Skoleinspektør siger, at det sker på forældrenes initiativ, så hiv-smittede elever f.eks. ikke skal hente vand – reelt nok af hensyn til “smittefaren”.
Campaigners in Tanzania have criticised some schools for making HIV-positive pupils wear a red ribbon (tøjbånd) on their uniforms, BBC online reports Thursday.
The headmaster of one school said it was done at the parents’ request to ensure that all sickly pupils do not do tasks that may affect their health.
But such stigmatisation (udstødelse/fordom) is against the law, punishable by up to three years in jail, a campaign group warned.
According to UNAIDS, about five per cent of the population – 1,4 million people – in the East African nation are living with HIV.
In the main city of Dar es Salaam activists have reacted with horror to the labelling of pupils in the Kibaha district. They believe at least seven schools in the area, about 40 km north-west of Dar es Salaam, are using the ribbon system.
“They are only doing that because they want to identify those who are HIV-positive,” said Jane Tibihita, a co-ordinator of Upendo Partnership, a local campaign group.
Rebecca Mshumbusi, chairperson of the Kibaha Association of People Living with HIV/Aids, said it was unethical to reveal a person’s health status in public.
But Mohammed Lukema, the headmaster of Kibaha Primary School, said he is only carrying out parents’ wishes and pupils wearing a red ribbon were excused from any rigorous school duties, such as sweeping the compound and fetching water.
The root of the problem is that there have been few initiatives to educate people about stigmatising those with HIV, Ms Tibihita stated.
“They are only dealing with infection and prevention of the disease,” she said.
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