China will improve AIDS prevention and care at reform through labor camps

While speaking in Baoding in Hebei province on 1st December, the Deputy Minister for the Chinese Judiciary, Chen Xunqiu said education through labour camps have a huge responsibility in halting the spread of AIDS. He requested effective measures be taken to raise the standards of AIDS prevention and care work in education through labour camps.

1st December is the 19th World AIDS Day. Chen Xunqiu said the number of people in drug-rehabilitation type education through labour camps now reached 130,000, comprising 58% of all people undergoing education through labour - while drug use is a major method of the spread of AIDS in China. According to tests, there is a definite proportion of people with HIV in education through labour detention centres and the epidemic is quite serious.

This year, the Chinese government issued an AIDS Prevention and Care law which clearly states: public security and judicial administrative bodies should take appropriate measures to stop the spread of HIV when they come across people with HIV who are in detention, serving sentences in prison, receiving education through detention according to law, being forced to undergo drug rehabilitation or undergoing education through labour. This is the legal basis for AIDS prevention and care work for prisons and education through labour venues.

Chen Xunqiu said prisons and education through labour agencies across the country must further strengthen the management of people with HIV, work on their aid and treatment and resolutely stamp out the spread of HIV within the institution. At the same time they must stress care and treatment and thoroughly protect the lawful rights of infected people.

China had an accumulated total of 180,000 people with HIV up till 31 October 2006, and the disease is spreading from high risk groups to the general population. The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is the same as last years, "Stop AIDS, Keep the promise"