Introduction

In 2003, an estimated 7.4 million people in Asia was living with HIV and around half a million people are believed to have died of HIV in 2003, about 1.1 million become newly infected with HIV. In many parts in Asia, HIV epidemic remain largely concentrated among IDUs, MSM, SWs, Clients and partners of SWs and Hijras. In most countries of Asia including Bangladesh, knowledge about HIV is still scant. In Bangladesh, national adult prevalence is less than 0.1%but there are significant levels of risky behavior among the high-risk population. Large numbers of men continue to buy sex. Moreover, most of these men do not use condoms in their commercial sex encounters and female sex workers report the lowest use in the region.

However, Mukti is absolutely agreed with the view of BftWs partner that HIV/AIDS not a health rather a development issue and mainstreaming HIV/AIDS should be an objective of all organization and all programs in development work and any organization should openly address HIV/AIDS in all activities and at all levels of hierarchy. HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue, and should be treated like any other serious illness/condition in the workplace. This is necessary not only because the work place, being part of the local community, has a role to play in the wider struggle to limit the spread and effects of the epidemic.

 

What is Mainstreaming?

Mainstreaming is a process through which development actors effectively and sustain-ably address the causes and consequences of HIV/AIDS as they relate to their work through adapting and improving both their work and usual workplace practices.’

 

Objective

The objective of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS is to adapt the work in order to take into account susceptibility to HIV transmission and vulnerability to the impact of HIV and AIDS.

 

Specific objective

• Creating non-discriminating and healthy work place through Information dissemination about HIV epidemic, causes, spread, and prevention measure to all staffs of Mukti;
• Prevention of HIV/AIDS in workplace;
• Address HIV epidemic in the work of organization and within the framework to promote of descent work

 

Background

Mukti Nari O Shishu Unnayan Sangstha is working to change a view of women empowerment and their participation in the most important elements of development strategy. These are clearly reflected in the entire program activities of the organization. The elements of gender sensitivity are observed not only at the level of the people at the grassroots with whom the organization works, but also at the level of its staff members since inception. Equal rights for women have been emphasized both in the administrative and staff policy as well as policies related to different development programs. Though much headway has been made in securing women’s equal participation in all activities at the grassroots level which have approved the status of the poor but due to some realities same level of achievement would not be attained within the organization itself. The formulation of this comprehensive work place policy is mean of the specific measures undertaken to deal with whatever the level of understanding is exists in the mind of the Mukti staffs. The present policy is an improvement upon the previous administrative and staff policy and it incorporates some new measures, which would provide further opportunities for all employee of the organization.

 

Organization Level

 

Goal

Establish a gender friendly healthy atmosphere in working place where all staffs (male & female) can take part equally in development process.

Before developing WPP Mukti considered how do HIV and AIDS might affect us, our employees, and our ability to carry out the job effectively?

 

Areas of the policies

Affirmative actions have been undertaken for the staffs in the following areas:

Health insurance, legal issues, employment, prevention activities, organizational change, planning, monitoring & Evaluation: Gender Equality: gender sensitivity, Training,

 

New proposal

In designing new proposal Mukti will consider some important issues regarding HIV/AIDS i.e. how does HIV AIDS affect the people with whom we work, how is our work helping or hindering them to avoid HIV infection and to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS?

• Recruitment, leave, promotion, posting, transfer, termination and dismissal;
• Nondiscriminatory environment: financial and other material benefits;
• Staff Training: staff’s capacity building to adequately address HIV/AIDS
• Job description of Staff
• Specific problems of the female staff
• Values and code of conduct.
• Workload;
• In planning: In case of preparation any training/workshop/meeting
• confidentiality
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Non stigmatization of people infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS at the workplace

In the existing recruiting recruitment policy certain rules are equally applicable in case of the HIV-positive or non-affected staff. However, to do so the following affirmative actions have been taken:

 

Recruitment

The recruitment will proceed as per personal policy with the proper handling by the recruitment committee.

1. Recruitment must be balanced with the gender and it is minimum 50% for the female. The number of female staff in THE ORGANIZATION will be increased gradually. This increase will be at the field level as well as at all other levels of management.
2. Priority will be given to HIV affected staffs with equal educational qualification but relaxation in experience for the case of recruitment.

• In case of applicant must mention mother’s name in his/her application along with father’s name.

 

Leave

The policy for annual leave, medical leave, and casual leave for HIV positive staffs will be higher compare to non affected staffs. Maternity:

A HIV positive staff will be entitled three times of sick leave with full pay as per Govt. rule (4 Month) during related sickness and if necessary, medical leave, annual leave and leave without pay may be added to this leave by approval of the authority. If he or she needs more leaves, she/he can enjoy further leaves without pay.

 

Promotion

Mukti will not discriminate the HIV affected staffs in case of promotion.

 

Posting and transfer

The rules of posting and transfer are same for the affected and non affected staffs. But the following exceptions will be made for the affected staff:

The non-affected staff can be deputed in the nearest locality on aspect of communication with her locality and community easily. At the time of posting and transfer of a HIV positive employee, the workstation and place of residence of the husband/parents are to be taken into consideration.

 

Financial and other material benefits

HIV positive staff will enjoy additional medical facilities as per service rule but all staffs will be entitled to equal pay scale, house rent, travel allowance, increment, training allowance, overseas travel allowance, transportation expense, telephone (According to Service rule), etc. A HIV positive staff irrespective of position & gender entitled to an official transport for field visit.

• There will be NO separate toilets for the HIV-positive staff in all the offices of the organization

 

Values and Code of Conduct

• equity is one of the core values of the organization. All staff of Mukti should believe this value.
• There will be no discrimination of work in the organization.
• Any comment, made directly or indirectly, which may cause humiliation to the HIV affected staff is considered as a punishable offence.
• To provide proper orientation about HIV/AIDS, gender issues, and development’ (offered by THE ORGANIZATION) has been made mandatory for all its staff members.

 

Equal Rights

As per service rule.

 

Information flow

A committee on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS will collect all sorts of information collectively from bottom to upper level in order to overcome discrimination of any incident regarding the issue.