Global AIDS - India
Ineffective HIV Strategies in India - July 11
Dear Friends,
I am writing to send you the attached article on HIV/AIDS in India,
written by CHANGE Senior Associate Avni Amin and published in the Indian
monthly journal, SEMINAR (Comment: India's AIDS Control Programme; SEMINAR,
New Delhi; No. 527, July 2003).
The article can be accessed through our website www.genderhealth.org.
The article responds broadly to an earlier series of articles published
in the December 2002 issue of SEMINAR, which can be accessed through
the SEMINAR website at www.india-seminar.com.
The article argues that current efforts to stem the spread of HIV in
India are largely ineffective in part because of a persistent focus
on narrowly defined risk groups, in part because of the failure by the
government and international donor agencies to address factors critical
to the spread of HIV in India, including sexuality, gender inequality,
stigma and discrimination, and in part because of chronically poor quality
of care in STI and HIV/AIDS services.
It is the first in a series of papers and articles on these issues
to be published in the coming months by CHANGE and in various journals.
Avni spent nine weeks on the ground in India earlier this year conducting
field research for an in-depth analysis of India's HIV/AIDS program
being conducted by CHANGE. The main focus of this work is to analyze
whether or not India's national AIDS control strategy effectively addresses
the specific vulnerabilities and needs of women and other marginalized
groups.
Women--including married, monogamous women--represent a large and growing
share of those at risk of or already infected with HIV in India, not
to mention elsewhere in South and South-east Asia.
During this and two earlier trips, Avni conducted interviews with
key informants in the national government and among donor agencies;
spoke with state-level government representatives, service providers,
and advocacy groups; and conducted group discussions with members of
vulnerable populations. She also conducted an extensive review of the
literature on HIV/AIDS in India.
Through our ongoing work in India, we intend to analyze and make recommendations
for changes in the national HIV/AIDS program, and to work with our partners
on the ground to promote effective approaches to prevention, treatment,
and care. Please write us if you have questions or comments about this
article, or would like more information on this or other aspects of
our work.
With best wishes,
Jodi L. Jacobson
Executive Director
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 910
Takoma Park, Maryland 20912 USA
Phone: (301) 270-1182 Fax: (301) 270-2052
www.genderhealth.org
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