Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - November 17, 2006
Elvina Nawaguna
Because they entrust their children and spouses to houseboys or housegirls, parents become anxious about their HIV status. And the issue of the right to know the status of your house help is slowly creeping up.
Sarah, a mother of three in Ntinda, says as a matter of policy, she subjects any maid she hires to an HIV test.
"You want the job, you accept the test; you refuse, you leave," she says.
Sarah reasons that it is better to find out the status of the person before you employ them than to find out when they are already working for you.
Parents fear that adolescent children may engage in sexual activities with the helper and parents are helpless to stop this.
Others doubt their spouses, especially the husbands, whose stories with maids are not a rare phenomenon.
Dorothy Kizza, a sociologist and psychologist at Butabika Mental Hospital, takes a different view to the issue. When her housemaid started falling sick often, Kizza encouraged her to go for a blood test and continued employing her when the results turned positive.
"We encouraged her to get treatment and we used to take her to the hospital to get her ARVS," says Kizza.
She says that her children understood and accepted her and treated her well.
Beatrice Were, an HIV/AIDS activist with Action Aid Uganda, says, it is unethical to demand to know anybody's status before giving them a job.
"It is discrimination and interfering with someone's privacy," she says.
Were says that HIV testing is within international standards of human rights and should be done when the person has an informed decision to do it and where you have plans to support them.
"You can't take them for testing and then throw them out," Were chides.
While Kizza says that it is unfair to refuse to employ someone because of their status, you cannot force people whose principle is to test, as protection.
But the question remains, do you have a right to know the status of the maid already working for you? Were says that maids should not be treated any differently from any other employees.
"It's a stigma and discrimination issue," she explains. "Why aren't the parents worried about the other relatives who come to visit? They can also seduce children!" she challenges.
Children may be at risk in the hands of vengeful HIV positive maids at home, but what about other people they interact with? Are you going to test all the school teachers, nurses and playmates of children? Or are you going to lock up the child in some kind of vacuum in the name of protection?
Were also cautions about the mandatory counselling before the test to prepare the person to deal with the results. She says worried parents can find a way of empowering the househelp, children and spouses on hygiene, HIV/AIDS and STDs.
There are no guarantees about life, but if you have the right information, you are empowered and free from the fear that comes with ignorance. With education, they will appreciate the value of going for an HIV test and make the decision from an informed point of view.
The children will know why they must keep away from sex if they know how HIV/AIDS is contracted, how to prevent its spread and the need for testing before engaging in sex.
Were even believes that we have a role to support anyone, including our maids or houseboys, that are HIV-positive. Instead of victimising them, provide a conducive environment for them to work and live a normal life. Provide a healthy diet and give them time to see their doctors, she advises.
Yes; they are taking care of your children and no; you do not have the right to know their status, but you have the duty and power to support and provide the right information and environment for them to make informed decisions which include going for HIV tests. After all, as Mariam, a mother of two says, "it's God who protects our children!"
The other alternative is to quit your job, stay home and raise the children.
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