Saturday 27 October 2007

India bank aids prostitutes-Many hope that investing will end a cycle of poverty

India bank aids prostitutes-Many hope that investing will end a cycle of poverty
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5249975.html

By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM
Associated Press Oct. 27, 2007,
MUMBAI, INDIA — In the heart of Mumbai's red light district, several prostitutes sit on brown plastic chairs in a narrow room waiting to do something many have never been able to do before: deposit their savings in a bank.

The small bank is the initiative of the sex workers and aims to help them break the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation that keeps them indebted to brothel owners.

The simple act of squirreling away some money was previously out of reach for many customers of the Sangini Women's Cooperative Bank.

Prostitutes are often shunned by regular banks or lack residence documents or birth certificates officially required to open an account in India.

Now, for the last three months, they have been able to enter the bank daily to deposit an average of 10 to 20 rupees (25 to 50 cents) and dream of things they will do as their savings grow.

"We may not have house papers, but we also dream," said Indra Jai, 40, who was lured from a southern village 20 years ago with promises of a job in Mumbai and then forced into prostitution. "We should get respect; our money is also good."

Jai said she dreams of buying a small house and a tailor shop in her village and paying for her 19-year-old son's college education.

The government estimates there are 3 million prostitutes in India, many of whom start as children lured by traffickers. Others are teenagers sold by impoverished family members to brothel owners.

They spend up to five years working for free in dingy, airless rooms to repay the brothel owner's investment. To survive they often turn to moneylenders charging exorbitant interest rates and drive themselves further into debt and dependence.

Thoughts of breaking the cycle drive the bank's more than 900 customers.

"If we fall ill who will look after us? We must save when we are still earning," said Jai, a founding member of the bank.

The bank — three narrow rooms that also house a cooperative store — is filled with women, some queuing up in front of a teller, others shopping for soap, food, grains and condoms.

Mumbai's prostitutes began a women's cooperative group two years ago with support from PSI, a Washington-based nonprofit organization.

The bank and store were launched with $40,000 in funding from PSI.

"We thought it would take a year to get 100 customers, but we opened more than 100 accounts on day one," said Shilpa Merchant, PSI's Mumbai director.

Guided by PSI, the bank invests daily deposits totaling 25,000 rupees ($625) in fixed savings schemes with state-run banks earning 9.5 percent interest per year.

The women say entering the bank every day helps them hold onto their dreams.

"Sometimes I think my life is a waste," said Gulabja Sheikh, 35, who was sold at 15 by her parents. "But now I have my house to work for."

Friday 26 October 2007

India's gay prince appears on Oprah show

India's gay prince appears on Oprah show
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/26look1.htm
October 26, 2007

Manvendra Singh Gohil, scion of the Rajpipla royal family from Gujarat, sure has come a long way.

In 1995, he got married with fanfare but it soon ended owing to his homosexuality. Manvendra Singh faced confusion, personal pain and tensions within his family, and even had a nervous breakdown.

On October 24, he was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, talking about his past.
Manvendra's traditional, conservative and feudal background made his personal story interesting and eye-catching. Oprah would have never heard of Manvendra but for his 'royal linage'. Till 2002-03, he was a quite unknown, fearful, and shy but sensitive homosexual trying to do his bit for gays in India, largely to help himself.

Surprisingly, he could not name his sexual urge for almost three decades. Unbelievably, he claims that in Mumbai during the 1980s and early 1990s, where he was a student, he could not find useful information or literature for gays.

He agreed to marry a princess from Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, because, he claims, "I thought after marriage I will be alright because I never knew and nobody told me that I was gay and [that] this is normal. Homosexuality is not a disease. I tremendously regret for ruining her life. I feel guilty."

He even took up yoga to pacify his agony. In the library, he read about homosexuality in a book under the heading of `sexual deviation.' In the book, it was described as a mental disorder. A few years after the painful divorce, he came across a column by gay activist Ashok Row Kavi. He bought Kavi's magazine for gays Bombay Dost and quickly got in touch with Kavi. Through him and the magazine Manvendra met many likeminded people. He got deeply involved in a social network to help gays in Gujarat.

"In America I have been interviewed five times, including [by] The New York Times, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times because I am from a former royal family, and Westerners have respect for people like us," Manvendra says. He says ABC made a film on him and his trust Lakshya, (Gay prince to form sexual minorities forum http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/07prince.htm

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Manavendra Singh Gohil, a member of the Rajpipla royal family, who is known as the 'gay prince' for his outspoken stand on his sexual orientation, is planning to form a national forum for the sexual minorities.

The non-governmental organisation chaired by Gohil, Lakshya Trust, has recently won the 'UNAID Civil Society Award 2006' for its contribution in preventing HIV/AIDS among homosexual men.

The front, which will be known as India Forum for Sexual Minorities, will bring several issues faced by the sexual minorities at the national level, Gohil said.

Lakshya Trust is engaged in spreading AIDS awareness in Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot.
The organisation is also planning to extend its activities to other cities in Gujarat like Porbandar, Jamnagar and Vapi, with the support of Gujarat State AIDS Control Society.) which works for HIV/AIDS awareness among the gays of Gujarat.

Rajpipla, where his ancestors were kings, is in the lap of the Saputara range of hills in south Gujarat. To reach the green and beautiful Rajpipla town -- with a population of 75,000 -- one has to cross either the Narmada river or its tributary Karjat. In this tribal district area, Manvendra is known as Yuvraj Shri Manvendra Singhji Raghubir Singhji Sahib. He is into organic farming and selling manure made of earthworms. His father Raghubir Singh's beautiful 35-room pink palace has been converted into a heritage hotel.

"I belong to a very conservative and traditional family," says Manvendra. "It was difficult to be gay in my family. The villagers worship us and we are role models for them. My family didn't allow us to mix with ordinary or low-caste people. Our exposure to the liberal world was minimal. Only when I was hospitalized after my nervous breakdown in 2002 did my doctor inform my parents about my sexuality. All these years I was hiding my sexuality from my parents, family and people. I never liked it and I wanted to face the reality. When I came out in the open and gave an interview to a friendly journalist, my life was transformed. Now, people accept me."

But his mother Rukmini Devi has still not come to terms with her son's sexual preference. Mother and son hardly talk. Father Raghubir Singh has reconciled after seeing his son's work in the field of HIV-AIDS awareness. Lakshya has reached 17,000 gays on Gujarat and won a 2006 UNAIDS award. Manvendra plans an exclusive nursing home for HIV/AIDS patients in Rajpipla.

But, his "people" -- the tribal people and villagers -- want "yuvraj" (prince) to have an inheritor to the "throne of Rajpipla," claims Manvendra. He is thinking of adopting a son. Before granting him a divorce, his wife told him, `Never do this to any other woman.' He has vowed not to marry again under family or public pressure.

Text: Sheela Bhatt Photograph courtsey: The Oprah Winfrey Show

Sunday 21 October 2007

Woman With AIDS Virus Sent to Prison

Woman With AIDS Virus Sent to Prison
http://www.missourinet.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=B87C72D0-C49A-6718-7CE9FA2011255EA1
Friday, October 19, 2007, 8:34 AM
By Bob Priddy

A woman with the AIDS virus convicted of having unprotected sex with aboyfriend has been sent to prison for a decade. 27-year-old AngelaHarris could have been sentenced to prison for life if the boyfriendhad tested positive for HIV. But so far he's negative.

Police say Harris' mother has told them the woman had sex with as manyas 100 people. Harris' lawyer says that's not correct. Investigatorshave found at least three of Harris' partners. One has tested positive,but can't be sure he got it from her.

Harris has known since she had a miscarriage at age 14 that she has thevirus.

Aids counsellor tried to rape me: student

Aids counsellor tried to rape me: student
'I was surprised by the nurse's response'
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=125&art_id=vn20071020085919413C235847
October 20 2007 at 11:25AM
By Nondumiso Mbuyazi

A young Durban student's routine visit to a clinic because she was not feeling well turned into a terrifying experience after she said an Aids counsellor there tried to rape her.

The 23-year-old woman, of Krans-kop, said she went to the clinic in Lancers Road, Umbilo, where she was advised to have an HIV test.

After taking her blood sample, the counsellor told her to wait in his office while he fetched her results. "He then came back and locked his office door. I thought this was strange but then thought maybe he didn't want other people to hear my results. He then asked me whether I knew how to use a condom," she said.

