Re:HIV in Rural India: Can family ties save us?

January 31, 2002

Dear Avni Amin,

Good to see so many people reacting to my mail. I am aware of all the studies

you are quoting. I have always preached HIV should not be only associated with

CSWs but the intervention should also address the so called " low risk " general

population and that is what I was doing while looking after projects in Manipur

and West Bengal between 1993 to 2001.

I have stayed and worked in the remotest part of the country, seen and faced the

systems in villages which are skewed against women. But, still I find " the

strong Indian family ties " could be worked to an advantage.

Female condoms for housewives could always be tried on a pilot basis in a

project. Lot of things need to be studied before making a generalized strategy:

do you think a rural/urban deprived women would be able to afford a female

condom, or insert it properly, how many times she is going to use it, how is

going to clean it / with what, or is there any organization which would give a

free adequate supply to these women. You would agree even the free male condom

supply frequently goes out of stock.

I would say, the best means of empowering a women is financial freedom and

access to information / education. All other things follow suit. But, then these

things take a long time. So we need to have a multipronged approach.

Dr. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, MBBS, MD

South Asia, Regional Technical Advisor- HIV/AIDS

Catholic Relief Services

4/2 Orient Row, Kolkata - 700 017

India

Tel. No. 91-33-247 6433/1969

Fax No. 91-33-240 8652

E-mail : crsei@...(aagarwal)

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