Taiwan University Fined NT$1 Million for Expelling HIV-Positive Student
What you need to know
In what is considered a landmark case for Taiwan, a university has been fined for expelling an HIV-positive student in 2013.
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have fined National Defense University (NDU) NT$1 million (US$32,000) for expelling an HIV-positive student in 2013.
The case is understood to be the first of its kind in Taiwan in which an education institution has been fined for discriminating against a student.
In April, the High Court ruled against the CDC after it tried to have the student, known as Ah Li, reinstated. However, the Court said the CDC could take further action against the school under the “HIV Infection Control and Patient Rights Protection Act.”
The student tested HIV-positive in 2012. Upon learning about the student’s condition, the university reportedly prohibited him from taking swimming classes and required that his food, plates and clothes be washed separately from those of other students. The school said it did not expel the student for being HIV-positive, but rather for his “disrespectful actions towards school.”
The CDC says it will continue to appeal in court for the student to be reinstated.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has voiced concern over the case. It provided the CDC with information from similar trials in other countries to help it fight for the student's rights in court.
Taiwan’s 31,000 HIV patients are protected by the HIV Infection Control and Patient Rights Protection Act and the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, both of which prevent any discrimination against HIV patients.
First Editor: Olivia Yang
Second Editor: Edward White