She told him that she did know how to use one since she was studying through Unisa to become a social worker, but it seemed the counsellor was adamant on showing her how to use the condom.

"I was shocked when he pulled down his pants and demanded I show him how a condom is used. I declined because I know the rules of being a social worker or a counsellor and they definitely do not include you or a counsellor doing a physical or practical demonstration," the woman said.
What frightened her even more, she said, was when the counsellor told her to get on the bed so he could show her how people contracted Aids. "I refused to do this.

"By now I could see he was getting annoyed and that's when we got into a tussle. I kept on demanding he open the door and let me out but he wouldn't hear of it until I gave in to his demands," she said.

A case of attempted rape has been opened against the counsellor, although a senior nurse at the clinic advised her not to. "I was surprised by the nurse's response when I told her what had happened in the counsellor's office.

"She told me to calm down and she would sort everything out, but she pleaded with me not to report the matter to the police because the man could lose his job," she said.

The traumatised woman said she still did not know how she managed to push her way out of his office and escape because she could see that the counsellor "meant business" and was not going to let her go.

Police confirmed that a case had been opened against the counsellor, but nobody had been arrested.

Thursday 18 October 2007

Consultation of PLHA, Law and Media for Obtaining Positive Outcome of NACP-III for Sustainable Development of the Community - Chandigarh

Consultation of PLHA, Law and Media for Obtaining Positive Outcome of NACP-III for Sustainable Development of the Community - Chandigarh
Chandigarh Network of People Living With HIV, 18th October 2007,
at CYP Asia Center, Sector 12, Chandigarh , India
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveandaids/message/5006

On October 18, of this month Drop-in-centre has completed two years of existence. Past few years were successful years in terms of achievements and obtaining results pertaining to Advocacy, IEC activities and issues related to care and support. On the advent of NACP-III, PLHA thought that participatory approach of including important stakeholders can help the community obtaining positive outcomes of NACP III objectives.

One day workshop on ‘Consultation of PLHA, Law and Media for Obtaining Positive Outcome of NACP-III for Sustainable Development of the Community - Chandigarh’ was conducted by Chandigarh Network of People Living with HIV on 18th October, 2007 at the CYP Asia Centre. Last year State Consultation on ARV Treatment Access, Care, Support and Rights of PLHA – Chandigarh was organized by INP+ and CNP+ on 18th and 19th October, 2006 at the CYP Asia Centre, Chandigarh, India for detail report visit:
http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/aids/comm_update/res-0 6-191006-02.doc

This year also we initiated the same and invitations for participation and Facilitation were sent to different organizations and individuals in Chandigarh. Around 40 PLHA and their family members from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, they were facilitated by trained facilitators who were actively working in the field. This workshop was well received by the media. All the participants appreciated the arrangements made for the conduct of this Workshop and participated in various sessions of Workshop and deliberated on the Consultation of PLHA, Law and Media for Obtaining Positive Outcome of NACP-III for Sustainable Development of the Community. The key issues, suggestions and commendations on different issues are described below.

PLHA, Medical Professionals, Para Medical, lawyers, social activists, NGOs, academicians and others took part in this Workshop. The Workshop was open to all, by way of information through invitation.

The participants, facilitators and others were welcome to workshop by Commonwealth Youth Ambassador for Positive Living Ms. Pooja Thakur, President CNP+ and she shared that with regular initiative the members of network have 178 member families of the PLHA and a majority of them are struggling to get employment. Moreover, they are unable to find jobs, which are easier on their fading health and the network also supports 72 children and has been requesting the UT Administration to give them space to build a hostel for thechildren. Children who are on Anti-Retroviral Treatment need special care. They have to be given nutritious diet and regular medicines. Most of them, however, live with their relatives, who cannot take care of the children this way, Pooja focused. The members of network are from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. She added the increasing awareness about HIV/AIDS, however, has not helped the PLHA to lead a normal life. They still face discrimination in society and many have lost their jobs due to the disease, and an expensive second-line treatment that majority of them cannot afford. Moreover, there is no concrete policy for HIV/AIDS orphans in the city

The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Raj K. Mishra, Regional Director, CYP Asia Centre. He exhorted the participants to organise themselves, and work for the development of the Community. This can be done by first empowering themselves through education and skill building. After the inauguration Mr. Nawendu Jha highlighted the Objectives of the Consultation and Brief on Agenda of Workshop was also discussed.

PLHA had come from far off areas like Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh along with them were their HIV positive children — some who have been on treatment at the PGI for as many as seven years and have been healthy.

The technical sessions were conducted by different facilitators Mr. Raj K. Mishra, Regional Director, CYP Asia Centre - Understanding NACP-III, Dr. Vinita Gupta, Jt. PD, SACS, Chandigarh - Role of SACS for Strengthening PLHA with Reference to NACP-III , Dr. Kavita Chawan – Goals of NACP-III on Rehabilitation, Care and Support, Strategies of SACS for Positive Out Comes, Dr. Avnish Jolly – Understanding PLHA , Dr. Archana Singh, Department of Mass-communication, Panjab University, Chandigarh- Role of Media in context to PLHA and Mr. Raman Chawla, Lawyers Collective, New Delhi - HIV /AIDS Bill. Open Discussion on Economic Empowerment of PLHA was also conducted by Mr. Nawendu Jha, Project Coordinator, Drop-In Center, Chandigarh.

Sessions on Group Discussion / Initiatives, Issues and problem Sharing and Role Play were conducted by Anil Kumar, Member CNP+. Panel Discussions and Different Questionnaires were in detail discussed in interactive sessions by Ms. Meena Vij, Founder and Former President, Chandigarh Network of People Living With HIV.

Throughout the workshop the speakers discussed in detail with the participants the skills required to be good peer educators. They were advised how to form network in their areas and villages, and how the members could derive the maximum benefit from them. The participants were also empowered on different health related issues and different guidelines and home remedies were discussed with them in length to cope-up with stress, maintain their activity of daily life and whom to contact during illness.

The workshop was concluded by Ms. Meena Vij with hope that the public can show love to PLHA and not only allow them to rebuild their lives in the community but work upon GIPA.

“Together we stand’, to symbolise unity in challenging HIV/AIDS stigma. Stigma, ‘a powerful and discrediting social label that radically changes the way individuals view themselves and are viewed as persons’, can be felt (internal stigma), leading to an unwillingness to seek help and access resources, or enacted (external stigma), leading to discrimination on the basis of HIV status or association with someone who is living with HIV/AIDS.

Because stigma has an impact on prevention and care it is important to address it directly. However, stigma-mitigation practice has not been well informed by theory and research. An urgent need was identified for indicators of stigma, which can be used to develop interventions and measure their success.

Drop-In Center - CNP+ Project (Funded by SACS, Chandigarh under NACO Scheme) thus aims to pave the way for a stigma-mitigation process by developing well-researched indicators of HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination. The project has focused on three key areas essential to HIV/AIDS:

Faith-based organisations and communities as important sources of support to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs)
National government departments as workplaces committed to dealing with stigma through good policy and practice
The relationship between PLHAs and the media as an example of how empowered individuals can impact positively on perceptions and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS.

A comprehensive review, two consultative workshops and the establishment of reference groups in the focus areas of the project ensured that a diverse range of opinions and experiences were reflected.

The project consists of six aspects:

A literature review to provide a theoretical understanding of stigma
The development of indicators of internal and external stigma through this fieldwork and in consultation with experts in the field
The documentation of promising practices which mitigate HIV/AIDS stigma
A qualitative study of stigma experiences and perspectives through focus-group discussions and key-informant interviews across the community.
A media scan to contextualise and locate the fieldwork in a particular time and place
The development of guidelines to assist those who wish to develop interventions to impact positively on HIV/AIDS stigma.

It is very important to address HIV/AIDS stigma in order to improve the quality of the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS and to address prevention effectively. Powerful negative metaphors related to HIV/AIDS reinforce stigma and create a sense of otherness. Bothering occurs when blame and shame are assigned to people living with HIV/AIDS. This sets a moral tone that contributes towards people conceptualizing PLHAs as different, and guides thinking toward a ‘them’ and ‘us’ division. When this division occurs, a person is less likely to identify with the other group, in this case PLHAs. For example, metaphors those refer to HIV/AIDS as a plague – and PLHAs by association as the carriers – present PLHAs in a dehumanizing and alien light. The consequence of bothering is that certain groups may feel that they are immune to the risk of HIV infection. Stigma also influences how we respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Instead of using resources and energy effectively to provide a caring, compassionate response, PLHAs, people representing risk groups, and people affected by HIV/AIDS have become targets for blame and punishment. This has only heightened their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and pushed them into a vicious cycle of stigmatization and discrimination.

