Can we sort in out?

[Guest guest]

Dear Meera,

Thank you for your clarification. Please send all the relevant facts as

much as possible as you can. I can see that there is going to be a struggle

between two positions, not necessarily between NGOs and Government

officials. So, we may need all the facts to defend ourselves in the future.

I have read an article in Indian Express on the 15th of July with the

heading " No evidence of HIV victim being stoned to death: NCW chief. In it

is pointed out that " there is no conclusive evidence of Pounamma being

killed by a mob or her being stoned to death " . The reports concludes, " The

NCW chairperson, who spoke to 128 persons in public and 28 in-camera, said

that the conditions under which Pounamma spent her last dew days were

pitiable. The incident highlighted the attitude and behaviour of common

people towards AIDS patients in general. " But today's Mathruboomi,one of

the largest malayalam daily carried the news of the same NCW, chairperson

expressing the doubt that the women may have been cremated alive, as you

pointed out in your letter. Again this contradiction remains in the

statement of the Women's Commission as reported in the papers.

Rajeev Sadanandan, is a person I know personally, while he was working as

the head of KSACS. He is known to be upright and direct. He is also beyond

just official interests also. He remained a person, even when he was an

official, with concern for people and the country. Maybe his perception, in

a place where he has no knowledge of the local language, deceived him. Or

he may have read too much into the situation. But I wouldn't see his words

as just official defense. So I can't dismiss his words as an official one.

Then I know you and Sriram for the last eight years and I trust your

integrity and words. Let us be careful in using words to denigrate each

other. Let us use our words to attack policies of Government and attitudes

of people but not at persons, whether they are of NGO or of Government.

Remember we all have to stand together to fight AIDS.

I will be going to Delhi by the end of this month to attend the South Asian

parliamentarians meeting on HIV at Ashoka hotel on the 1st and 2nd. Are you

invited? If you are coming we could all sit together and sort it out. Even

if you are not invited, can you come there? Please. Why don't we NGOs and

other concerned officials like the NCW chairperson and NACO officials sit

together and discuss in detail the issues faced. Remember this is not even

a national question now but an international one. We could write to our

friends in Sangli, Kolkata, Chennai, Banglore, Gujarat, Goa and others to

come to Delhi for a meeting. I will be there till the 6th of August. Please.

Love to you all

Maitreya

Dear All,

It was not silence from us; we were merely waiting for the NCW to come out

with a statement.

Today they have come out with a statement that the woman might have been

cremated while still alive.

Mr. Rajeev Sadanand's letter was read by us with dismay; it was entirely

expected. He is a consultant with NACO. So he has to be loyal to the

government. He should hear no evil and see no evil. As for his sympathy

with the accused, it is understandable because they did not eat, and were

made to stand. He was very much there and he could have objected or

protested. Why didn't he? They were infact offered lunch by the NCW people;

but the brother of the victim prevented his mother from recieving it. As

for the victim's daughter, I personally saw to it the child ate. We all had

to stand and wait without food. We do not know about Mr. Rajeev.

Very subtly he laments that the " perpetrators " (meaning perhaps us), get

away with all the harrassment as the victim's mother and brother are poor.

Had they been rich and influential, he would rather they take us to court.

It is entirely another matter that all news papers (except one) have

independently verified that Ponnamma was murdered by a mob which perhaps

also included her family members. Perhaps the news papers too should be

dragged to the court?

Our only crime was to have posted this news item to the egroups (first

carried by Andhra Bhoomi and then later by Praja Shakthi). This irks Mr.

Rajeev and also the scores of officials who went to a frenzy of denial.

This is the typical attitude of most of the government officials and

consultants who most of the time have their eyes firmly shut. It is very

comfortable to deny that these things can and do happen. So many inter

caste couples are routinely lynched and cremated, for having crossed the

barriers of caste. In Nellikuppam, Tsundur and Karamchedu and a hundred

other places officials continue to investigate the mass murders of

scheduled caste people. Lynching and mob murder are not new to us in this

great country with a rich heritage. This is the norm.

He says 'some AIDS activists' without telling us who they are. In fact 1

clear day before we even came across the story in the newspapers, a

committe of local NGOs had brought out a report on the stoning to death.

They have also confirmed it. It is common knowledge in Kuppam that the poor

lady was isolated, then still not satisfied, she was poisoned and the

stoned, hit with the bench and killed. THIS HAS HAPPENED. If Mr. Rajeev or

anyone think that the individuals involved in the murder would shout from

tree tops that they had lynched somebody, they must be innocent. We and the

local NGOs stand by the story.

APSACS is funding us for a care and drop in center at Tirupati. We operate

six centers (Tirupati, Vadamalapet, rompicherla, Palamaner, Penumur and

Piler of Chittoor district) and otreach 658 families. Our monthly positive

meetings are attended by 60 to 100 persons. We have a very good

understanding of the lives and times of positive persons. We have

intervened in many cases of discrimination and stigma. When Mr. Rajeev

Sadanandan implies that WINS take the responsibility; both for having

failed to reach out to the family with help in caring for an AIDS patient

and for having posted the story to the egroups and having harrassed the

victim's family, we think that is ingenuous. The DSP had in fact told

reporters that he would initiate court action and threatened our staff with

arrest. We are ver familiar with such responses. In addition he implies

that it pleases us (due to what he terms 'higher social position') to

harrass a poor family for publicity. These implications are entirely

unfounded. We are happy that these are his 'personal opinions' and not his

official opinions. We have no luxury of multiple opinions. Our opinion is

that there was a case of murder and attempts to hush it up.

