Global AIDS - India

Outrageous Incident Report - July 9, 2003

Dear Meera

It is indeed an outrageous incident that has taken place in Chittoor. How ever let us not assume that the unanimous work on HIV/AIDS by all of us has reached every nook and corner of our country and let us also not imagine and assume that all our vast encouraging training and expertise has put an end to the stigma and discrimination of HIV/AIDS.

We need to consciously make an effort at two levels:

Yes! you bringing it to the notice of all of us working in the field of HIV/AIDS has to come to limelight and believe that these things are still taking place. Therefore conscious efforots should now start moving to educate the public at large not only through us but by making integrated efforts and that I mean every NGO working for any kind of cause should bring in HIV/AIDS as a part of their curriculum to disseminate. Trust you few organisations specializing in HIV/AIDS will not be able to cover the entire country. Efforts should therefore be multiplied.

We need to identify the nearest NGO working on HIV/AIDS and find out what on earth were they doing and conciously if they were doing work then how would this incident miss their eyes in the realm of their specialised HIV project that they are working, because this is not a day’s incident. It has been happening over a period of time.

If so the State AIDS Control Society should look into the matter and raise a question. Let us also as NGOs take responsibility if we claim that we are specializing in the HIV/AÌDS field.

We also need to take into account of the background of the people and the situation that we are still into: what I mean is the literacy level of people to understand the issues behind PLHA, the fact that we still hide sex and sexuality, the closeness behind it even among the educated lot, still in the world of abstinence, still hiding ourselves to talk about condoms in schools and particuarly the teenagers, our condom policy running into pages scientifically - whereas what we need today is an open market sales of condoms, elders and youngsters talking about condoms freely.... and it goes on.

Well if this is the condition among the educated what would you then expect out of the illiterate crowd or the less educated crowd.

SACS should make sure that all parts of the state are covered to implement interventions and not just targetted interventions. It is high time that we include in our strategy the integrating of HIV programs through other NGOS also.

I am sure it will be yet another set back for the PLHA on hearing this incident but I guess let us also start using our brains to identify where it went wrong and rectify. First let us think of rendering space to the society to talk about sex and sexuality and then we would quite astonshingly see AIDS taking care of by itself. Until that situation arises we will still go around beating the bush and more such incidences will have to be faced in future also.

I hope and trust in your capacity you could identify the nearest NGO and work with them, convince the police to take the perpetrators into custody and render a wide media report so as to reach the villages.

Correct me if I am wrong!

Regards
Shyamala ashok
E-mail: aabinand@sify.com