As part of the qualitative exploration of HIV/AIDS stigma, collected many personal experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS who have started to heal emotionally because of supportive and non-stigmatizing environments. PLHAs mentioned particularly the value of proper pre and post test HIV counseling, the provision of factual information about the virus and opportunistic diseases, and counseling about disclosure. PLHAs highlighted the importance of acceptance by their family, faith group, friends and colleagues in helping them to overcome the initial shock of discovering their status. Acceptance also helped them to accept their status and to live positively. Where PLHAs have not been able to find such support, they have also been more likely to internalize societal stigma.

These guidelines highlight the importance of such an accepting environment – not only for the healing of PLHAs, but also for creating an environment that allows open discussion and disclosure. It also reduces the sense that HIV/AIDS is somebody else’s problem.

These guidelines were developed to provide leaders of PLHA organizations with user-friendly recommendations on training for PLHAs, to strengthen their media advocacy roles in HIV/AIDS stigma-mitigation. Additional sets of guidelines are available for the faith and national government workplace sectors. The guidelines are not exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with other guideline documents on HIV/AIDS and stigma within the three sectors.

The purpose of these guidelines is:

To share the findings of in a user-friendly way
To provide recommendations on training for PLHAs to strengthen their media advocacy roles in stigma mitigation.

“Acceptance is the key to many doors. And acceptance is probably one of the keys to the stigma door too.” Ms. Pooja Thakur, President CNP+

The National AIDS Control Programme Phase III aims to go beyond the high risk behavior groups covered by Targeted Interventions. This would entail extension of interventions to populations.

Objectives of the Social Assessment

· To undertake a comprehensive Social Assessment that documents the prevalence and risk of HIV/AIDS,
· To understand their levels of knowledge, social and behavioural causes and consequences of HIV/AIDS (including stigma),
· To assess current strategies used for PDTC of HIV/AIDS in order to ensure appropriate programme design and implementation to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and improve its management.
· To provide information for pre-project stakeholder consultations and to design continuous stakeholder consultations in the programme.

Assessment Methodology

· Review of literature
· Primary assessment among tribal population; and programme implementers and service providers
· Relevant literature survey
· Analysis of the various policy documents
· Analysis of NACO Project documents and assessment reports available

Basic Information

The following are the salient findings regarding behavioral and other practices that are relevant to the programme planners:

· Low awareness and knowledge regarding STI/HIV/AIDS
· Widely varying sexual practices (high level of pre-marital and extra marital sexual practices) and contact with external high risk population make them vulnerable
· Specific communication strategy designed to suit the needs and culture of the target group in local dialects would be necessary. The choice of medium for communication would also be critical. Folk media, Inter Personal Communication and messages through influencer groups could be main choices
· Non-availability and/or lack of access to health care facilities were one of the main factors discouraging health seeking. Trust in faith healers and non qualified private practitioners and easy accessibility made them rely on these sources for seeking treatments for illnesses. Role of such providers in referral needs to be reckoned in programme design
· Gender bias towards males for health care seeking needs to be addressed
· Knowledge regarding STI and symptoms are low and misconceptions that exist
exasperates this situation
· High level of stigma associated with STI and HIV/AIDS is a challenge that needs to be addressed
· Youth are emerging as a highly vulnerable group in these areas

Policy Environment

The following some of the policies have been examined and analyzed for their implications on the Prevention-
· National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Policy
· National Health Policy 2002
· National Population Policy 2002
· National Rural Health Mission-Vision Document
· National HIV/AIDS Bill
· Manipur State Level Policy on HIV/AIDS
· The National RCH and RNTCP Program Documents

Institutional Issues

· A special function at the National and State level needs to be created and positioned to deal with issues relating to policies, coverage and implementation of interventions among the tribal population and other socially disadvantaged sections of the population who are vulnerable to HIV.
· The district level planning envisaged during NACP III needs to identify the vulnerable and socially disadvantaged populations as well as the tribal population that need to be covered in the different districts of each state.
· The Governing Board and Executive Committee of each SACS can be expanded to include members from the Social Welfare Board and Tribal Development departments for better understanding of the requirements of the populations and appropriately plan for intervention and services in those areas.
· The convergence with RCH II especially in the areas of Tribal Plan, Rural, Urban Poor and the approaches to mainstreaming gender and equity can be attempted in order that the service availability and service provision can be linked. The policy and goals can be studied and the same be tied up with in the state PIP for serving the tribal population and other marginalized and socially excluded population.
· Behavioral studies using a ethnographic approach need to be carried out in different tribal and rural belts to better understand the risk and vulnerability factors of the specific population in order to design programme and interventions for these populations.
· Capacity building of the NACO and SACS staff on the Social Development issues, gender, equity and Social Exclusion needs to be provided in order that the staff are sensitized and appreciate the necessity to include and mainstream such aspects into the programme.
· District level structures need to be created for planning the district level HIV/AIDS intervention with evidence for planning and capacity needs to be built on different aspects of programme planning and management

Recommendations

· Review of laws and policies and make them specific to tribal population
· Policy on specific interventions to be taken up with the tribal population and the necessity for the state and the district plans to reflect these over the initial period of NACP III
· Provision of clear budgetary allocation for working with the tribal population to emphasize the importance
· Convergence as a strategy with other programmes needs to be worked out in order that cost-effective interventions can be initiated
· Introducing a function of social development within NACO and train and sensitize staff of NACO on these issues in order that it can be mainstreamed
· Inter-sector collaboration with ministries such as Environment & Forests, Tribal
Development, Social Welfare and Tourism to arrive at certain common minimum
programme
· Constitute a working group at the national level for identifying strategies to work with the tribal population
· Initiate mapping exercise at the state level in order to prioritize
· Expand the Governing Body and The Executive Committee at the state levels to include representatives of tribal development and social welfare
· Develop communication material in the local dialects and languages with a clear focus on changes that are intended to be brought about
· In states strengthen the NGO advisor with a support unit to effectively handle such Interventions
· Develop appropriate structure at the district levels to implement HIV/AIDS programmes and also plan for priorities at the district level
· To have mechanisms to generate the disaggregated information regarding tribal population at the district level at different service provision centers
· Research studies to establish the relationship between migration and tribal risk factors needs to be initiated for evidence to plan for these
· Initiation of training programmes for service providers to sensitize them to issues of tribal population in order that their attitudes are conducive to the tribal population
· Carry out a detailed assessment of the private sector organizations that are working in the tribal areas and plan for their involvement through consultations
After understanding NACP-III insight on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights are very important. For many years since the advent of HIV/AIDS, various intergovernmental, non-governmental and governmental bodies have recognized the important connection between the protection of human rights and effective responses to HIV/AIDS.
The most valuable document on Consultation on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (Geneva, 23-25 September 1996) Report of the Secretary-General which advocates Public health interests do not conflict with human rights. On the contrary, it has been recognized that when human rights are protected, less people become infected and those living with HIV/AIDS and their families can better cope with HIV/AIDS; A rights-based, effective response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic involves establishing appropriate governmental institutional responsibilities, implementing law reform and support services and promoting a supportive environment for groups vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and for those living with HIV/AIDS. According to it there are many steps that States can take to protect HIV-related human rights and to achieve public health goals. The 12 Guidelines elaborated by the Consultation for States to implement an effective, rights-based response are summarized below.

