Bridging the Gap: Conference Record [Abstract book, International Conference on AIDS (12th: 1998: Geneva, Switzerland)]

12th World AIDS Conference

Abstracts 13433-13437 173

of an enviroment where they value the treatment that they give to one another
and become to try to better their lives and their lives of those that surroound them.
1134 Business responds to AIDS: Programmatic lessons
learned
Angie Hammock, Fred Martich, Barbara Benson, William Baumhauer. 1Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-58,
Atlanta, GA 30333; President and CEO, DAKA, Inc., Boston, MA, USA
Issue: To describe lessons learned from the Business Responds to AIDS Program (BRTA), which includes policy; supervisor/labor leader training; employee
education; employee family education; and community service/volunteerism.
Project: BRTA was launched in 1992 in a nationwide telecast to over 1000
business proceedings in all 50 States. Since 1992, numerous activities of the
program have been evaluated, including, but not limited to, focus group testing of
marketing, media, and technical assistance materials; a national baseline survey
of the business response to HIV; an evaluation of the BRTA technical assistance referral service; and a survey of users of the service. BRTA hosted the
first National Business and Labor Conference on HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C.,
September 29-30, 1997.
Results: The survey and focus group testing found three major motivating
factors for businesses involvement in HIV prevention: financial incentives, compassion for people with HIV, and complying with the laws. Marketing efforts are
most successful when combining some or all of these motivating factors. Creating an awareness that most businesses are responding to HIV is imperative
to success. For example, the goal of the 1997 business and labor conference
was to encourage and enable businesses and labor groups to move forward
with proactive workplace policies and education initiatives on HIV/AIDS. Conference evaluation results indicate that 55% of those who had HIV/AIDS workplace
policies intended to expand them, and 55% of those who did not have policies
intended to draft policies.
Conclusions: Lessons learned from the extensive evaluation, research and
programmatic experiences over the past 6 years include successful methods
of communicating to and reaching business leaders; how to address their informational needs; how to develop effective and efficient systems of technical
assistance and information dissemination; and finally, that a large-scale event
such as the national conference for business leaders can be an effective tool for
engaging them in HIV prevention. Most of the lessons learned are applicable to
other nations as they strive to motivate, engage, and gain partnership with the
business and labor sectors to address HIV.
13434 Setting the agenda for promoting a non-discriminatory
AIDS policy in the workplace
Shui Shan Lee1, Kenny C.W. Chan1, R. Tan2. 1AIDS Unit 5/F Yaumatei JCC 145
Battery Street, Yaumatei Kowloon; 2Lions Clubs International District 303, Hong
Kong
Issue: Given a low HIV prevalence in Hong Kong, an innovative means is necessary to instill non-discrimination in the workplace environment before HIV infection
takes root in the local community.
Project: In December 1994, AIDS Unit and Lions Clubs International jointly
launched the Community Charter on AIDS. Community organisations, public
bodies and companies were asked to join as signatories. Apart from facilitating
provision of HIV education n the workplace, signatories were required to formulate a non-discriminatory policy in their company/organisation. A commemorative
plaque was presented in recognition of the signatories achievement.
Results: As of the end of 1997, 79 signatories have joined the Charter, covering
an estimated 270,000 employees/staff. Community organisations outnumbered
business companies by a ratio of 6:1, while municipal councils and district boards
accounted for 28% of the total. Though only sixteen had so far formulated a
non-discriminatory AIDS policy, this had included the Hong Kong Government,
the biggest and most influential employer in the territory. A whole range of parallel
education activities had been held by the organisers and signatories, centering on
the theme of non-discrimination. Numerous publicity materials have been sent to
employers, employees and politicians. The Charter was in fact one focus of antidiscrimination before the appointment of the Equal Opportunities Commission in
1996.
Lessons Learnt: Agenda setting is crucial in promoting anti-discrimination.
The Charter initiative has been an effective means in setting the agenda for formulating anti-discriminatory AIDS policy in the workplace. Its function, however,
needs to be complemented by legislation and sustained public education in the
long run.
13435 Sexual abuse of children at workplace in a slum of
Karachi
Azra Jamal Rafiq1, Rafiq Muhammad2, Muhammad Shoaib3, Khatoon Amna4,
Muhamad Imran3. 'A-417-Block-L-North-Nazimabad, Karachi; 2lnfection Control

Society Pakistan, Karachi; 3Pakistan AIDS Prevention Society, Karachi; 4First
Female Forum, Karachi, Pakistan
Issues: Due to extreme poverty children are forced to earn livelihood for themselves and their families. Does this put them to increased risk for sexual abuse,
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS?

