The Botswana government has passed an amendment to its Employment Act that will bring an end to dismissal based on an individual’s sexual orientation or HIV status, but rights groups believe the legislation needs to go further.
Civil society organizations in Botswana welcomed the move but said legislation to protect the rights of people living with HIV in the workplace was necessary.
In a 30 August statement, the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) said that it had evidence that some employers had been using HIV status as grounds for dismissal, and welcomed the amended Employment Act as “a progressive move on the part of government, which is likely to uproot stigma and discrimination within the workplace”.
The rights group noted that “tolerance and acceptance of sexual minorities will ensure universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support – crucial for Botswana to achieve its … goal of zero new HIV infections by 2016″.
Gadzani Mhotsha, Secretary General of the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU), told IRIN/PlusNews: “While we appreciate this amendment as a step in the right direction, for us it is not comprehensive enough in dealing with the serious issues of HIV at the workplace … the best way to deal with … [employers] is to come up with full legislation on an issue – not piecemeal amendments.”
Read more of the story here at the IRIN news service:
BOTSWANA: Amendment to end dismissal based on HIV status
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