Human Rights Commission says No way to Mandatory HIV Testing for Prostitutes

The National Human Rights Commission recommended on Feb. 26, 2007 that a clause requiring HIV/AIDS testing for all females working in businesses with links to prostitution, including massage parlors, be removed from a bill proposed by the Health Ministry. The bill by the Ministry is intended to revise the AIDS prevention law in order to deal with modern realities. The bill, if passed, would require two annual mandatory AIDS tests for female workers with a year in prison or fines of up to 3 million won ($3,198) for those who refuse.

The Human Rights Commission also recommended that the anonymity of HIV-infected people and AIDS patients should be guaranteed. The recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission has no binding effect.

The commission opined that the mandatory testing of women for HIV/AIDS was discriminatory because 90 percent of the reported HIV positive cases concerns males.
Many are already pointing out the obvious flaw in reasoning.

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