Project: 312 working children aged 8-14 years along with one parent or
guardian were interviewed using pre-tested question format. Interview of parent
and child was conducted separately by same worker. Interview of parent focused
on actual need of earning and their awareness of the risk of sexual abuse at
workplace.
Interview of child was focused on his own view of labor, confidence building
and direct and indirect questions about sexual abuse or its attempts.
Results: Parents were generally (72%) unhappy over their need for child labor
at the cost of education. However, only 06% were aware of risk for sexual abuse
during the course of employment. Most of the children (68%) were happy with
their role as a supporter of the family. Majority children were reluctant to reply
questions about sex. After confidence building 38% admitted that at least one
attempt was made by senior colleagues or employer. 09% children accepted their
occasional or regular abuse. All of them were reluctant to reveal it to their parents
and were having a sense of guilt.
Lessons Learned: Apart from other adverse effects child labor is a serious
threat for spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs. Lack of awareness of parents and
children make them a highly vulnerable group. Every effort should be done to
alleviate poverty and raise awareness of parents and children to prevent sexual
abuse.
113436 Working with AIDS
Thi Bich Lien Quach1, C.A. Esposito2. 1130A Thuy Khue Hanoi; 2Care
International in Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
Issue: New forms of public and private partnerships need to be established for
the continued implementation of HIV/AIDS programs in Vietnam. In Vietnam the
task is to convince business that it ignores the HIV epidemic at its own peril and
that the reality of the costs of HIV/AIDS to business should become a part of
strategic thinking warranting high-level management attention.
Objectives: To promote business partnership endeavors to assist the Government of Vietnam's efforts to prevent and control HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.
Project: Quantitative and qualitative research conducted into knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and impact of HIV/AIDS of business men and women in
urban Vietnam. Research results used to design education programmes within
workplaces and provide the basis for the dissemination of information to the wider
business community through publications produced by the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and industry. Policy makers provided with recommendations
to encourage both domestic and foreign companies to contribute to HIV/AIDS
programmes
Results: Business community has only basic knowledge about HIV/AIDS and
do not perceive themselves or their employees of being at risk of infection or of
being able to transmit the disease. Policies and programmes for managing and
supporting employees with HIV/AIDS and virtually non-existent and any response
to the emergence of the disease within companies will be reactive and result in
the isolation of employees and the termination of their contracts.
Lessons Learned: The business community is motivated by profit and productivity and programmes aimed at motivating business commitment towards
HIV/AIDS prevention and care for people living with HIV/AIDS may not occur
unless the Government of Vietnam impose mandatory regulations to do so.
S13437 1Promoting AIDS prevention in the workplace: Experience
from Jakarta (1994-1998)
Adi Sasongko. JLN. Asem Baris Raya A-3, Tebet, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Issues: With more than 80% of HIV/AIDS cases belong to the productive age
(20-49), promoting HIV/AIDS prevention in the workplace will have the potential
to reach a huge number of productive ages and will contribute significantly to halt
the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Project Yayasan Kusuma Buana (an NGO works in the field of reproductive
health) with a collaboration from a company owner's association (Apindo) has
been promoting AIDS prevention in the workplace. Ten companies with more than
10.000 workers have been implementing this project and six companies showed
their commitment by providing budget to finance this project by themselves.
To promote this activity among business community, and as part of the World
AIDS Day 1997, awards had been given to six companies in Jakarta that showed
a strong commitment in implementing AIDS prevention in their companies. At
present this initiative is started to be implemented in an industrial estate compound
which has more than 300 companies with more than 40,000 workers.
Results: Different kinds of activity in spreading information to prevent HIV/AIDS
have been implemented such as seminars for company owners, training for peer
educators, distributing IEC materials, small group educations, workshops. Companies with skilled labor (such as electronic companies) responded better than
companies with unskilled labor (such as garment and textile companies).
Lessons Learned: The use of economic and human resource development
point-of-view in presenting the problems of HIV/AIDS to the business community
is more appropriate than presenting it as a socio-health problem. Promoting
HIV/AIDS prevention to companies with skilled labor gets better response than to
companies with unskilled labor.