Guideline 1: States should establish an effective national framework for their response to HIV/AIDS which ensures a coordinated, participatory, transparent and accountable approach, integrating HIV/AIDS policy and programme responsibilities across all branches of Government.
Guideline 2: States should ensure, through political and financial support, that community consultation occurs in all phases of HIV/AIDS policy design, programme implementation and evaluation and that community organizations are enabled to carry out their activities, including in the field of ethics, law and human rights, effectively.
Guideline 3: States should review and reform public health laws to ensure that they adequately address public health issues raised by HIV/AIDS, that their provisions applicable to casually transmitted diseases are not inappropriately applied to HIV/AIDS and that they are consistent with international human rights obligations.
Guideline 4: States should review and reform criminal laws and correctional systems to ensure that they are consistent with international human rights obligations and are not misused in the context of HIV/AIDS or targeted against vulnerable groups.
Guideline 5: States should enact or strengthen anti-discrimination and other protective laws that protect vulnerable groups, people living with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities from discrimination in both the public and private sectors, ensure privacy and confidentiality and ethics in research involving human subjects, emphasize education and conciliation, and provide for speedy and effective administrative and civil remedies.
Guideline 6: States should enact legislation to provide for the regulation of HIV-related goods, services and information, so as to ensure widespread availability of qualitative prevention measures and services, adequate HIV prevention and care information and safe and effective medication at an affordable price.
Guideline 7: States should implement and support legal support services that will educate people affected by HIV/AIDS about their rights, provide free legal services to enforce those rights, develop expertise on HIV-related legal issues and utilize means of protection in addition to the courts, such as offices of ministries of justice, ombudspersons, health complaint units and human rights commissions.
Guideline 8: States, in collaboration with and through the community, should promote a supportive and enabling environment for women, children and other vulnerable groups by addressing underlying prejudices and inequalities through community dialogue, specially designed social and health services and support to community groups.
Guideline 9: States should promote the wide and ongoing distribution of creative education, training and media programmes explicitly designed to change attitudes of discrimination and stigmatization associated with HIV/AIDS to understanding and acceptance.
Guideline 10: States should ensure that government and private sectors develop codes of conduct regarding HIV/AIDS issues that translate human rights principles into codes of professional responsibility and practice, with accompanying mechanisms to implement and enforce these codes.
Guideline 11: States should ensure monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to guarantee the protection of HIV-related human rights, including those of people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and communities.
Guideline 12: States should cooperate through all relevant programmes and agencies of the United Nations system, including UNAIDS, to share knowledge and experience concerning HIV-related human rights issues and should ensure effective mechanisms to protect human rights in the context of HIV/AIDS at international level.

GUIDELINES ON HIV/AIDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Preamble

This document contains guidelines adopted at the Second International Consultation on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, held in Geneva from 23 to 25 September 1996, to assist States in creating a positive, rights-based response to HIV/AIDS that is effective in reducing the transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS and respectful of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The elaboration of such guidelines was first considered by the 1989 International Consultation on AIDS and Human Rights, organized jointly by the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and the World Health Organization. (1) The United Nations Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities have repeatedly reiterated the need for guidelines. (2) Increasingly, the international community has recognized the need for elaborating further how existing human rights principles apply in the context of HIV/AIDS and for providing examples of concrete activities to be undertaken by States to protect human rights and public health in the context of HIV/AIDS.
The purpose of these Guidelines is to translate international human rights norms into practical observance in the context of HIV/AIDS. To this end, the Guidelines consist of two parts: first, the human rights principles underlying a positive response to HIV/AIDS and second, action-oriented measures to be employed by Governments in the areas of law, administrative policy and practice that will protect human rights and achieve HIV-related public health goals.
The Guidelines recognize that States bring to the HIV/AIDS epidemic different economic, social and cultural values, traditions and practices - a diversity which should be celebrated as a rich resource for an effective response to HIV/AIDS. In order to benefit from this diversity, a process of participatory consultation and cooperation was undertaken in the drafting of the Guidelines, so that the Guidelines reflect the experience of people affected by the epidemic, address relevant needs and incorporate regional perspectives. Furthermore, the Guidelines reaffirm that diverse responses can and should be designed within the context of universally recognized international human rights standards.

It is intended that the principal users of the Guidelines will be States, in the persons of legislators and government policy-makers, including officials involved in national AIDS programmes and relevant departments and ministries, such as health, foreign affairs, justice, interior, employment, welfare and education. Other users who will benefit from the Guidelines include intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), networks of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs), community-based organizations (CBOs), networks on ethics, law, human rights and HIV and AIDS service organizations (ASOs). The broadest possible audience of users of the Guidelines will maximize their impact and make their content a reality.

The Guidelines address many difficult and complex issues, some of which may or may not be relevant to the situation in a particular country. For these reasons, it is essential that the Guidelines are taken by critical actors at the national and community level and considered in a process of dialogue involving a broad spectrum of those most directly affected by the issues addressed in the Guidelines. Such a consultative process will enable Governments and communities to consider how the Guidelines are specifically relevant in their country; assess priority issues presented by the Guidelines and devise effective ways to implement the Guidelines in their respective contexts.

In implementing the Guidelines, it should be borne in mind that achieving international cooperation in solving problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all, is one of the principal objectives of the United Nations. In this sense, international cooperation, including financial and technical support, is a duty of States in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and industrialized countries are encouraged to act in a spirit of solidarity in assisting developing countries to meet the challenges of implementing the Guidelines.
Among the human rights principles relevant to HIV/AIDS are, inter alia:
· The right to non-discrimination, equal protection and equality before the law
· The right to life
· The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
· The right to liberty and security of person
· The right to freedom of movement
· The right to seek and enjoy asylum
· The right to privacy
· The right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to freely receive and impart information
· The right to freedom of association
· The right to work
· The right to marry and found a family
· The right to equal access to education
· The right to an adequate standard of living
· The right to social security, assistance and welfare
· The right to share in scientific advancement and its benefits
· The right to participate in public and cultural life
· The right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
· The rights of women and children.

The application of specific human rights in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic
Examples of the application of specific human rights to HIV/AIDS are illustrated below. These rights should not be considered in isolation but as interdependent rights supporting the Guidelines elaborated in this document. In the application of these rights, the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be remembered. It remains the duty of States, however, to promote and protect all human rights within their cultural contexts.
1. Non-discrimination and equality before the law
2. Human rights of women
3. Human rights of children
4. Right to marry and found a family and protection of the family
5. Right to privacy
6. Right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications
7. Right to liberty of movement
8. Right to seek and enjoy asylum
9. Right to liberty and security of person
10. Right to education
11. Freedom of expression and information
12. Freedom of assembly and association
13. Right to participation in political and cultural life
14. Right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
15. Right to an adequate standard of living and social security services
16. Right to work
17. Freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

