What is HIV and AIDS?

Character Briefing Notes
Scenario 1
Xiao Hong: She is dating a divorced Chinese man. She does not know him very well, but
likes him a lot. She recently had unprotected sex with him and is now very concerned.
She comes from a very traditional Chinese family. Her parents would get very angry with
her if they knew that her boyfriend was divorced let alone that she might be infected with
HIV because of her relationship with him. What’s more, her mother has a heart condition
and is too fragile to face any difficulty. On the other hand, she is afraid that she would be
fired by the organisation she has newly joined if she was infected with HIV. She really
likes the job which she has got with a great deal of effort. She does not want to lose the
job.
The Colleague: S/he has little knowledge about HIV and AIDS. In her/his mind, the
disease is the most deadly and can be transmitted very easily among people through
everyday contact. After s/he knows Xiao Hong’s concern, she cannot help taking two
steps back. She is not sure whether Xiao Hong will be fired because of this or not. She
regrets being close to her in the office.
Scenario 2
Xiao Hong: She is dating a divorced Chinese man. She does not know him very well, but
likes him a lot. She recently had unprotected sex with him and is now very concerned. She
comes from a very traditional Chinese family. Her parents would get very angry with her if
they knew that her boyfriend was divorced let alone that she might be affected with HIV and
AIDS because of her relationship with him. What’s more, her mother has a heart condition
and is too fragile to face any difficulty. On the other hand, she is afraid that she would be
fired by the organisation she has newly joined if she was affected with HIV and AIDS. She
really likes the job which she has got with a great deal of effort. She does not want to lose
the job. Without the job, she would not have enough money to get proper treatment.
Although she would not be fired she is still worried that colleagues will be scared off and do
not want to work with her.
The HR Manager: She is a very empathetic person. She greets Xiao Hong with a smile and
asks her how she can support her. After she listens to her concern, she first calms down
her. Then she patiently advises Xiao Hong on how to deal with the situation. (You can refer
to VSO’s HIV&AIDS Workplace Policy)
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