End HIV test for jobs, NHRC says

RIGHTS: Thailand’s rights commissioner has urged public organisations and private companies alike to axe HIV tests as a precondition for employment.

Chatsuda Chandeeyin, commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), said the practice goes against the charter and international conventions that Thailand has ratified.

These include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

These laws stipulate that simply having HIV should no longer be considered an obstacle to work in most fields.

The NHRC had received complaints about the HIV testing in the work application process with critics claiming the practice is unfair and discriminatory, it said.

HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through a number of means including unprotected sex and sharing syringes, notably among drug addicts.