Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 10/29/2003

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

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CONTENT:

1 - SOUTH AFRICA: HIV-testing row in the military

1 - SOUTH AFRICA: HIV-testing row in the military

JOHANNESBURG, 29 October (PLUSNEWS) - A recent row in South Africa over

the deployment of HIV-positive soldiers on peacekeeping missions has

turned the spotlight on the issue of HIV testing and the exclusion of

HIV-positive individuals from the army.

South Africa's Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota sparked controversy

earlier this month when news reports quoted him as saying: " Anybody with

the condition [HIV/AIDS] cannot be recruited [into the defence force]. "

Activists said the policy was unconstitutional, and threatened to take the

defence department to court.

The South African cabinet distanced itself from Lekota's comments, saying

there was no policy to prevent the recruitment of HIV-positive personnel

into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) merely because they

were HIV-positive.

Lekota attributed his position to the United Nations peacekeeping

regulations, which recommend that countries should not deploy HIV-positive

individuals on peacekeeping missions.

Although the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) maintains

that it does not prescribe mandatory testing prior to deployment, it

nevertheless issued guidelines recommending that countries should not

second HIV-positive individuals to peacekeeping duties.

According to DPKO, available medical treatment may not be adequate to meet

the requirements of those living with HIV when they are sent on mission.

Peacekeepers may also have to undergo pre-deployment vaccinations, and

they may be exposed to diseases during deployment, posing additional risks

to their health.

But an expert panel, convened by UNAIDS and DPKO in 2001, revised this

policy and agreed that HIV should no longer be a criterion for exclusion

from peacekeeping missions, Gael Lescornec, UNAIDS humanitarian programme

advisor, told PlusNews.

" The revised policy is not yet binding between member states, but it has

been handed to member states ... they are all aware of it - even the

SANDF, " she said. " SANDF has always done mandatory testing before

deployment - there's no reason to now use UN regulations as a decision to

exclude HIV-positive people. "

Defence ministry spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi admitted that army recruits had

to undergo a " comprehensive assessment " , including HIV testing. " But they

are not compelled to join - it would be unconstitutional. You can

obviously refuse to go for a medical, " he commented.

According to Robyn Pharoah, senior researcher at the AIDS and Security

project of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), this

was still " completely contrary " to UN guidelines.

Despite the cabinet's statements that there was no government policy to

exclude individuals from the SANDF solely on the basis of their HIV

status, " the SANDF continues to practice a blanket policy of excluding job

applicants with HIV, " the AIDS Law Project (ALP) said in a statement.

According to the ALP, SANDF's official policy on sexually transmitted

diseases, including HIV, " explicitly states that sero-positive cases are,

by definition, unfit for employment as uniformed members " . The ALP was

currently dealing with a number of cases where this had happened, the

statement added.

While the SANDF may ban the recruitment of HIV-positive personnel, it does

try to care for those already in uniform and living with the virus. The

SANDF's 'Masibambisane' Campaign

(www.mil.za/CSANDF/SurgeonGeneral/AIDSCampaign/MasiWeb2/index.htm) was

" quite a good workplace programme " , which offered peer education,

prevention projects, and care and support for employees living with

HIV/AIDS, observed Delate, co-author of a review of HIV/AIDS

policies and programmes among peacekeepers.

" We don't just provide prevention and education ... we have treatment for

opportunistic infections and counselling services. Our programme is in

line with the national policy on HIV/AIDS, " Mkhwanazi said.

With South Africa now playing a key peacekeeping role on the continent,

the issue of deploying HIV-positive troops on missions remains a

contentious one.

The UNAIDS review - prepared for the UN General Assembly Special Session

in September this year - found that establishing guidelines on HIV testing

and peacekeeping operations was still an uphill battle. Most countries

required mandatory testing prior to deployment, but " various

interpretations of the protocol regarding permission to test " had been

reported.

" There is also a lack of care and support for peacekeepers living with

HIV, " it added.

" A lot of debate " about HIV/AIDS in the military that went beyond testing

policies was still taking place, Delate said. " There is no information in

the public domain around AIDS in the military. Prevalence levels are still

an area of contestation. "

According to the review, data on HIV prevalence in the uniformed services

was limited, as prevalence studies were seldom conducted. Authorities were

also reluctant to release data that could imply strategic weaknesses

within their services.

Delate called for a shift in public perceptions about HIV/AIDS in the

armed forces. " Let's not apportion blame, but rather look at how

peacekeepers can be seen as agents of change in the fight against

HIV/AIDS. "

[ENDS]

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