In
the school situation, learner's reactions will be watched by their peers and
educators.Deciding to be tested will
quite possibly not be a private issue.It might be quite noticeable who gets
tested and who doesn't. Reasons for not being tested could be that the person
already knows their status, or is a virgin and feels that he or she knows
his/her status without being tested, or perhaps a person doesn't want to be
tested for fear of the result being positive. Whether there will be sufficient
privacy for the decision to be made without others making inferences is a moot
point.
Schools
of course are notorious for the power and authority issues which arise between
those in “authority” (principals, teachers, prefects, bullies, selection
committees for future prefects, etc) and learners. Whether HCT will be able to
be completely voluntarily (i.e. no coercion taking place) in the school
situation is debatable and the possibility of discrimination against those who
don't choose to be tested is a real possibility.
Confidentiality
will be a major issue and post test counselling is often of necessity much
longer for those with a positive result than those with a negative result. This
will in a sense be measurable by the rest of the class/school. “So and so’s
post test counselling was much longer than mine, so she must be positive” is a
strong possibility. Add to this the fact that someone who is diagnosed positive
will in all likelihood be extremely traumatised and upset and one wonders if
confidentiality in the school setting is at all possible.
A
further ethical issue could be in the area of consent to being tested. Parents
may have different desires to their children regarding testing. The final
decision must rest with the child.
Another
ethical consideration is that HCT should only be carried out if there is
provision for treatment for everyone who tests positive.
None
of the above mentioned issues should detract from HCT campaigns in schools, but
should rather stress the importance of bringing teachers and learners and parents
on board before the campaign kicks off to try and lay a foundation that
safeguards against stigma and discrimination and ensures that none of the
rights enshrined in the constitution are violated.
