The Meghalaya State Network of Positive People (MSNPP) has accused school authorities of putting up an “absurd barrier to employment” for people living with HIV/AIDS by mandating screenings for those preparing food under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme.
“This new policy has been met with a mixture of horror and bemusement, as it not only creates absurd barriers to employment for individuals living with HIV but also showcases a stunning lack of basic knowledge about HIV transmission,” MSNPP representative Barry Leslie Kharmalki said. “For those unaware, HIV is not transmitted through food preparation – a fact that most people learned in high school health class.”
Kharmalki said that by linking HIV screening to food preparation duties, the school administration and school management committees are not only stigmatising individuals living with HIV but also unjustly limiting their access to employment opportunities based on their health status.
“It’s a wonder we don’t ask food stalls, restaurants and even the alu muri and chana wala to show their HIV report,” he added sarcastically.
This policy is a textbook case of unnecessary discrimination, wrapped up in a lack of common sense, Kharmalki added, while stating that MDM Scheme guidelines say nothing of mandatory HIV screening.
Instead of promoting food safety, this move only serves to deepen the stigma and discrimination against individuals living with HIV, he maintained, and such discrimination is explicitly prohibited under the HIV & AIDS Act 2017.
Violating this act has serious repercussions, with penalties and legal recourse waiting for those who go against the law.
Multiple schools are to be blamed, with Kharmalki naming Mawput LP School in West Jaintia Hills and Roman Catholic schools in Pommura as having breached individuals’ HIV statuses, leading to unjust dismissals.
“Not to be outdone, even firms/training centres who are conducting training for aspiring food stall owners in the state are also enforcing mandatory HIV testing. If there’s an award for the most misguided policies, we have some strong contenders here,” Kharmalki said.
The MSNPP has asked the state authorities and Meghalaya AIDS Control Society to step in to help rectify these egregious practices.
