TANZANIAN POLICE FORCE TAKES THE LEAD IN TACKLING HIV/AIDS IN THE WORKPLACE

The Tanzanian Police Force (TPF) today launches its Workplace HIV/AIDS Policy, which will establish the force as a role model among the uniformed and public services for HIV prevention and care. The Deputy Home Affairs Minister, Hon. Balozi Khamis Suedi Kagasheki, will officially launch the policy at an event at the TPF Officers’ Mess, Dar es Salaam, which will also feature

speeches from the Head of the European Union Delegation, His Excellency Tim Clarke, the Inspector General of Police, Said Abdallah Mwema, and the Country Director of Marie Stopes Tanzania (MST), Dr Justine Coulson.

The Policy builds on three years of work by the TPF working in partnership with MST, with 750.000 euro (1.6 Billion TZS) worth financial support from the European Union. Since 2008, MST has assisted the TPF to implement a workplace HIV prevention and care project in all districts of Dar es Salaam, Iringa and Mbeya regions. The aim of the project is to contribute to the reduction of poverty in Tanzania by minimizing HIV transmission and mitigating the impact of HIV on health and productivity,particularly among police staff members and their families.

So far, the project has reached more than 5000 police and 28,000 of their family members with information and education on HIV prevention. MST has trained peer educators and medical service providers within the police, with the result that more than 8000 police and family members have accessed voluntary counseling and testing services to learn their HIV status.

The Workplace Policy is guided by four key principles: HIV/AIDS as a workplace issues, rights at work, confidentiality, and general well-being of police officers.

It outlines the rights and responsibilities of the police in relation to HIV/AIDS, covering issues such as prevention of sexually-transmitted infections, care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, gender, and health and safety in the workplace.

Project activities will continue throughout 2011 to ensure implementation of the policy within the TPF and awareness of HIV workplace issues in other uniformed and public service organizations. These will include: inclusion of the policy in the police training curriculum; capacity building of police at national, regional and district level; training of workplace policy ‘champions’ at all ranks in the police force; establishment of referral networks for police staff and their families to access HIV-related medical services; development and distribution of IEC materials and public awareness and media activities.

Marie Stopes Tanzania is Tanzania’s largest specialised SRH and family planning organization and part of the global Marie Stopes International partnership covering more than 43 countries. Since 1989, MST has provided a wide range of high quality,affordable and client-centred sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and information to men, women and young people

throughout the country.