Thread: H.I.V. sufferers to be branded

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HIV sufferers could be branded in Swaziland

MP Timothy Myeni has suggested making tests compulsory for every person in the southern African state and then forcing those who were infected to be permanently marked with a warning logo.

He claimed the scheme would help stop the spread of the killer disease by reducing sexual activity between HIV positive people and uninfected partners.

Speaking at a workshop for MPs on how to tackle the epidemic, he added: "Before having sex with anyone, people will have to check their partners' buttocks before proceeding,"

Campaigners furiously criticised the idea with Siphiwe Hlophe, a health campaigner, saying the system would contravene human rights laws.

She said: "How can a legislator lobby for the branding of HIV positive people?
"We do not need legislators who think like him because some of the people who voted for him could be positive, why is he then discriminating them?"

Swaziland has the highest HIV infection rate in the world, with around 43 per cent of the population believed to be living with the disease.

The tiny landlocked southern African kingdom has previously been criticised for its failure to tackle the condition.