Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
The New York Times - June 23, 2009
Donald G. Mcneil Jr.
International migrant workers, foreign students and political refugees are often endangered by laws that discriminate against people with AIDS, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch reported last week.
About a third of the world's countries limit the right of people with H.I.V. to enter or stay, even if their disease is under control with drugs. Some restrict their access to health care.
The report describes how guest workers from poor countries like the Philippines and Sri Lanka working in wealthy ones like Saudi Arabia may be given mandatory H.I.V. testing -- sometimes without their knowledge -- and deported, often without being able to claim back wages and sometimes after imprisonment without treatment.
The group said the visa restrictions had led people to commit fraud or stop treatment, risking their lives. The report detailed one study in which travelers from Britain stopped taking their AIDS pills or tried to mail them ahead, sometimes unsuccessfully, out of fear that they would be denied visas to the United States if they admitted being infected, or would be searched at the border.
Wealthy countries often deport people without considering whether they will have access to medical care elsewhere, the report said. South Korea, for example, has deported hundreds of foreign workers, and some deportees from the United States, especially those with criminal records, have been jailed without treatment and died in custody.
The International Organization for Migration estimates 3 percent of the world's population -- 192 million people -- live outside the country where they were born.
090623
NYT090623
Copyright © 2009 - The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved. All New York Times articles contained on the AEGiS web site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of The New York Times Company. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. However, you may download articles (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal, noncommercial use only.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2009. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2009. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .