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II. Recommendations

To the Government of the Dominican Republic

Human Rights Watch calls on the Dominican Republic government to protect women’s rights to privacy, the highest attainable standard of health, nondiscrimination, work, and freedom from violence in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The following actions are essential first steps:

  • The Ministry of Public Health and Social Support (Secretaría de Estado de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social, SESPAS) should immediately stop all HIV testing without informed consent, and should insist on adequate pre- and post-test counseling in all relevant programs and policies.  The ministry should establish an effective and independent oversight and complaint mechanism to ensure the proper implementation of the program to prevent parent-to-child HIV transmission and other health policies and norms relating to HIV/AIDS, including voluntary counseling and testing.  This oversight mechanism should also periodically assess the level of information received by women whom medical personnel claim have given informed consent.  The ministry should investigate and sanction all health personnel who disclose confidential HIV test results without authorization, if necessary with the revocation of medical licenses.

  • The Directorate for Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV and AIDS (Dirección General de Control de las ITS/VIH y SIDA, DIGECITSS) should launch awareness campaigns to inform the public about women’s human rights violations that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS, such as domestic and sexual violence, subordinate social status, and sex discrimination in the workplace and in access to work and services.

  • The Ministry of Labor (Secretaría de Estado de Trabajo, SET) should ensure that all illegal HIV testing as a condition to gain or retain employment cease immediately.  The ministry should investigate vigorously and in a timely fashion all allegations of HIV-based discriminatory practices and punish those responsible for such practices.  The ministry should also ensure that labor inspectors are adequately trained in the enforcement of the AIDS law and actively investigate alleged violations of the prohibition on involuntary HIV testing.  The legal assistance unit of the Ministry of Labor and other public legal assistance units should offer all necessary legal assistance for those living with HIV or AIDS whose employment has been wrongfully terminated or job applications illegally denied due to their HIV status, including through offering free legal aid and the possibility of pursuing anonymous legal claims.  The ministry should ensure, through public awareness campaigns and other means, that workers and employers in the Dominican Republic are aware of the rights of people living with HIV.

  • The Directorate for Security and Health at Work (Dirección General de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo) should ensure that hygiene and security committees (bi-partite committees charged with monitoring worker’s health and security in the workplace) receive appropriate training in the contents of the AIDS law and the Labor Code regarding the prohibition on discrimination because of HIV status.  The office should ensure that the committees monitor for illegal HIV testing as a condition to gain and retain work, and that they understand how and where to report violations.

  • The Ministry of Tourism (Secretaría de Estado de Turismo) should ensure that all illegal HIV testing as a condition to gain or retain employment in the tourism sector cease immediately.  The ministry should investigate alleged HIV testing practices and punish hotels responsible for such practices, for example by revoking their operating licenses.

  • The Ministry of Education (Secretaría de Estado de Educación, SEE) should ensure access to sex education in primary and secondary schools, both private and public.  Sex education—tailored appropriately to age level and capacity—should cover the correct and consistent use of condoms as the most effective way to prevent HIV transmissions during sexual intercourse, including in long-term unions.  Sex education should also include information on the inequality between men and women that contributes to putting women at risk of HIV transmission in the Dominican Republic.

  • On behalf of the Dominican Republic government, the president should publicly condemn involuntary HIV testing as a condition to gain or retain employment as discrimination based on health status, indicating that such discrimination will not be tolerated and that appropriate sanctions will be applied to those responsible for violations.  The president should also condemn unauthorized release of HIV test results and announce a zero-tolerance policy for such breaches of confidentiality.  Finally, the president should publicly endorse and push for financial support for broad voluntary HIV counseling and testing programs that include adequate pre- and post-test counseling.

  • The Dominican Republic congress should require ministries and appropriate government agencies, by law, to implement thorough training for work inspectors, health personnel, judges, magistrates, lawyers, and relevant local and national officials on the laws and regulations that prohibit involuntary testing for HIV.  Congress should also adopt adequate legal measures to allow persons living with HIV/AIDS to bring legal cases regarding alleged discrimination in anonymity and increase fines applicable for HIV-based discriminatory practices to allow for meaningful sanctions.

    To the Presidential AIDS Council (COPRESIDA)

    Human Rights Watch calls on the Presidential AIDS Council to prioritize the prevention of violations of women’s human rights as a critical tool in combating the continued spread of the disease.  As essential first steps, COPRESIDA should implement the following actions:

  • Monitor and coordinate effective enforcement of the AIDS law with regard to the prohibition on HIV testing in access to health care services and work, as well as provisions to protect the confidentiality of those tested for HIV.  Refer violations to relevant governmental agencies for further investigation and sanctions.

  • Discourage legal or policy measures that infringe upon women’s human rights, such as involuntary HIV testing or testing without proven access for all tested invidviduals to adequate pre- and post-test counseling and without stringent confidentiality protections.

  • Engage community-based organizations that work with women living with HIV or AIDS, regardless of their current membership in the NGO AIDS Coalition which is part of COPRESIDA, to ensure the broadest possible reach of COPRESIDA’s coordination work and information.

    To Donors and International Organizations

    Human Rights Watch calls on international bilateral and multilateral donors and United Nations agencies and entities to work with the Dominican Republic government to ensure that all mandatory and involuntary HIV testing practices cease immediately, and that HIV/AIDS related programs and policies do not discriminate against women in their intent or effect.  The following actions are essential first steps:

  • Donors and international organizations that fund health or HIV/AIDS-related programs in the Dominican Republic should engage with the Dominican Republic to prevent involuntary HIV testing.  Donors should support government and NGO programs for voluntary HIV counseling and testing services with adequate confidentiality protections, and should actively oppose involuntary testing or testing without explicit consent and adequate pre- and post-test counseling.  Donors should support information campaigns aimed at eliminating women’s human rights violations that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS, such as domestic and sexual violence and sex discrimination in the workplace and in access to work and services.  Donors should also expand prevention options for women and girls, and fund prevention projects that aim to change the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate women’s subordinate status and the related risk of HIV infection.

  • Donors and international organizations that fund programs in the Dominican Republic related to HIV/AIDS in the workplace, including the U.S. Department of Labor, should require that the programs address not solely HIV/AIDS prevention, but HIV/AIDS-related employment discrimination as well.  Such donors should also support government and NGO information campaigns to educate workers about their right to refuse involuntary HIV testing by current or potential employers and about available mechanisms for redress if they are illegally tested.

  • As part of monitoring of compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights should report on states’ implementation or condoning of HIV testing without informed consent, adequate pre- and post-test counseling, and guarantees for the confidentiality of HIV test results.


    <<previous  |  index  |  next>>July 2004