TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Klaten to jail, fine those discriminating against people living with HIV
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A participant of a rally holds a poster that reads: Free women and children from HIV-AIDS. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)
T
he Klaten administration issued a new regulation that could result in jail time of up to six months and a fine of Rp 50 million for people who discriminated HIV patients.
Klaten Health Agency disease control and prevention division head Herry Martanto said the regulation, Regional Bylaw (Perda) No. 6/2017, prohibited of any form of discrimination and prejudice toward people living with HIV.
“The regulation is part of our effort to protect people living with HIV. Of course, issuing sanctions is our last resort,” he said Sunday.
He added that the administration would start educating residents and relevant institutions on the regulation.
The Klaten AIDS Commission recorded 524 people living with HIV from 2007 to March 2017.
HIV activist Dewi told The Jakarta Post that people with HIV still experienced discrimination, including when seeking medical services.
“There are medical practitioners who isolate people with HIV when they provide services,” Dewi said. (rdi/wit)
