By Flavia Ajok
In a bid to curb HIV related stigma at workplaces, private sector company managers and supervisors in Bunyoro region have been trained on how to adopt simple practical approaches to combat the vice.
The three days training that commenced Wednesday at Glory Summit Hotel in Hoima is aimed at training master trainers on combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination organized by Federation of Uganda Employers- FUE in partnership with National Forum of People Living with HIV Network in Uganda, International Labor Organization and National Organization of Trade Unions.
Joy Katwesige, the coordinator of the training says they are focusing on the private sector companies because most persons living with HIV have been stigmatized and not given a chance to participate various roles in their work places and sometimes they are even illegally fired.
George Tamale, the workplace health specialist at FUE says there is need for private companies to come up with policies that can protect employees living with HIV at their respective workplaces.
Tamale says these stigma at workplaces prevents the people living positively to take their drugs well and may have less adherence to the drugs and poor prevention efforts towards HIV.
He says they are training the master trainers who will later go to different companies to train them on how to adopt simple practical approaches to combat HIV related stigma at their workplaces.