We are entirely in agreement with Mr. rajeev when he says " ...we will never

know whether she died as result of deliberate neglect " . He has hit the nail

on the head. Not a single witness was in the colony. One of the persons who

had helped cremate her committed suicide, witnesses who had a day before

agreed to talk suddenly disappeared from the colony; while the main

instigators were going hand in hand with the police offials. All of this

perhaps missed Mr. Rajeev.

We are in the process of documenting the news items regarding this issue

and you are free to come to your own conclusions.

With regards and in solidarity

Meera

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Here we go again...even before knowing the full truth we are once again engaged

in finger pointing and blaming each other...is there a divide and conquer

conspiracy at work upon us? Has everyone forgotten our priorities ? What is

going on here? We sound like a bunch of hypocrites. Worst of all, we are

behaving like big, hulking teenager with raging hormones with full of

flight-or-fight adrenaline....

Are we running scared and looking in every direction for a scapegoat? Rather

than acting out, are we acting in upon ourselves?

We need to see past the veneer of hardened cynicism, blaming criticism, and pc

jingoism. We need to start acknowledging that the real issue of violence, stigma

and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS as well as that of pain

and fear, and we need to extend compassion.

The core issue here is women with HIV has been murdered and the response so

far we have from stake holders for such horriying violence, discrimination and

stigma is - DENIAL. While we are addressing this issue we should also focus on

a particularly disturbing insidious aspect this situation ---I am referring to

violence against women and its its impact on the merciless spread of this

disease.

Indian Government, like many governments, have completely failed to deal

withthis issue. Gender-based violence is still a taboo subject. In India, as

elsewhere, it is considered a private matter, not to be discussed publicly.

This has led to murder of a women and denial by stake holders...this is an

unacceptable situation

According to the World Health Organization, violence against girls and women

throughout the world causes more death and disability among women in the 15

to 44 age group than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and even war. Most

recent studies from around the world suggest that between 16% and 52% of women

have been physically assaulted by an intimate partner at least once in their

lives.

This kind of assault is often associated with sexual violence, including rape

and murder...this is an unacceptable situation A classified intelligence report

on human rights situation in India documents that between 29% and 57% of married

men acknowledge abusing and torture their wives. This is unacceptable

situation....

Republic of India which has signed/ratified/recognized several binding

International human rights treaties such as The Universal Declaration of Human

Rights (1948), The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Racial Discrimination (1965), The International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights (1976), the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of

Discrimination Against Women (1979), The Convention against Torture or

Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1985), 1994 PARIS Declaration on HIV/AIDS,

have an obligation towards ensuring that the steps are taken at the local and

national levels toadvance these concerns...

India has signed declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) in June 2001

and therefore has an obligation to address the issue of Gender inequity,

violence and HIV among Indian populace. In fact Article 14 of the UNGASS

Declaration states“...Gender equality and the empowerment of women are

fundamental elements in the reduction of the vulnerability of women and girls

to HIV/AIDS”

So members, let us face the issue of this women's murder more objectively,

rather than pin pointing each other...let's learn to deal constructively with

the root issue behind all of this -- violence, stigma, discrimination, fear,

pain, isolation, and emotional trauma -- the seeds of the conflict we now

face will lie dormant, waiting only for the right conditions to sprout again.

Until the government and non profit organizations admits to its part in creating

this situation and stop blaming each other for the mess we've all gotten

ourselves into, we will be unable to form truthful alliances that withstand the

tests of time.

Finally here are some of the hard questions that we all ought to confront and

address...can we 100% understand HIV/AIDS epidemic without addressing gender

inequity ? Not, in my knowledge. Can we accept the discrimination against

person with HIV/AIDS, and blatant denial by Governments ?Not in my

experience.

Can we prevent HIV/AIDS, without addressing the gender based violence?

Definitely NOT.... With 16 years of Indian Epidemic, do we understand more

about the epidemic today than we did 16 years back when the epidemic first

documented in India? A little perhaps. Will we ever eradicate or completely

prevent HIV, without addressing Stigma, discrimnation and persecution of

People with HIV/AIDS ?Not a chance.Not on your life. On this point, I can no

longer decive myself.

The years of professional 'turf wars' and ego battles by the 'experts' as

well as by AIDS Activists, CBOs and ASOs as well as by persons with HIV/AIDS,

where we are shamelessly feeding each other , have convinced me that we are no

closer to solving the problems of HIV/AIDS than 16 years back. In fact, I fear

with escalation of human rights abuses and staggering increase in number of

people with HIV/AIDS, the apparant disregard for human life, and an increase

in he violence against women, we are closer to self destruction than ever

before.

Though this is a dour observation about 'response towards murder of HIV

Positive women here', I will leave the reader of this forum with a humorous

story on 'experts' discussing 'professional opinion'. It is a tale

about four religious readers who frequently argues about their theories.

nvariably the same one person had a point of view that was different from the

other three. During one heated conversation, this individual looked up to the

sky for divine intervention and said, 'God, please give these three a sign,

show them that I am correct'. Immediately there was an enormous clap of

thunder and flash of lightening. He looked at the other three and said, 'See, I

am right. There is the sign'. But the other three dismissed this coincidence. So

he looked up to the sky and said, " God give me another sign'. At wich point

there were thunder and lightening, followed by the rain, a rainbow, and

immense snowfall. He looked at the other three and said, 'There, now you have a

sign.

Iam correct'. Once again they dismissed him. He looked up at the sky and said,

'God please help me " . And then there came an enourmous voice saying, 'Listen

he's right, already, he's right'. With only a moment's hesitation the other

three looked at him and said, " OK, now it is three against two " . I expect you to

understand tht I believe I am right, even though it may be three against two:)

Sincerely

Surendra D

Botley Road

Oxford, OX2 OAB

United Kingdom

E-mail: surendra@...