HIV debt collectors plan attacked

Campaigners say the move exploits prejudice against HIV sufferers

Social workers in Taiwan have condemned as exploitative the actions of a debt collection agency which says it plans to use HIV positive patients to act as debt collectors.

Hopefully the Aids patients would bring about pressure on the debtors — Tung Nien-tai, Debt Collector

The company announced the move on Monday saying fears of the disease and ignorance of how it is transmitted would encourage people to pay up.

"Hopefully the Aids patients would bring about pressure on the debtors," Tung Nien-tai, head of the Tsai Sheng collection agency was quoted as saying.

Mr Tung said he had a contract with the management of a half-way house for HIV and Aids patients, and would pay each one about $100 a day for visiting debtors and urging them to pay.

Reinforcing prejudice

He said that although he knew the virus did not spread easily himself, many Taiwanese believe they can catch the disease by using public toilets or through casual physical contact.

However, social workers have accused Mr Tung of reinforcing prejudices against the sufferers of HIV and undermining their efforts to improve understanding of the disease.

"Aids patients only want employers to treat them the same as they would treat others," social worker Tang Fu-kuo told the Associated Press news agency.

"We can’t understand how someone can exploit them and yet try to legitimise the act by pretending to create job opportunities for them."