AIDS Prevention: Letter to the Honourable Chief Minister of Kerala

[Guest guest]

The Honourable Chief Minister

Kerala

Sir,

We are an NGO from the Chittoor and neighboring districts District of Andhra

Pradesh called Women's Initiatives. We support sex worker's groups to undertake

Anti AIDS activities. We belong to the National Network of Sex Workers and are

involved in fighting the spread of the dreaded HIV/AIDS. We are convinced that

our country is unable to make much progress

to combat the situation because of our misplaced value systems, misguided

morals and a very lopsided gender bias, all in the name of " Indian

Culture " . Women are targeted as if they spread the disease, little

realizing the role of males in giving it to the women in the first place.

Our experience in our state has been that the two Wings of Govternemt viz.,

the Home Ministry and the Health Ministry are at logger heads with each

other, as the State Aids Control Society conducts intervention programs and

distributes condoms freely to prevent the spread of the epidemic. Health

workers, NGOs and women peer educators strive hard to pass health messages

to women to ensure prevention. While on the other hand police beat, behave

inhumanly and drive the women away, thus depriving them of the support

systems and services.

You must also be aware that in the recent

International conference on AIDS at Barcelona, police harassment on sex

workers in India has had a special mention, and people have openly decried

the violent police behavior and atrocities. I hope you have read it and

realise the gravity and severity of the situation.

Maitreya, is part of an Activist NGO who is not only known to us

personally, but have been involved in yeoman service in the state of Kerala

to fight against the dreaded disease against all odds, for quite some time

now. Not many NGOs are interested in taking up this work because of the

stigma attached to it, as well as basic double standards that they have.

Most of the State Governments hardly have any clue of working with such

marginalised communities. Recently after the guidelines of

DFID Governments have started hiring the consultants and are making feeble

efforts, little collaborating with the NGOs who have strong grass-root

presence. We wish to state here that while Govts all over India have taken

up work in this area very recently, we are also sure that the concern for

the communities would vanish the moment the international dictates vanish.

There is little political will and commitment in the Govt.'s efforts, which

are more driven by such international funding and pressures of the World

Bank and the WHO. The NGOs have taken up this work without banking upon

support or for someone to initiate or back us in our work with the

vulnerables. Such initiatives if curbed is cruel to the community at

large. On the other hand it is only correct on part of the state to extend

all support needed for carrying out the programs successfully.

Recently the sex workers had carried out a " sit-in " in front of the

Secretariat in four States, to convey their grievances against Govt.

Negligence in HIV/AIDS prevention work, as well as police violence and

infringement of human rights. There seems to have been a backlash on this

action of sex workers in Kerala. We are pained to hear that the brash act

of the Health Minister of the State of Kerala in directing the officials to

stop funding to the programs / projects run by Maitreya. This situation is

more dreadful than AIDS itself, as it cuts off the last hope the society

has in combating the alarming situation.

It may not be out of context to mention here that while sex workers

continue to get health messages and free supply of condoms, it is the

housewives who are vulnerable to the disease as they cannot refuse unsafe

sex with their husbands. By bringing to halt good work, the Ministry is

doing disservice to the people. We are sure that you would appreciate the

seriousness of the situation, and pass suitable instructions to maintain

status quo vis-a-vis Maitreya, not give in to petty differences of opinions

and mar all good work. We are sure good sense will prevail in the end.

We stand in solidarity with Maitreya for the service he is rendering to the

women in Kerala.

In solidarity

R. Meera S.V. Sreeram

Secretary, Advocate Women's Initiatives (WINS)

6-8-1017, NGO's Colony, KT Road

TIRUPATI 517 501 (A.P)Phone (08574)-30607

E-mail: <rmeera102@...>

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