After understanding these we must understand the following issues and work accordingly for betterment:
Institutional responsibilities and processes:
States should establish an effective national framework for their response to HIV/AIDS which ensures a coordinated, participatory, transparent and accountable approach, integrating HIV/AIDS policy and programme responsibilities, across all branches of Government.
Depending upon existing institutions, the level of the epidemic and institutional cultures, as well as the need to avoid overlapping of responsibilities, the following responses should be considered:
· Education
· Law and justice, including police and corrective services
· Science and research
· Employment and public service
· Welfare, social security and housing
· Immigration, indigenous populations, foreign affairs and development cooperation
· Health
· Treasury and finance
· Defence, including armed services
Supporting community partnership:
States should ensure, through political and financial support, that community consultation occurs in all phases of HIV/AIDS policy design, programme implementation and evaluation and that community organizations are enabled to carry out their activities, including in the fields of ethics, law and human rights, effectively.
Public health legislation:
States should review and reform public health legislation to ensure that they adequately address the public health issues raised by HIV/AIDS, that their provisions applicable to casually transmitted diseases are not inappropriately applied to HIV/AIDS and that they are consistent with international human rights obligations.
· The HIV-positive person in question has been thoroughly counselled
· Counselling of the HIV-positive person has failed to achieve appropriate behavioural changes
· The HIV-positive person has refused to notify, or consent to the notification of his/her partner(s)
· A real risk of HIV transmission to the partner(s) exists
· The HIV-positive person is given reasonable advance notice
· The identity of the HIV-positive person is concealed from the partner(s), if this is practically possible
· Follow-up is provided to ensure support to those involved, as necessary.
Criminal laws and correctional systems:
States should review and reform criminal laws and correctional systems to ensure that they are consistent with international human rights obligations and are not misused in the context of HIV/AIDS or targeted against vulnerable groups.
· The authorization or legalization and promotion of needle and syringe exchange programmes;
· The repeal of laws criminalizing the possession, distribution and dispensing of needles and syringes.
Anti-discrimination and protective laws:
States should enact or strengthen anti-discrimination and other protective laws that protect vulnerable groups, people living with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities from discrimination in both the public and private sectors, that will ensure privacy and confidentiality and ethics in research involving human subjects, emphasize education and conciliation and provide for speedy and effective administrative and civil remedies.
A national policy on HIV/AIDS and the workplace agreed upon in a tripartite body
Freedom from HIV screening for employment, promotion, training or benefits
Confidentiality regarding all medical information, including HIV/AIDS status
Employment security for workers living with HIV until they are no longer able to work, including reasonable alternative working arrangements
Defined safe practices for first aid and adequately equipped first-aid kits
Protection for social security and other benefits for workers living with HIV, including life insurance, pension, health insurance, termination and death benefits
Adequate health care accessible in or near the workplace
Adequate supplies of condoms available free to workers at the workplace
Workers' participation in decision-making on workplace issues related to HIV/AIDS
Access to information and education programmes on HIV/AIDS, as well as to relevant counselling and appropriate referral
Protection from stigmatization and discrimination by colleagues, unions, employers and clients
Appropriate inclusion in workers' compensation legislation of the occupational transmission of HIV (e.g. needle stick injuries), addressing such matters as the long latency period of infection, testing, counselling and confidentiality.
Non-discriminatory selection of participants, e.g. women, children, minorities
Informed consent
Confidentiality of personal information
Equitable access to information and benefits emanating from research
Counselling, protection from discrimination, health and support services provided during and after participation
The establishment of local and/or national ethical review committees to ensure independent and ongoing ethical review, with participation by members of the community affected, of the research project
Approval for use of safe and efficacious pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical devices.
Regulation of goods, services and information:
States should enact legislation to provide for the regulation of HIV-related goods, services and information, so as to ensure widespread availability of qualitative prevention measures and services, adequate HIV prevention and care information and safe and effective medication at an affordable price.
Legal support services:
States should implement and support legal support services that will educate people affected by HIV/AIDS about their rights, provide free legal services to enforce those rights, develop expertise on HIV-related legal issues and utilize means of protection in addition to the courts, such as offices of Ministries of Justice, ombudspersons, health complaint units and human rights commissions.
Women, children and other vulnerable groups:
States should, in collaboration with and through the community, promote a supportive and enabling environment for women, children and other vulnerable groups by addressing underlying prejudices and inequalities through community dialogue, specially designed social and health services and support to community groups.
· The role of women at home and in public life
· The sexual and reproductive rights of women and men, including women's ability to negotiate safer sex and make reproductive choices
· Strategies for increasing educational and economic opportunities for women
· Sensitizing service deliverers and improving health care and social support services for women
· The impact of religious and cultural traditions on women.
Changing discriminatory attitudes through education, training and the media
States should promote the wide and ongoing distribution of creative education, training and media programmes explicitly designed to change attitudes of discrimination and stigmatization associated with HIV/AIDS to understanding and acceptance.
Development of public and private sector standards and mechanisms for implementing these standards
States should ensure that Government and the private sector develop codes of conduct regarding HIV/AIDS issues that translate human rights principles into codes of professional responsibility and practice, with accompanying mechanisms to implement and enforce these codes.
State monitoring and enforcement of human rights:
States should ensure monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to guarantee HIV-related human rights, including those of people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and communities.
International cooperation:
States should cooperate through all relevant programmes and agencies of the United Nations system, including UNAIDS, to share knowledge and experience concerning HIV-related human rights issues, and should ensure effective mechanisms to protect human rights in the context of HIV/AIDS at the international level.
· Support translation of the Guidelines into national and minority languages
· Create a widely accessible mechanism for communication and coordination for sharing information on the Guidelines and HIV-related human rights
· Support the development of a resource directory on international declarations/treaties, as well as policy statements and reports on HIV/AIDS and human rights, to strengthen support for the implementation of the Guidelines
· Support multicultural education and advocacy projects on HIV/AIDS and human rights, including educating human rights groups on HIV/AIDS and educating HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups on human rights issues, and strategies for monitoring and protecting human rights in the context of HIV/AIDS, using the Guidelines as an educational tool
· Support the creation of a mechanism to allow existing human rights organizations and HIV/AIDS organizations to work together strategically to promote and protect the human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and those vulnerable to infection, including through implementation of the Guidelines
· Support the creation of a mechanism to monitor and publicize human rights abuses in the context of HIV/AIDS
· Support the development of a mechanism to mobilize grass-roots responses to HIV-related human rights and implementation of the Guidelines, including exchange programmes and training among different communities, both within and across regions
· Advocate that religious and traditional leaders take up HIV-related human rights concerns and become part of the implementation of the Guidelines
· Support the development of a manual that would assist human rights and AIDS service organizations in advocating for the implementation of the Guidelines
· Support the identification and funding of NGOs and ASOs at country level to coordinate a national NGO response to promote the Guidelines
· Support, through technical and financial assistance, national and regional NGO networking initiatives on ethics, law and human rights to enable them to disseminate the Guidelines and advocate for their implementation
For more details
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1997/documentation/commission/e-cn4-1997-37.htm#CONTENTS#CONTENTS
The acronym “GIPA” was first orated during the preparatory meetings for the Paris AIDS Summit, held in December 1994. GIPA stands for the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS coming directly from the text of the Declaration[1]. The text suggests an initiative to strengthen the capacity of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA), networks of PLHA and community based organisations to participate fully at all - national, regional and global - levels, in particular stimulating the creation of supportive political, legal and social environments.

In particular it described the 1983 Denver Principles which are the first documented words of PLHA seeking greater respect and involvement. The exact principles are as follows:

· A refusal to be “victims”.
· A request for support from all people.
· A plea against stigma and discrimination.
· A call to arms of all people with HIV to choose:
ü To be involved at all levels of decision-making.
ü To be included in all AIDS Forums.
ü To be responsible for their own sexual health and to inform their partners of their HIV status.
The Denver Principles further to identify and demanded the following five human rights:
· A full and satisfying sexual and emotional life.
· Quality medical treatment and social service provision.
· Full explanations of medical procedures and risks and the right to choose or refuse treatment.
· Privacy and confidentiality of medical records and disclosure.
· To die and live in dignity.

The specific objectives were as follows:

To generate an operational understanding of the GIPA principle.
To share experiences of various mechanisms of enhancing GIPA.
To explore opportunities and obstacles related to the implementation of GIPA activities.
To explore future perspectives and mechanisms for enhancing GIPA
PLAN OF ACTION
The overall Plan of Action is outlined in the section on Objective 4. Beyond these key strategic areas of Stigma and Discrimination; Communication and Information Sharing; GIPA at Institutional and Policy Levels; Empowerment of PLHA and Groups of PLHA and Advocacy, a few additional areas to focus action on are listed below.

· Survival: The strong will to survive leads to people being involved.
· Success: Successes that have been seen on the ground encourage people to go further.
· Self-determination.
· Networking through the internet and other electronic means.
· Donors have the power to influence policy and programmes and they should try to impact positively on national level programmes through encouragement of GIPA.
· The opportunity to address the environment for safe disclosure through GIPA must not be missed.
· UNAIDS, through GIPA, should include PLHA in high level press briefings and meetings with Presidents and other national level leaders.
Declaration of the Paris AIDS Summit - Important to understand the GIPA visit: http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/conferences/summit/index.html
PLHA and their Children shared their experiences and concerns on issues that ranged from social isolation, being orphaned, denial of services, access to education, emotional distress and their dreams and aspirations for the future.

The group recognized that Treatment, care and support were addressed comprehensively and key activities and indicators developed in programs providing care, support for children infected and affected with HIV and AIDS ensures improving the quality of lives. While the document deals with most of the key components relating to children affected by AIDS, it is suggested the following issues can be incorporated to make it comprehensively responsive to the needs of PLHA and their family members while collecting different data for

Advocacy paper for PLHIV issues
http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/aids/resource/res-01-250607-02.doc http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/aids/resource/res-01-250607-01.doc

The guideline was developed in several phases:

First, an analysis was conducted of the findings of focus-groups and key informant interviews with an overall focus on enabling factors for stigmamitigation, and the relationship between PLHAs and the media.
Next, there was broad consultation with reference-group members and participants in a consultative workshop. All participants involved in these processes had a wealth of HIV/AIDS knowledge and experience. Participants were representatives of the three chosen sectors – the workplace sector, faith organisations, and PLHAs with media experience.
The third phase drew on the experience of PLHAs who had interacted with the media. In different focus groups were held and involving participants. An effort was made to have gender-specific and race-specific groups, although this was not always possible.
A draft guideline document was developed and the document was circulated amongst selected key HIV/AIDS experts for comment. Their feedback is reflected in this final set of guidelines.

