Seafarers and HIV/AIDS

Transport and Social ResponsibilityTransport Against AIDS

HIV Prevalence at Sea

Philippines Health Department (2003) found that 12 % of the population who tested HIV-positive were seafarers

Vietnam Provincial Committee found (2002) that 10% of the population who tested HIV-positive were seafarers

(International Transport Workers Federation)

HIV/AIDS Risk Factors for SeafarersSeafarers are highly mobile, traveling through many ports in different countries and across continents.Seafarers spend lengthy time away from family in stressful environments which may foster risky behaviors such as alcohol and other substance abuse and unsafe sex.

Workplace HIV/AIDS Challenges Strong sex industry presence and lack of facilities for alternative leisure activities at portsLack of information on HIV/AIDS and STIs on and off ship, and language barriers against obtaining accurate information in foreign portsLack of confidential medical services on ship or in ports, deterring seafarers from seeking tests or treatments for fear of losing their job

Air Transport Industry and HIV/AIDS

Transport and Social ResponsibilityTransport Against AIDS

Male cabin crew members were found to have excess mortality from AIDS. AIDS was the most frequent single cause of death in this group. (Mortality from Cancer and Other Causes among Airline Cabin Attendants in Europe, Zeeb, Hajo; Maria Blettner, Ingo Langner et al, 2003)

Issues for flight crews living with HIV/AIDS:

•Medical regimes difficult to uphold when flying across many time zones

•Medication needing to be refrigerated

•Restrictive visa/entry requirements in some countries.

VARIG Brazilian Airlines HIV/AIDS Program (1985-2003)

•Annual prevention campaign on World AIDS Day

•Free VCT services to employees

•Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) to employees and their families.

•Free cargo handling to anyone in Brazil requiring drugs not available in the country.

Project Kavach of Transport Corporation of India

•The program targets long distance truck drivers and helpers though national network of interventions along major highway hubs•The program includes education campaigns using game kiosks, peer dialogue and clinic services

Outreach Program of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

•A baseline study showed that 59% of workers had little or no knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and that 87% had little or no knowledge about how HIV is transmitted.

•The program targeted migrant workers and contractors in the workforce of Delhi Metro project, and included, advocacy, institutional capacity building, peer education and condom distribution.

Corporate Response to HIV/AIDS in India

Transport and Social Responsibility

77,784Truckers STI treated

457,794Population reached by IEC

2.02 millionCondoms socially marketed

2 millionInterpersonal Communication contact

316,432Total truckers treated

Workers covered 3,270

Peer educators trained 47

Metro stations covered 29

Condom demonstrations 13

Condoms distributed 2,946

Transport Against AIDS

HIV/AIDS: Stigma at Work

Transport and Social ResponsibilityTransport Against AIDS

• Lack of confidence in information provided• Uninformed fear of contagion• Social and cultural norms about Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Stigma and discrimination can threaten the fundamental rights of employees living with HIV. But, the loss of workers, skills and experience can also increase the burden on the remaining workforce, lowering morale and reducing productivity.

Fighting stigma in the workplace:Offer counseling, care and treatment servicesSupport education about HIV transmission; involve people living with HIV/AIDS and show their diversityTrain staff and contractors on confidentiality, nondiscrimination, and cultural diversityEnsure confidential results of tests

HIV/AIDS stigmaHIV/AIDS stigma refers to unfavorable attitudes and policies directed toward people who are believed to be living or associated with HIV/AIDS.Stigma in the workplace takes many forms that cancan result in result in discriminatory actionsdiscriminatory actions, ranging from the unfair treatment to the rejection or firing of employees based on their real or perceived HIV status.

Transport employers and employees alike must understand and address HIV/AIDS stigma in the workplace

Factors that explain stigma in workplace include: