick ice' of discrimination against them is thawing," said Cheng.
The public, however, is divided, with parents increasingly concerned about student safety because of recent sex abuse cases in China.
An online survey by Sina Weibo showed 3,266 in favor of getting rid of the HIV tests, with 2,971 against.
"AIDS can only be transmitted through sex and blood transfusions. I don't think a teacher with HIV is a threat to my son," said Li Yan, a Beijing mother.
But others, including students, are concerned there are risks.
"They are hidden troubles. How can you guarantee they will never do something terrible to us?" asked Yang Wei, a student in the eighth grade in central Hubei Province.
"If I have a teacher with HIV, I will quit class," she said. "You know AIDS can not be cured."
Under China's Regulations on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment issued in 2006, the legal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and their relatives should be protected, including the right to employment.
But a recent survey by Beijing Yirenping Center, an NGO that promotes social justice and public health, suggested that 61 percent of HIV carriers in urban areas could not find jobs while 20 percent relied on their families for support.
Xiao Qi (a pseudonym), China's first AIDS patient to receive compensation for discrimination, had his hopes of becoming a teacher reignited after hearing about Guangdong.
In November 2012, Xiao filed a suit against the education bureau of Jinxian County in eastern Jiangxi Province, after his application was rejected.
Xiao received 45,000 yuan (US$7,275) compensation after a court ruling in January, but still has not been hired.
"I never want to abandon my dream of becoming a teacher," said Xiao. "I hope Guangdong's new health standards will spread across the country."
The revised health standard for candidates no longer contains clauses banning HIV carriers and AIDS patients from holding teaching positions.
Guangdong is expected to become the first on the Chinese mainland to do away with mandatory HIV and AIDS tests.
The Equity and Justice Initiative, a non-governmental organization based in the southern coastal city of Shenzhen, proposed abolishing the tests for teaching applicants in January. Guo Bin, its director, said yesterday: "They are sending a signal to the public that we need to respect and guarantee the basic rights of social minorities."
Cheng Yuan, director of Nanjing Tianxiagong ("justice for all"), an NGO that has helped HIV carriers file lawsuits regarding employment discrimination, said the regulation was a "landmark breakthrough."
"The education sector is open to HIV carriers, which means the 'sick ice' of discrimination against them is thawing," said Cheng.
The public, however, is divided, with parents increasingly concerned about student safety because of recent sex abuse cases in China.
An online survey by Sina Weibo showed 3,266 in favor of getting rid of the HIV tests, with 2,971 against.
"AIDS can only be transmitted through sex and blood transfusions. I don't think a teacher with HIV is a threat to my son," said Li Yan, a Beijing mother.
But others, including students, are concerned there are risks.
"They are hidden troubles. How can you guarantee they will never do something terrible to us?" asked Yang Wei, a student in the eighth grade in central Hubei Province.
"If I have a teacher with HIV, I will quit class," she said. "You know AIDS can not be cured."
Under China's Regulations on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment issued in 2006, the legal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and their relatives should be protected, including the right to employment.
But a recent survey by Beijing Yirenping Center, an NGO that promotes social justice and public health, suggested that 61 percent of HIV carriers in urban areas could not find jobs while 20 percent relied on their families for support.
Xiao Qi (a pseudonym), China's first AIDS patient to receive compensation for discrimination, had his hopes of becoming a teacher reignited after hearing about Guangdong.
In November 2012, Xiao filed a suit against the education bureau of Jinxian County in eastern Jiangxi Province, after his application was rejected.
Xiao received 45,000 yuan (US$7,275) compensation after a court ruling in January, but still has not been hired.
"I never want to abandon my dream of becoming a teacher," said Xiao. "I hope Guangdong's new health standards will spread across the country."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
