AIDS Employment Discrimination Case First in China to Receive Compensation

Posted on by

Congratulations to Justice for All on their successful negotiation of this important anti-discrimination case. Cheng Yuan is  a recent graduate of the Asia Catalyst 2012 NGO Leadership Cohort.

By Cheng Yuan

On January 25, 2013, an important court victory against HIV/AIDS employment discrimination was achieved in China’s Jiangxi Province, when the Nanjing-based NGO, Justice for All successfully mediated with a government agency and obtained compensation for the plaintiff in the lawsuit, Ms. Qi. The agency that was sued paid CNY 45,000 ($7,229 USD) in compensation to Ms. Qi, who thus became China’s first person living with HIV/AIDS to receive compensation in an employment discrimination case.

(more…)

Yirenping Claims Six of the Top Ten Public Interest Cases of 2012

Posted on by

The Beijing Yirenping Center, one of China’s leading nonprofits focusing on public health and social justice issues, was recently recognized for the role it played in some of the most important public interest legal cases last year. 

Beijing Yirenping Center

(Beijing-Feb. 5th, 2013) In 2012, public interest cases supported and assisted by the Beijing Yirenping Center achieved unprecedented success. During the  “China’s Top Ten Public Interest Cases Selection,” jointly hosted by the Beijing Institute of Technology Institute of Justice, China’s Public Interest Litigation Network, and “Legal Weekly” magazine, six cases supported by Yirenping were chosen as part of the “Top Ten Public Interest Cases of 2012.” These cases provided important precedents for the future, and promoted the progress of rule of law in China in 2012.

In addition, the “Smiling Official” case, in which Yirenping supported college students to apply for the public release of relevant wage information, was regarded as one of the online anti-corruption network’s major successes of 2012. It was also selected for inclusion in the “Procuratorate Daily – Rule of Law Blue Book.” The Yirenping-supported female university graduates suing the Giant Education Group for sex discrimination in employment lawsuit is China’s first sex discrimination in employment lawsuit, and has also been selected for the “Rule of Law Blue Book.” At the same time, the “College Entrance Exam Sex Discrimination Collective Rights Movement” and the “Occupy Male Toilets Movement” were chosen for the “Top Ten Gender Equality News Reports of 2012” by the “China Women’s News Daily.”

Following are summaries of the six cases supported by Beijing Yirenping that made the “Top Ten Public Interest Cases of 2012.”

(more…)

Opportunities and Challenges–Updates on Global Fund’s New Funding Model

Posted on by

By Shen Tingting

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) is the world’s largest donor to projects fighting AIDS, TB and malaria around the world, and has been a key supporter of NGO responses to HIV / AIDS in China. In 2011 , the Global Fund withdrew its funding from several countries, including China, and is currently in the process of developing a new funding model. In “Opportunities and Challenges” below, Asia Catalyst Advocacy Director Shen Tingting introduces key components of that new model and possibilities for Chinese NGOs.

Opportunities and Challenges – Updates on Global Fund’s New Funding Model

Opportunities and Challenges of the Global Fund New Funding Mode —- Progress

January 2013

Asia Catalyst Shen Tingting

(Author combines the data and information, integration of the Global Fund reform progress following the Global Fund hopes to focus on civil society organizations to help if you have any questions, please contact:.. tshen@asiacatalyst.org )

As we all know, the Global Fund has been committed to the global prevention and control of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The Global Fund in 2003 to enter China, the project covers 31 provinces and 3000 counties. In 2010, the Global Fund recipients in four countries (Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania and Zambia) found that the more serious financial abuse, which led to the Global Fund to launch a review of corruption and internal management mechanism reform. Meanwhile, the economic crisis led to a global fund can not raise sufficient funds to pay existing projects. 2011, after a series of assessments, the Global Fund decided to stop funding for some countries, including China, Russia, Mexico and Argentina. Because these countries have the capacity to meet their health needs, the Global Fund is also looking to invest can have a greater impact.

(more…)

Call for Applications: Health Rights Advocacy Training

Posted on by

Asia Catalyst will offer up to 20 health rights advocates from organizations working with communities directly affected by HIV/AIDS the opportunity to participate in a rights training program, which includes support in gathering documentation and planning advocacy strategies, monthly coaching, and opportunities to collaborate with peer organizations.

Participants will convene in May in Thailand for an intensive weeklong retreat where they will receive training on creating advocacy plans that will further their organization’s goals. Starting in June, our team of experts will conduct individualized monthly coaching via Skype for all participants, and make several site visits. Participants will reconvene for one day in November around the International Congress on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) to report back to one another about their work and develop a plan to continue collaborating with one another at ICAAP and when other regional opportunities arise. Applicants should be expected to commit 3 to 5 hours a month for coaching assignments and call preparation in addition to the in-person gatherings.

(more…)

Blood Supply Shortage Fuels Illegal Blood Trade in China

Posted on by

According to a recent article from Caixin, the blood supply shortage in China s fueling an illegal underground blood trade that poses a substantial public health risk. Could the blood disaster of the 1990s happen again?  With hospitals running out of blood for operations, a blood hawker in Beijing told Caixin: “Many relatives of patients who need blood for an operation have no choice but to come to us.”