The workshop and other interactions advocate the following components for effective implementation of NACP-III:
policy
leadership
interventions
partnership.
follow-up

Interactions between PLHAs and the media

According to the focus- group participants who were living with HIV/ AIDS, the media lack a sufficient number of empowered PLHA voices. PLHAs felt that they should be consulted to assist with awareness messages and storylines for television and radio programmes. PLHA participants in the focus - groups believed that the media perpetuate certain perceptions of

“If they hear it from the horse’s mouth, then they listen. It’s much better than to just read a story. I think that’s where the media can improve – they [television media] all have the opportunities to do that.” Ranbir Singh, Vice President, CNP+ (Siti Cable Chandigarh – AIDS Day, 2005)

HIV/AIDS and Label PLHAs.

Specifically, PLHAs were represented as sick and dying, ‘immoral’ and/or as only women. Some PLHA focus-group participants had had empowering interactions with the media, while others had had disempowering experiences. According to some PLHAs, media practitioners have selected only aspects of their stories in order to make their reports more newsworthy, or to make the story fit into their perspectives. Most PLHAs mentioned that they were asked inappropriate questions, such as:

• “Who infected you?”
• “Since when have you been positive?”
• “Are you on ARV?”
• “What about your Children and who is caring them?”
• “What was your reaction when you came to know about your HIV status?”
• “Since when have you been positive?”
• “Have you been sleeping around?”
• “Does your partner know that you are HIV positive?”
• “How does it fees when you sleep with someone?”

Recommendations that emerged from the Consultation of PLHA, Law and Media for Obtaining Positive Outcome of NACP-III for Sustainable Development of the Community – Chandigarh are following;

Capacity building and involve PLHAs for effective implementation, monitoring and improvement of NACP-III at organizational level:

Definitions of Core Groups, Bridge, Status etc.,
Develop strategy for enabling environment and effecting sustained behaviour change.
Linkage with BCC, STI, Condoms, Migration trafficking and enhancing rural.
Outreach including Slum population
Develop strategies to empower target communities:
Emerging issues of IDUs.
Sub group for MSMs
Design strategies for convergence and sustainability of interventions.
Convergence between social sectors, Health and Development.
Technical assistance, Capacity Building to NGO, SACS
Sub group on Monitoring and Evaluation of Targeted Interventions
Enabling Environment Sub group
Community Mobilization and Empowerment
Mainstreaming and Partnerships
Human Rights and Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS
Surveillance
Research
Programme Management
Resource Mobilization, Planning and Resource Management
Programme Organization
Coordination and Institutional Arrangements
Decentralization
Monitoring, Evaluation and Implementation Tracking
Involvement at all levels

Involve PLHAs in the media:

People living with HIV/AIDS should be involved in the media to a greater extent. PLHAs have unique experiences and expertise, which could be used as a resource. By involving PLHAs, credibility can be given to HIV/AIDS programmes and reporting.

PLHAs could also be effective spokespersons for stigma-mitigation. The principle of the Greater Involvement of People living with HIV/AIDS commonly referred to as the GIPA principle, encourages organisations to involve PLHAs in addressing the pandemic and so enable PLHAs to act as HIV/AIDS advocates for positive living.

“It is high time that our voices are heard. Let us not have other people telling us what they think should happen to a person who is living with HIV when we are here and know what it is like.” Narayan Dass, Founder and Former Coordinator, Kiran (Knowledge for Information, Rights, Advocacy and Network) Help Line, Chandigarh

Specifically, PLHAs could be involved in the:

• Development of guidelines for media practitioners
• Development of television and radio programmes that are HIV/AIDS stigma-sensitive
• Development of HIV/AIDS educational materials that are HIV/AIDS stigma-sensitive
• Training of media workers on HIV/AIDS and stigma-related issues
• Monitoring of the codes of conduct.

Although HIV/AIDS affects some groups disproportionately because of preexisting social inequalities, recognition of this fact should not be at the cost of stigmatizing such groups and creating the perception that HIV/AIDS only affects these groups, with others perceived as immune to the disease. The media may be able to show that HIV/AIDS affects us all by ensuring a broader representation of PLHAs in terms of demographics such as race, gender, age and geographic location.

Empower PLHAs to interact with the media in an assertive manner

In order for PLHAs to become more actively involved in media advocacy to reduce stigma, effort needs to be made to build the capacity of PLHAs. It is suggested that the training of PLHAs include:
• Raising awareness of PLHAs’ rights
• Improving awareness of good practices for media interacting with
PLHAs, including codes of conduct
• Developing awareness of good media practices for representing
PLHAs – this should include using empowering language and images
• Enhancing awareness of possibilities for redress
• Developing skills for good communication and for sustaining good relationships with the media
• Developing skills in effective public disclosure of HIV status
• Creating a supportive environment among PLHAs involved in working with the media
• Improving skills for handling; leading questions, sensitive questions and difficult questions
• Sensitizing to issues of stigma
• Consent regarding the implications of working with the media. Participating PLHAs gave this advice to PLHAs who intend to interact with the media:
• PLHAs need to first come to terms with their HIV-positive status and past experiences.
• PLHAs need to be prepared for possible stigmatisation and discrimination, which may also affect those related to or associated with the PLHA.
• PLHAs need to be prepared for possible shock reactions of their family and friends in response to public disclosure.
• PLHAs need to be assertive when interacting with media practitioners to ensure that their story is told in the way they intend it to be.

Advocate that media regulatory bodies accept ethical guidelines

PLHA organisations could play an active role in advocating for the integration into the existing media ethics. Following manuals are milestones:

HIV/AIDS in News-Journalists as Catalysts published by UNDP India and Population Foundation of India in 2005.
HIV/AIDS- Media Manual India -2007 published by The EU-India Media Initiative on HIV/AIDS
Mass Communication in prevention and control of AIDS- Strategies for Adolescents written by Dr. Archana, Rakesh Singh, Department of Mass Communication, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

PLHA organisations could approach editors and sub-editors of different Media Houses and Development of guidelines for media for the advocacy in all the languages.

Produce HIV/AIDS stigma-mitigation messages

One way in which a PLHA organisation or others can mitigate stigma is through the production of stigma-mitigating messages using various forms of media – print, television and radio. Some positive examples of stigma-mitigation messages in the media include:
My Brother Nikhal and Phir Milaga are two very useful movies for masses to understated different issues related with HIV/AIDS.
Living Openly – a book highlighting the lives and experiences of People living with HIV/AIDS in India, commissioned by the NACO News letter.
Jina Kada Na Mani Har (Positive Living of HIV+ People) – A weekly article in Punjabi Tribune on Positive Speakers by Dr. Avnish Jolly from December 2006 to March 2007.
Soul City – television, radio and print media campaigns are researched to ensure that the information and messages they broadcast are sensitive and correct.
Bush Radio’s daily Positive Living show, which is presented by a PLHA
Steps for the Future (a range of short documentaries addressing HIV/ AIDS which have been aired on television, in cinemas and are available on video)
Beat It and Positive – both television programmes with a stigmamitigation message and presented by PLHAs

Address stigma with members of PLHA organizations

PLHA organisations can target stigma directly by addressing the topic with members and running training courses on the topic. Knowledge of the nature and effects of stigma can enable members of PLHA organisations to effectively address the topic with others in their own capacity.

Dr. Avnish Jolly

Sunday 7 October 2007

Hundreds Celebrate Gay Prince's Birthday

Hundreds Celebrate Gay Prince's Birthdayby
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100707india.htm
365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: October 7, 2007 - 4:00 pm ET

(Vadodara, India) Hundreds of people from high and low social stations gathered on the grounds of the royal palace in Gujarat state to celebrate the birthday of India's openly gay prince.
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil turned 42 on Sunday. A leading figure in India's small LGBT civil rights movement and a vocal supporter of people living with HIV, Prince Manvendra invited gays and PWAs from all over India to celebrate his birthday at a party that featured gay musicians and artists.

It is the 10th birthday that the prince has celebrated this way, brightening the faces of hundreds of people who regularly suffer from discrimination.

Homosexuality is illegal in India, punishable by imprisonment and people living with HIV/AIDS are frequently shunned by their families.

For the prince the occasion allows people to interact and be visible. The two day party was extensively covered by the Indian media which usually treats gays with derision.

Although Prince Manvendra had been out to his family for years - almost as long as he had quietly been involved in gay and HIV groups - he did not speak publicly about his sexuality until last year.

