Country Brief Read SMARTWork's assessment of HIV/AIDS prevention in DR, and recommendations for addressing the epidemic. [En español] Project Plan Read SMARTWork's targeted plan for the Dominican Republic. Search Materials Database Search for information, education, and communication materials used in Dominican Republic. Upcoming Events Check the calendar to view upcoming events in the Dominican Republic. Resources Browse our collection of web resources related to HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic

HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic
SMARTWork/Dominican Republic: Trabajo Vivo
Resources
SMARTWork/DR Bulletins  New!
Photographs

HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic

With a prevalence rate below three percent, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Dominican Republic is still in its earliest stages. Other countries in a similar situation have shown that the disease can be contained if efforts are aggressively focused on prevention, care, and support programs. Significant facts include:

• The Dominican Republic has the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, after Haiti and the Bahamas; 85% of the region's HIV/AIDS cases are in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
• According to UNAIDS, the estimated 2001 adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the Dominican Republic was 2.5%. Fewer than five percent of the estimated 130,000 people living with HIV/AIDS know their serostatus, and HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age.
• Most people living with HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic are in their most economically productive years; almost 80% of registered cases are among those aged 15-44. Almost 40% of registered cases are among individuals aged 25-34.
• Immigration from Haiti is increasing, and the new arrivals lack access to health information and services. The Dominican Republic is at serious risk of an HIV/AIDS explosion unless prevention efforts are enhanced.

There is a lack of HIV/AIDS and health information in the Dominican Republic, as well as a lack of access to health care. The public is largely unconcerned about its own risk of HIV/AIDS, and there is a high level of stigma and discrimination against those living with the disease.

The government of the Dominican Republic has been active in addressing the disease, particularly through the coordination of the Presidential Council on AIDS (COPRESIDA). The Dominican Republic has created both a national HIV/AIDS education plan and a National Strategic Plan for AIDS. A 1993 AIDS law guarantees access to employment and confidential medical records for people living with HIV/AIDS. However, both the public and employers are unfamiliar with the law, and companies often violate its requirements.

SMARTWork helped negotiate the signing of a Multisectoral Collaborative Agreement for HIV/AIDS Workplace Prevention in 2002 by an unprecedented coalition of public, semipublic and private organizations, including the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health, Institute for Technical and Professional Training, the Dominican Social Security Institute, the Employers Confederation, COPRESIDA, the NGO Coalition on AIDS, the National Trade Union Council, and SMARTWork. Seven of the nine signatories have finished drafting sectoral plans to address HIV/AIDS. The process and the media coverage it received are expected to help introduce HIV/AIDS prevention programs and policies in the workplace, and provide models for employers.

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SMARTWork/Dominican Republic: Trabajo Vivo

The program, implemented by the Academy for Educational Development with funding from the United States Department of Labor, was established in Santo Domingo in 2001. Known locally as Trabajo Vivo, SMARTWork/Dominican Republic has already:

• Served as a major impetus behind the creation and finalization of the new Multisectoral Collaborative Agreement for HIV/AIDS Workplace Prevention and coordinated efforts to draft the workplans of seven of the participating organizations.
• Translated a South African guide for government departments on HIV/AIDS programming at the national level.
• Provided training, technical assistance, and information to multiple businesses, unions, and nongovernmental organizations on establishing effective workplace HIV/AIDS prevention programs and policies.
• Evaluated available HIV/AIDS information, education, and communication materials to determine what is readily usable and which are best used by each of the Multisectoral Agreement signatories.
• Completed a country profile and needs assessment that pinpoint areas where issues around HIV/AIDS can be affected.

In the future, SMARTWork/Dominican Republic will:

• Assist three of the Multisectoral Agreement signatories to develop their workplans by providing model workshops and technical assistance.
• Develop a policy framework that could be enacted as part of a new HIV/AIDS law, or issued as regulations by either the Executive Branch or the Ministry of Labor.
• Continue providing training workshops, technical assistance, and information to employers, labor unions, and other interested entities.
• Ensure that high-quality materials are available at workplaces and other locations.

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SMARTWork/DR Bulletins New!

Our Programa Trabajo Vivo provides a weekly bulletin to enterprise committee coordinators who have participated in SMARTWork activities. Each week's bulletin provides educational materials and tools on a specific topic related to HIV/AIDS, and provides resources to disseminate to employees in the workplace.

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Resources

For more information on HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic, click here to access the UNAIDS 2004 Dominican Republic Epidemiological Fact Sheet.

For more information on SMARTWork/Dominican Republic, contact:

Mr. Juan Lladó, Regional Coordinator
SMARTWork/Trabajo Vivo
Calle Federico Henríquez y Carvajal, No. 11
1st Floor
Gazcue, Santo Domingo
República Dominicana
Tel: 809-221-6090
Fax: 809-221-6068
jllado@aed.org

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