HIV-positive school bus driver indicted for sexual offenses

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) An HIV-positive man in central Taiwan has been indicted on charges including rape resulting in serious bodily injury after he was linked to five women with HIV infections, Taiwan health agencies said Saturday.

The case came to light after a health bureau in central Taiwan identified multiple HIV-positive individuals linked to the same person during contact tracing.

Further investigation uncovered suspected sexual offenses, prompting referrals to police, social welfare authorities and prosecutors, according to a statement issued by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Saturday.

The statement said the man allegedly used religious rhetoric to deceive and exploit the women.

Local health agencies told CNA that the five related cases spanned three cities and counties, including one involving the man's girlfriend, but prosecutors have declined to provide further details related to the case.

Victim protection

The CDC said local health authorities have provided affected individuals with health information, testing, treatment and counseling.

To protect the rights of people living with HIV, regulations prohibit the disclosure or dissemination of information identifying infected individuals and seek to prevent privacy violations and secondary trauma, the CDC said.

Violators face fines ranging from NT$90,000 (US$2,846) to NT$450,000.

Kuo Tsai-jung (郭彩榕), director-general of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Department of Protective Services, said Saturday that sexual offenses can take many forms, including the use of religion, authority or manipulation to influence a victim's willingness to provide consent.

Any act that violates a person's sexual autonomy should not be rationalized or trivialized, she said, and Kao urged potential victims and anyone with relevant information to come forward and report sexual offenses.

Taiwan's HIV policies

Based on information provided by the CDC, the case broke late last year when the suspect was found to be a contact of two separate women confirmed to have HIV, raising suspicions.

The suspect, however, was apparently not automatically tested for HIV as a contact when he was first listed as an HIV-infected person's contact around two years ago.

Asked why, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧), said Sunday that Taiwan does not mandate HIV testing for contacts out of concern that such requirements could discourage infected individuals from providing contact information.

The approach seeks to balance human rights and public health, as overly coercive measures, such as mandatory testing or disclosure of personal information, could make infected individuals less willing to cooperate with contact tracing efforts, she said.

Health authorities may only conduct HIV testing without an individual's consent when screening donated blood or organs, she said. In all other circumstances, consent is required.

She would not say when the suspect did eventually get tested for the disease and tested positive.

Tseng did note, however, that concealing one's HIV-positive status and engaging in high-risk sexual behavior or sharing injection equipment, resulting in the infection of others, is punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

Neither Tseng, the CDC, or any health agency has specifically said whether the suspect knew he was HIV positive when he allegedly raped the women.

Asked whether the suspect would receive appropriate treatment, Tseng said all HIV-positive individuals are provided treatment aimed at achieving the "Undetectable = Untransmittable" (U=U) standard.

Taichung's response

While the indicted man was identified by local media as a school bus driver in central Taiwan, his exact location of employment was not specified.

However, a Taichung city councilor on Sunday asked the Taichung City government about its measures to safeguard student safety.

It listed eligibility reviews, personnel training, transportation management and joint inspections of school transportation services as among the steps it would continue to take.

The city's Education Bureau said personnel whose jobs involve prolonged contact with students should be subject to child protection and background screening mechanisms.