HIV/AIDS and Discrimination in Access to and Maintenance of Employment: The Case of PLHIV<sup>1</sup> in the Localities of Abidjan and Bouaké, Ivory Coast

Abstract

Faced with the difficulties of access to employment and the discrimination suffered by Person Living with HIV (PLHIV) in the world of work, the Ivorian legislator took measures in the mid-2010s to protect them. And yet, these practices persist. Based on a case study of two localities (Abidjan and Bouaké), the article attempts to uncover these discriminations and at the same time grasp the root causes of these practices. The aim is to establish a relationship between the discrimination experienced by PLHIV in the world of work and that in society. The text is based on a literature review and a qualitative survey carried out with 41 key informants through 4 focus groups and 9 individual interviews with PLHIV workers (focus groups), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), workers' organizations (unions) and employers (OE) and heads of Government Services (SG). The article concludes that discrimination in access to and maintenance of employment against People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in the world of work is the extension of current practices in society. They are accentuated when it comes to specific vulnerable groups. Key populations, in particular LGBT face double discrimination: one related to their sexual orientation and another to their HIV status.