AIDS in India: Ineffective Strategies Fuel Epidemic

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

I am writing to send you the attached article on HIV/AIDS in India, written

by CHANGE Senior Associate Avni Amin and published in the Indian monthly

journal, SEMINAR (Comment: India's AIDS Control Programme; SEMINAR, New

Delhi; No. 527, July 2003). The article can be accessed through our website

www.genderhealth.org. The article responds broadly to an earlier series

of articles published in the December 2002 issue of SEMINAR, which can be

accessed through the SEMINAR website at www.india-seminar.com.

The article argues that current efforts to stem the spread of HIV in India

are largely ineffective in part because of a persistent focus on narrowly

defined risk groups,in part because of the failure by the government and

international donor agencies to address factors critical to the spread of

HIV in India, including sexuality, gender inequality, stigma and

discrimination, and in part because of chronically poor quality of care in

STI and HIV/AIDS services. It is the first in a series of papers and

articles on these issues to be published in the coming months by CHANGE and

in various journals.

Avni spent nine weeks on the ground in India earlier this year conducting

field research for an in-depth analysis of India's HIV/AIDS program being

conducted by CHANGE. The main focus of this work is to analyze whether or

not India's national AIDS control strategy effectively addresses the

specific vulnerabilities and needs of women and other marginalized

groups. Women--including married, monogamous women--represent a large and

growing share of those at risk of or already infected with HIV in India,

not to mention elsewhere in South and South-east Asia. During this and two

earlier trips, Avni conducted interviews with key informants in the

national government and among donor agencies; spoke with state-level

government representatives, service providers, and advocacy groups; and

conducted group discussions with members of vulnerable populations. She

also conducted an extensive review of the literature on HIV/AIDS in India.

Through our ongoing work in India, we intend to analyze and make

recommendations for changes in the national HIV/AIDS program, and to work

with our partners on the ground to promote effective approaches to

prevention, treatment, and care. Please write us if you have questions or

comments about this article, or would like more information on this or

other aspects of our work.

With best wishes,

Jodi L. son

Executive Director

Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)

6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 910

Takoma Park, land 20912 USA

Phone: (301) 270-1182 Fax: (301) 270-2052

www.genderhealth.org