After he granted the Times of India an interview in which he discussed being gay, his family fearing reprisals from the public disowned him.

He was stripped of his title, inheritance, and all rights. Manvendra learned of the decision by his father only be reading announcements placed in local newspapers by the Royal Family. (story)
In a follow-up interview with The Times of India the prince said that he was not altogether surprised.

He told the paper that he had come out to his family in 2002. "However, they may not have expected that I would go public with the issue."

This month his father, one of the richest men in India, softened his stance. (story)

"I was in an awkward situation and didn't know how do deal with it. Relatives from all over the country called me up. Rajpipla is a conservative place. Women still cover their heads with a pallu; sex is a taboo topic to talk about. I was in the line of fire," Raghubir Singh Gohil told the Times.

Manvendra is Raghubir's only son and within weeks they were reunited and the prince's titles restored.
©365Gay.com 2007

Wednesday 3 October 2007

Trucks keep alive Bhagat legacy

Trucks keep alive Bhagat legacy
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh/Trucks_keep_alive_Bhagat_legacy/articleshow/2410362.cms

28 Sep 2007, 0305 hrs IST,Khushwant Singh,TNN CHANDIGARH: No one else has perhaps spread the name of revolutionary Bhagat Singh more than Punjab's truck and taxi drivers. Be it in the form of bumper stickers, sketches or windshield screens, the iconic freedom fighter still appeals to this lot more than any other leader before or after India's independence.

"He is our hero," said Sital Singh, a truck driver from Moga. Sital, who was eating his lunch at a dhaba near Ropar and had Bhagat Singh's image painted brightly on the rear bumper of his vehicle explained that for the likes of him "who encounter corrupt traffic officials everyday" Bhagat Singh's legacy was the only inspiring story. "India needs a revolutionary like Bhagat Singh to inspire people to fight corruption. Politicians will just celebrate his birth anniversary (on Friday) and forget about him. But for us, he lives forever."

Not surprisingly, the freedom fighter's image is what is demanded most from the state's painters. "When we visit a painter, Bhagat Singh's sketch is the first option we are offered,"said Kulwinder Singh, another truck driver who traverses the entire length and breadth of the country. There is another sub-option: a turbaned Bhagat Singh and the one in a hat. His moustache, though, has to be perfect, turban or hat. "At least give us credit for spreading his name," said Lakhmir Singh, who was carrying apples from HP to Chandigarh. "Usually we are only charged with spreading AIDS and other sexual diseases."

Incidentally, it’s not only truckers who are inspired by Bhagat Singh. The man who went to the gallows fighting the British is a hit with young Punjabi taxi drivers as well. "He’s my role-model," announced 32-year-old Iqbal Singh, a taxi driver from Hoshiarpur. He said the Bhagat Singh tale got into his head and heart after repeated rendition of it by his late grandfather.

Monday 1 October 2007

Karnataka police formulate a workplace policy on HIV/AIDS

Karnataka police formulate a workplace policy on HIV/AIDS
http://www.infochangeindia.org/features447.jsp

By Deepanjali Bhas

The Karnataka State Police has become the first state police department in India to formally unveil a comprehensive and detailed Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS. But will it work on the ground?

Even as debates rage on the actual number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in India, the Karnataka State Police (KSP) became the first state police department in India to formally unveil a comprehensive and detailed Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS, in April 2007.

The guiding principles of this policy are:

Employees living with HIV/AIDS have the same rights and obligations as all staff members, and they will be protected against all forms of discrimination based on their HIV status.

Minimise the possibility of HIV infection and transmission among staff members and their families.

The policy document adds that no person with HIV or AIDS will be unfairly discriminated against within the employment relationship or within any employment policy or practice, including with regard to recruitment procedures, advertising and selection criteria, appointments and the appointment process, job classification or grading, remuneration, employment benefits and terms and conditions of employment, welfare schemes, the workplace and facilities, occupational health and safety, training and development, performance evaluation systems, promotions, transfers and demotions, disciplinary measures short of dismissal, and termination of services.

The formulation of this policy is a commendable step that could prove to be a model for police departments in other states as well; Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra , Manipur and Nagaland have already shown an interest in drafting a similar policy. And yet, when police personnel from police stations in Bangalore were randomly quizzed about their own department's policy, they did not have a clue! Will this be yet another example of a good effort on paper that fails to be implemented on the ground?

Although the Mumbai police department announced a one-page policy in 2004, the KSP document is the first extensive document clearly laying out the guiding principles, rights of personnel diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and grievance redressal mechanisms. As S T Ramesh, ADGP (Prisons), who, as ADGP (Recruitment and Training) last year was instrumental in forging a consensus on developing a policy, says: “The experience was new and marked a realisation of the high levels of risk that police personnel face in their job.”

An International Labour Organisation (ILO) study, conducted in four Indian states by Networks of People Living With HIV/AIDS, noted that discrimination at the workplace could be higher than the reported 6.1%, considering that many PLWHA do not disclose their status for fear of losing their job. The study noted that HIV-positive people are often compelled to leave their jobs on account of harassment such as denial of promotions, forced voluntary retirement, and ostracisation by co-workers.

As work profiles go, police department staff are at extremely high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Exposure to blood is routine for constables and officials, and this, coupled with high-risk behaviour through unsafe sexual practices and long periods of time spent away from home increases their risk.

The first case that brought the issue of Stigma and Discrimination (S&D) in the police department into focus in Karnataka was when Constable Ramesh Rao from Shimoga district was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1999. Rao was dismissed from the force after having secured an appointment. This was in accordance with a 1994 state police department circular stating that the department could not hire persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Rao approached the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) with a petition demanding reinstatement, which too was initially rejected. He got his job back only after a seven-year-long legal battle when the KAT ruled, in August 2005, that he should be reappointed and paid for the seven-year period.
Rao says that being told that he would not be appointed constable due to his HIV-positive status was a double blow. After being dismissed he was forced to take up work in a private organisation.

Rao's problems did not end here. The police department, citing the Karnataka Pay and Promotion Policy, decided to pay him only his basic salary for the seven years, minus travel and dearness allowance which constituted his full salary. Lawyers Collective has drafted a reply to the police department pointing out that this is not in keeping with the KAT order that stated that Rao should receive his full salary for the seven-year period.

As Rajkumar, advocacy officer, Lawyers Collective, the organisation that has been fighting Rao's case since 2004, says: “This was not just about the legalities of a case, it was about the dignity of a person.” He points out that even in an area as sensitive as the concerns of PLWHA, petitions like Rao's are considered acts of indiscipline within the police force.

It was Constella Futures that, as part of its Essential Advocacy Project, took the lead in initiating meetings and discussions on the need for a workplace policy in the KSP. In association with other organisations working with HIV/AIDS -- the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, Karnataka Network of Positive People, UNAIDS, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- a working group was formed with representation from the KSP that included Constable Rao.

Sumathi Subramaniam, head of advocacy, Constella Futures, says: “Getting a formal commitment like this policy is like getting a window to this space of fighting S&D.”

There were several complications, however, one of them being the issue of pre-recruitment testing. After clarifications were obtained that this was of no consequence to other fitness requirements and was discriminatory, the need for the clause was dismissed. Subramaniam notes that the process of drafting the KSP policy marked a shift in mindset and was a big leap for officers who realised the role the police department has to play in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Gaps and concerns: From ensuring confidentiality to the challenge of implementation
Under the policy, a nodal officer of the rank of superintendent of police has been appointed in all districts of Karnataka for grievance redressal. Training and sensitisation of staff and faculty is also currently underway.

Although the policy, which is drafted along international lines, is a step in the right direction, a number of serious issues remain. The most obvious is the challenge of implementation, a concern echoed by several police officers and experts in the field.

S Mohammed Afsar, t echnical specialist (HIV/AIDS), South Asia, and national programme coordinator, ILO, appreciates the fact that the KSP policy is in keeping with the ILO's principles, and that there has been a recognition of the vulnerability of the police force to HIV/AIDS as well as its responsibility. But, he points out, its translation from theory into practice will be difficult.
He admits that the fact that the director general of police has signed the policy is an advantage, as it is then considered binding. But for any policy to be effective there has to be a core committee to review its implementation. This has not yet been done.

