AIDS activits and social sensibility

[Guest guest]

Friends,

While it is distressing to learn of the abusive manner in which the sex workers

at VAMP were handled – we have are a few concerns in this regard about the

manner in which the HIV/AIDS prevention activites are being conducted.

Are we promoting and demanding a social sanction for prostitution?

As I gather from Meena’s mail –the sex-workers were not simply hounded out of

their homes –the locals of Nippani initially just asked them to stop their

highly visible weekly meetings. Which they refused – then the locals then used

threats – and then attempted to negotiate and asked them to be discreet. Which

was again refused – leading to a standoff and the police getting involved.

Now I can imagine the impact that a weekly gathering of sex workers – arriving

in four wheelers from seven districts – would cause quite a stir anywhere in

this country. In communities where people are struggling hard to make a honest

day’s living and existing with the bare minimum of resources – it seems ironical

that sex workers (under the leadership of a few AIDS workers) appear to be going

on an aggressive roll, with resources, government and donor support, land, their

own vehicles to travel around every week and the ability to organize themselves.

Have we lost all sensibility and sense of reality in the name of HIV/AIDS?

Do prevention activities – but do it without flaunting something that is to be

socially discouraged. As I can see – the sex workers have been living in the

area for over 80 years without such an incident to date. So we need to ask

ourselves what led to the seemingly sudden intolerance among the locals now? It

ought to be obvious that the sensibilities of the locals got offended only when

the situation became very ‘in your face’ – questioning their very way of life.

The repeated attempts of the locals to get the women to stop the meetings should

have alerted the workers to how they were offending sensibilities – and should

have led to some changes/adjustments in the mode of functioning so that everyone

could continue to co-exist peacefully. But no – we have our self-righteous “AIDS

work” to do – which justifies all. Why could not they agree to be more discreet?

As I see it, the attitude of the AIDS workers led to the situation spinning out

of hand – and the leaders of SANGRAM & VAMP are as responsible for the

humiliation of the hapless sex workers as the police. Let me ask them – that

even if they are able to garner the best of national, international and legal

support for the sex workers – how are they planning to assimilate them back in

the same locality after they have turned it into a prestige issue between the

sex workers and the locals of Nippani?

There are many aspects that ought to have been considered. What impact would

this have on young boys and girls of the area – whose folks cannot afford the

resources or the clout the sex workers seem to be enjoying? And seeing that this

is the method and manner of prevention efforts across the country – how are our

social structures like the family and related values, expected to stand up in

the face of more visible, dominating and powerful sex workers?

HIV/AIDS work does not give one the right to turn all social norms upside down –

just as it should not end up demanding respectability for what is fundamentally

a degrading means of livelihood.

Again I would like to add that no way is the action of the police to be condoned

– if it happened the manner described. But anyone even slightly familiar with

the concept of social change ought to understand that any natural change (for

better or for worse) takes time, sometimes even a whole generation to manifest –

and attempting to force ‘unacceptable’ notions on people can only lead to social

chaos and violent responses.

With concern,

Anju

Jackindia

E-mail: hifd@...

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