HUMANE TREATMENT FOR MIGRANTS WITH HIV

Early day motion 653, tabled 4 February 2003 by Neil Gerrard (Labour). Signed by 73 members.

That this House notes the recent upsurge in inflammatory media coverage depicting asylum seekers as disease carriers and terrorists, notes how damaging such reports can be to people who have come to this country, in search of a safe haven and freedom from political persecution but also have HIV; believes that such media attention only fuels racism and stigma which is wholly counterproductive to the necessity to treat such individuals with respect and compassion; and urges the Government not to succumb to this media pressure by adopting policies which would only drive serious communicable disease further underground, but rather to continue to demonstrate the international leadership towards the epidemic that has been present for the last two decades.

Signatures by party: Labour 46, Liberal Democrat 17, Labour/Co-operative 3, Plaid Cymru 3, UUP 3, Conservative 1.