The Malaysian University New Youth has expressed that the former president of the University Student Union, Nurnazla, recently suggested that the university should mandate HIV tests for every student to reduce the risk of HIV transmission on campus. While the New Youth understands the intention behind this suggestion, which arises from concern over the rising number of AIDS cases on campus, the issue lies in the use of a “mandatory” approach.
The New Youth issued a statement pointing out that one of the four basic medical ethics principles internationally recognized is “respect for autonomy,” which emphasizes that medical personnel must respect the dignity and autonomy of patients in their care practices. Therefore, mandating students to undergo testing violates medical ethics and undermines students' fundamental autonomy. In fact, the World Health Organization’s guidelines on “HIV Testing and Counseling” stress that AIDS screening must be voluntary and based on informed consent. Furthermore, the United Nations AIDS Programme (UNAIDS) has warned that coercive AIDS prevention measures not only infringe on human rights but also reduce public participation and exacerbate the stigma against high-risk groups, causing more harm than good.
“Can mandatory HIV testing really address the issue of rising AIDS cases on our campus? The answer is likely no, as the World Health Organization has clearly stated that the effectiveness of mandatory testing is limited. To address the AIDS epidemic, we should trace the root causes of resistance to testing or treatment — namely, the stigma associated with AIDS and the lack of sex education.”
The statement continues, citing a UNAIDS report that indicates people in areas with severe AIDS stigma are twice as likely to avoid seeking treatment compared to those in less discriminatory areas. This highlights that correcting negative stereotypes about AIDS patients through educational outreach and creating a non-discriminatory environment is the correct approach.
The statement also notes that the spread of AIDS among youth is closely related to the lack of sex education. Dennis, acting chairman of the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC), has expressed concern about the lack of sexual knowledge among teenagers. As Malaysia remains a relatively conservative country where “sex” is still a taboo topic, the educational system lacks comprehensive sex education. Even the scant content available in textbooks is often skipped by teachers, depriving students of the opportunity to learn about sex and sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, rather than using rights-infringing mandatory measures, the university could promote sex education and establish free HIV testing stations to encourage students to get tested voluntarily. The government or relevant authorities should also focus on de-stigmatizing AIDS and strengthening sex education to fundamentally address the issue of rising AIDS cases.
The statement concludes by addressing Nurnazla's suggestion. If the university does implement mandatory AIDS testing and continues to adopt a “paternalistic” management model under the guise of caring for students, intervening in students' informed consent and autonomy, how far are we from truly granting university students their autonomy?
“Thus, in the face of any policies that restrict student autonomy, whether it is mandatory testing or the ongoing infringement of university students’ freedoms under the Universities and University Colleges Act, the New Youth calls on all university students to unite against unreasonable policies and protect the sanctity of campus democracy.
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