Firms join fight against HIV/AIDS

THE JAKARTA POST - Suwarni, not her real name, decided to resign from her company after her colleagues learned she was HIV-positive.

Her husband had died of an AIDS-related illness after infecting her. It was only Suwarni's son and her decision to become an activist that got her through the dark period that followed his death.

"Many people still don't know about HIV/AIDS. They often discriminate against people with HIV/AIDS," she said in her new office in South Jakarta.

She remembered how her colleagues, who were afraid of being infected, refused to share office facilities, such as telephones and toilets.
At that time (in the early 1990s) there was much fear, suspicion and superstition around the virus. Not many people here knew it could not be transmitted through skin contact.

As knowledge of HIV transmission improved, attitudes changed. But there are still people in the same position as Suwarni today.
Big companies are helping to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS, including the seven firms that recently established the Indonesian Business Coalition on AIDS (IBCA).

The coalition, which was formed by local companies Gajah Tunggal, Sinar Mas and Sintesa; and multinational firms Chevron, Unilever and British Petroleum, was officially launched Sunday by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

"The coalition aims to promote awareness on HIV/AIDS to business communities. Conducting prevention programs costs less to the company, actually," Catharina Widjaja, Gajah Tunggal director for corporate communication affairs, said Monday.

Catharina said Gajah Tunggal -- one of the largest tire producers in the country -- had educated its 10,000 employees on HIV/AIDS since 2003.

According to a recent study by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), companies can save money and retain more employees by implementing HIV/AIDS programs in the workplace.

The research, which was conducted in mining companies in Zambia, calculated the costs of operating HIV workplace programs with the costs of HIV/AIDS to the company.

The study found that the programs reduced employee absenteeism, turnover rates and productivity loss, as well as helping employees handle discrimination and learn about prevention.

Catharina said the company, which was awarded by the International Labor Organization for their HIV/AIDS awareness in 2004, had also adopted guidelines on the right to privacy of individuals with HIV/AIDS

She said the company did not oblige its employees -- who are mostly aged between 20 and 40 -- to undergo HIV/AIDS tests.
"It's okay, if they undergo the tests voluntarily. We will keep it secret," Catharina said.

She said 95 percent of Gajah Tunggal's employees were men and 90 percent of them were sexually active adults -- the main targets of today's HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns.

She said education programs on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, including safe sex and the use of condoms, were very familiar to employees.
Similarly, Chevron, which formally launched a company global-wide campaign on HIV/AIDS in 2005, has adopted anti-discrimination and confidentiality policies.

"The HIV/AIDS status of an employee remains confidential. Employees with HIV/AIDS are treated just like any other employee," Chevron IndoAsia senior vice president Abdul Hamid Batubara said recently.

Batubara said the oil and gas company, which has 56,000 employees in 180 countries, does not require its workers to be tested for HIV.
He said the company had conducted several programs, such as employees' awareness campaigns and training for HIV/AIDS educators, and had also formed partnerships with local government bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and the private sector in its operating areas in Kalimantan, Sumatra, East Java and Jakarta.

Last year, Chevron Indonesia received a Gold Award from the office of the coordinating minister of the people's welfare as a private company that had established and supported HIV/AIDS awareness programs in the workplace.

Earlier this year, Chevron's HIV/AIDS program was honored at the 6th Annual Global Business Coalition (GBC) Awards for business excellence at a gala dinner at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Coinciding with World AIDS Day on Saturday, the government launched National Condom Week in Senayan, Central Jakarta. The campaign is aimed at educating people on the use of condoms as an effective way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The campaign, which is widely supported by NGOs as well as private companies, is considered good progress in HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

However, some 400 youngsters from radical organizations held a rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle Saturday, protesting the promotion of condoms, which they link with sexual immorality.