By Mabinty M. Kamara
The proprietor of Providence International High School faces possible charges for allegedly conducting compulsory HIV test on the school pupils.
Forcing anyone to conduct an HIV test violates Section 28 of the 2011 National HIV and AIDS Act of Sierra Leone.
The school’s proprietor, Joseph Bangura, was taken to task by the Network of HIV Positives (NETHIPS), an umbrella body of people living with the virus in Sierra Leone. With the support of the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS), NETHIPS filed a complaint with the Sierra Leone Police which confirmed that it had invited the school’s authorities as part of investigations into the issue.
NAS noted in the press statement last week that it received frantic calls from parents of children who were allegedly subjected to compulsory HIV testing on diverse dates in 2019 and 2020.
According to the statement, Providence International High School designed a form and compulsorily solicited HIV testing for the pupils.
“HIV testing is a voluntary and confidential test conducted by health care workers. The school, as an educational institution, soliciting compulsory HIV testing is not only contravening the law, but also abusing the rights of these children,” the statement reads in part.
“NAS and its partners are mindful of the obligation of the Government of Sierra Leone to the UN and the International Conventions and Protocols on the Right of the Child to which Sierra Leone is a signatory. We implore the public to report all such matters to relevant Government authorities and the Police, for necessary action to be taken whenever they are privy to such information,” it adds.
NAS further urged the Sierra Leone Police to accelerate the investigation process and prosecute all those found wanting, including the school authorities and authorities of the medical testing laboratories.
The Secretariat said the issue had a tendency to affect the lives and work of people living with HIV and their families, health care workers, the international community, donors and the efforts put in place by the Government to end the HIV pandemic as a public health threat by 2030.
“NAS, NACP and its partners remind stakeholders and the general public that HIV testing in Sierra Leone is voluntary, confidential and free as stipulated in the 2011 National HIV and AIDS Act of the Republic of Sierra Leone. We also call on the media and all involved to ensure the protection of the rights of the concerned families and pupils is guaranteed,” the statement from NAS adds.
Police Media and Public Relations Manager, Superintendent Brima Kamara, confirmed to Politico that the matter had been reported and he said they had invited the school authorities for questioning.
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