People travel, infections travel, and information can also travel. Theodor Lundgren explains how an audio documentary aims to reach Swedish truckers

Sweden is a small country in the developed world which has a relatively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS, so why should Swedish transport workers be concerned about it? The reasons are clear. Self-interest and solidarity with others go hand-in-hand. In this globalised world where people travel, so does the virus.

In the eighties we were surrounded by information on HIV, but now people have a sense that the problem is over. This is not the case. The disease is spreading in Eastern Europe, which is very close to Sweden. The younger generation needs to be fed with information about the risks. Information campaigns should reach people before, not after they contract HIV, so one cannot relax, not even in Sweden.

"This is an ideal format for reaching members on the road. The idea is to create discussion between workers"

Trade unions in Sweden have a long tradition in global solidarity work. And it was during a course in union solidarity that our HIV project for truck drivers was born.

One of the participants, Markus Pettersson, research official for The Swedish Transport Workers’ Union, met up with the Swedish journalist, Jessica Ritzén. Together they came up with the idea of using audio books to spread information about how HIV travels along transport routes throughout the world.

Work started on the “way of the virus” project in 2006 and will be finished in the autumn of 2007, comprising interviews with truck drivers, union representatives and experts in several countries. So far interviews have been conducted in Sweden, South Africa and Uruguay.

The interviews will be turned into an audio documentary and distributed through “roadside libraries”, which allow transport workers to borrow audio books at truck stops throughout Sweden and listen while driving. This is an ideal format for reaching members on the road. The idea is to raise awareness of the problem and hopefully create discussions between workers.

The project has also grown to contain a website, where people can see a video trailer and download information documents on HIV/AIDS. When the documentary is finished, it will be available for free downloading on the website.

HIV/AIDS is still a delicate subject and the last thing we would want to do would be to label a certain group as “irresponsible” or “less knowing” when directing a campaign towards workers in that group. The fact is: viruses spread when people are travelling, be they truck drivers, business travellers, women or men. Transport workers are not by nature more irresponsible than other groups – they just travel more. We hope our audio book will help them to travel more safely.

The sound documentary is sponsored by the LO-TCO Secretariat of International Trade Union Development Co-operation and produced by the Swedish production company Colours Media, in cooperation with the Swedish Transport Workers Union.  

Theodor Lundgren is a  journalist for Colours Media.