As some KSP officials say, a major drawback is that as of now there is no provision for medical claim reimbursement for HIV/AIDS, whereas expenses incurred for tuberculosis- and cancer-related testing can be claimed. In this context, confidentiality itself becomes difficult to ensure, for when medical claims are sent for approval there is an entire chain of people who see the files which have the names clearly mentioned. Maintaining confidentiality then, and preventing S&D, will be impossible unless the current system is modified with employee number codes.

Afsar, who supports the drafting of such polices in corporate houses and the public sector, says that two-thirds of people do invariably get to know about an HIV-positive co-worker's status. Ensuring absolute confidentiality is difficult as it has to be balanced against care and support needs. “This makes it a ‘shared confidentiality', which is why sensitising people at all levels in an organisation is important, not just at the shop floor or middle-rung level,” he says. The ILO is now commissioning a study to assess the implementation of policies in organisations where they are in place, and identify bottlenecks.

Further, in the absence of a state government policy to prevent S&D against PLWHA, the KSP policy's effectiveness on the ground is debatable. As KSP officials say, the department is a part of the government and cannot function in isolation. Afsar notes that in the case of PSUs and government departments, legislation in this regard could provoke stronger action.

There is also a strongly held view among senior police officers that awareness levels on HIV/AIDS must be boosted across the board, from officers of the highest rank to the lowest. This in itself is a challenge, given that it will bring sex and sexuality issues out into the open.
The existing stigma and disinterest is so great that the actual number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in the KSP has not yet been documented. Media reports in 2004, quoting a senior police officer, stated that nearly 400 of the 40,000-strong Mumbai police force are HIV-positive.

Sector experts and police officers say that the police force is, in a sense, more conservative than society at large; it tends to have a more rigid viewpoint on most issues. The disciplined nature of the force makes even issues like pre-recruitment testing for HIV/AIDS subject to heated debate, be it in the KSP or Mumbai where NGOs, in 2004, condemned a move by the Mumbai police to make HIV testing mandatory.

Police officers say that it is likely that, on hearing about such a policy, there will be some initial confusion in the ranks that would require clarification. They hope the proposed training sessions will help clear doubts. Rao admits that most of his colleagues in the constabulary do not know much about HIV/AIDS; even among the senior officers there are some who are insensitive to the needs of PLWHA.

A dissemination process is currently underway, with copies of the printed policy dispatched to all districts in Karnataka. It will soon also be on the KSP website.

Interestingly, the last six-seven years have seen a lot of activity on the HIV/AIDS workplace policy front in India , says Afsar. While most corporate houses have been emulating global best practices, PSUs like Steel Authority of India Ltd, BEST, Mumbai Port Trust and Goa Ship Yard have also joined the ranks. He notes that, compared to most countries in Asia, India is doing much better in this regard but, given the sheer size of the country's working population, more advocacy efforts are required to boost these initiatives.

Towards a more inclusive audience

Training and sensitisation are keywords in the battle against stigma and discrimination, a continuous effort to dispel myths and increase awareness about HIV/AIDS. Organisations working in the sector plan regular training sessions for those who are perceived to be the most important decision-makers, at the highest level and on the ground. But, experts say, training alone does not translate into actual attitudinal change.

While Sumathi believes that the biggest challenge in framing the policy was getting a formal commitment to this first-of-its-kind document, and that the support of the leadership environment in the KSP was a big advantage, how attempts at behavioural change actually play out on the ground is a concern. Constella Futures is working for change in the police training curriculum, which will happen gradually, so that HIV/AIDS gets into the framework of training at the recruitment stage. Among others, an HIV/AIDS training course for the staff and faculty at the Karnataka Police Academy , Mysore , was conducted in June 2007, and an intensive Training of Trainers (ToT) module will be taken up in the next few months. The KSP's Unicef-funded Gender Sensitisation and People-friendly Police Project will also incorporate a module on HIV/AIDS.

Nevertheless, lawyers like Rajkumar sound a more cynical note. He believes the entire criminal justice system in India has to be overhauled. Attitudinal change is crucial, and while change can be seen at higher levels of government it is seriously lacking at the crucial middle and lower levels. Rajkumar points out that administrative-level personnel, who are mostly ignored in the sensitisation programmes, are often the most prejudiced and judgmental, blocking the provision of essential services to PLWHA . Across-the-board sensitisation is clearly the need of the hour.
In light of this, organisations working in the HIV/AIDS sector and advocating the rights of PLWHA need to go beyond regular training and sensitisation modules, creating new avenues and a more inclusive audience for sensitisation.

(Deepanjali Bhas is a development communications specialist who was previously a journalist with The Times of India)

InfoChange News & Features, September 2007

Need for effective policies and programmes for the elderly

Need for effective policies and programmes for the elderly
http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/10/01/99506.html
2007-10-01 08:41:07 By JOYCE BAZIRA

Today is the International Day for Older Persons whose theme focuses on need for countries to put in place good and effective policies for the elderly so as to improve the quality of life they are now leading.

The day, which was declared by United Nations General Assembly in 1990, is dedicated to honour, respect and care for the world�s elderly.

Our staff writer, focuses on this day and efforts being made worldwide to make sure that the elderly enjoy a decent life just like any other members of the society.

FOR the first time in history, the celebrations of the International Day for Older Persons, which is commemorated on October 1 every year, will today take a new turn when older people around the world unite to demand improvements in ageing policies and practices in their countries.

As part of this campaign, the first ever global coordinated action to bring about change, older people`s organizations and groups from more than 25 countries will meet their government representatives and present a memorandum which contains important issues which affect older people and therefore, need urgent interventions.

In Tanzania, HelpAge International Country Programme Director, Abdul Jetha, said a delegation of older people had planned to meet the Minister for Health and Social Welfare in Dar es Salaam while other delegations planned to meet District Commissioners for Magu and Shinyanga Rural in Lake zone.

In the memorandum, older people demand free access to government health facilities, backed by identity cards, establishment of a revolving fund at district level to facilitate livelihood schemes as well as older men and women being supported in their roles as carers for people living with HIV/AIDS and their orphaned grandchildren.

Also older people are calling for mainstreaming of ageing issues into district development plans and budgets and operationalisation of the National Ageing Policy of 2003.

In their statement, older people`s organizations in Tanzania urge the government to ensure that voices of older men and women are heard and represented in the development policies and practices, particularly in National Ageing Policy and the poverty alleviation strategy (MKUKUTA) of 2005.

According to Jetha, at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in April 2002, representatives of 159 governments including Tanzania signed the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and promote the development of a society for all ages.

`That`s why HelpAge as an international organisation is launching a worldwide campaign to raise awareness of the unique problems faced by older people and to ensure governments meet the goals of the Madrid pact,` he says.

He adds that MIPAA calls for the inclusion of older people in the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015.

He says, `To achieve this objective, older people around the world are calling for a package of social pension, affordable health care and anti-discriminatory legislation and practice.`

Older people in Tanzania feel that the government, with support from international aid, where necessary, should establish universal non-contributory pensions and establish primary health care facilities which are accessible to all.

Enactment of legislation offering the most vulnerable older people effective physical security and protection of property rights should also be taken into account.

Besides, support of international donor community is necessary so that the government can provide social protection, offer older carers support to access the existing services.

Globally, older people are calling for recognition of their vital role in society and a package of universal non-contributory pensions, health care focused on the unique needs of older men and women and anti-discriminatory legislation for all older persons worldwide.

`Whether is a grandmother in Africa caring for her grandchildren after their parents have died of AIDS or a grandfather in India continuing to work to support his extended family, the vital role of older person is seriously underestimated by governments and others all around the world,` says Richard Blewitt, HelpAge International`s Chief Executive Officer.

Today there are around 600 million persons aged 60 years and above worldwide and this total is expected to double by 2025 and by 2050 the number is projected to rise to two billion whose majority would be in developing world.

Older people will increasingly play a critical role -through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force.

At the moment, older persons already make major contributions to the society.

For instance, throughout Africa and elsewhere millions of adult Aids patients are cared for at home by their parents.

At their deaths, orphaned children left behind (currently, 14 million under the age of 15 in African countries alone) are mainly looked after by their grandparents.

It is not only in developing countries that older persons� role in development is critical.

In Spain for example, caring for dependent and sick individuals (of all ages) is mostly done by older people (particularly older women)

Such contributions to development can only be ensured if older persons enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place.

So it is upon the government and all Tanzanians to support the efforts aimed at uplifting the standards of life of the elderly so that they manage to deliver their important roles without jeopardizing their health and well being.

SOURCE: Guardian