HIV infection used to be considered a sure death sentence - and an almost certain exclusion from society - meaning the victim's social and professional life had to be cut off.
But gradually, those perceptions are changing and that was clear today when the Ministry of Labor organized a working session to draft a policy, which will regulate how people with HIV-AIDS are treated in the workplace.
Today human resource managers from various private business houses were locking heads at the Belize Institute of Management on HIV/AIDS sensitization issues. The national project coordinator Sheila Middleton told us what was discussed.
Sheila Middleton, National Coordinator - AIDS/ILO Project
"What we are having today is a sensitization workshop for private organizations. The reason why we are having is that if we are going to be working with different businesses in helping them to develop workplace policies and also education programs, we need to first sensitize them. We need to let them be more aware of the HIV situation in Belize and that's specifically what we are doing today. This workshop will let them be more aware of HIV and also give them an opportunity to come on board with us and say we want something like this in our company."
On Friday union leaders will be discussing the issue.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited for the internet by Keith Swift