[COMMENTARY] Will China’s New Code of Conduct Protect Hospital Patients?

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Wish tree at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna

By Mike Frick

Last week, China’s Ministry of Health released a draft “Code of Conduct for Medical Practitioners” for public review and comment. The document lays out a code of conduct for hospital administrators, doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. According to the ILO, many Chinese hospitals refuse to treat patients with HIV/AIDS – so there is definitely a need for new policies. We reviewed the draft code within Asia Catalyst and found some areas of progress, as well as some areas where the standards need a lot more work.

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[NEWS] Asia Catalyst in the People’s Daily

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It’s not every day that Asia Catalyst appears in the Wall Street Journal…or the People’s Daily, the official organ of the Chinese Communist Party. It was a pleasant surprise, then, when both happened in the same week.

Here’s a link to an article about Chinese civil rights group Tianxia Gong and their campaign to end employment-related discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in China. Staff of the grassroots NGO asked friends and supporters to pose for the camera with signs reading “PLWHA can be teachers” and “End discrimination against PLWHA”. UNAIDS picked it up, and over 12,000 people around the country have had their photos taken. We are honored to be part of this important campaign.

[RESOURCE] Know It: The Rights Framework

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Asia Catalyst, Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group and Dongjen Center for Human Rights Education and Action announce the publication of the second in our series of human rights manuals for grassroots groups from HIV/AIDS-affected communities: Know It: The Rights Framework. 

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[COMMENTARY] Prejudice Mars China’s AIDS Record

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From the Wall Street Journal Asia

By Mark Heywood and Sara L.M. Davis

China will observe World AIDS Day on Thursday with events in which Chinese leaders publicly embrace people living
with HIV/AIDS. But on every other day of the year, hundreds of thousands of Chinese living with HIV/AIDS are treated as second-class citizens.

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“我们感觉很骄傲” — 访问泰国性工作者机构EMPOWER

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By Carol Wang
EMPOWER：”我们是性工作者。我们用自己的智慧和技巧挣钱。我们感到很骄傲，因为我们能够用自己的劳动所得去支持自己的家庭和生活。我们在工作中相互照顾；我们 为安全的工作条件、平等的待遇和权利而奋斗。我们为泰国的经济发展做出了很大贡献，很多游客为我们而来。我们也是活跃的公民，我们关心政治、经济、环境、法律、权利，等等。我们努力在社会中占有一席之地，发出自己的声音。有些人认为我们是麻烦的制造者，但实际上我们在帮助社会解决问题。我们是性工作者，我们是EMPOWER。”