Latest on Positive Children in Kerala

[Guest guest]

Hello

This following is the newspaper report of the meeting regarding the schooling of

Bency and Benson.

We also attended the said meeting. The situation is in a real mess The Govt. Has

decided to teach the positive children in their homes. I Hope at least some

people will react to the step taken by the government of starting a school at

the residence of the HIV positive children. I wonder how many schools will be

started at this rate!

Regards,

Dr. V

thrani@...

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A TRIAL OF TRIBULATIONS

By Ignatius Pereira (THE HINDU, Wednesday, 05/03/2003)

see link for complete story>>

http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003030503740400.htm

KOLLAM March 4. Caught between hate and sympathy, the two HIV Positive

orphaned kids, seven-year-old Benzy and her five-year-old brother Benson,

watched in utter helplessness all the hullabaloo that erupted in their name

at the Kaithakuzhy Government L.P. School, near here, this morning.

Benzy and Benson were born HIV positive to their parents who had contracted

AIDS. Their father, Chandy, died in 1997 and they lost their mother, ,

in 2000. Since then, they have been under the care of their grandparents.

They were made to witness the whole proceedings on whether they do have the

privilege to enjoy their Fundamental Right to education. While their

innocence could have made them completely oblivious to what was transpiring

there, the whole proceeding appeared rather cruel since they were brought in

for whatever reasons, to witness the same.

The tragic aspect of the entire event was that whenever the crowd of parents

of other students went into a thunderous applause endorsing testimonies over

the mike from their representation that the unfortunate brother and sister

should not be allowed to study there, Benson was also seen clapping his

little hands with a cute smile.

Parents, one after the other, began demanding the Transfer Certificates of

their children from the school if Benzy and Benson were allowed to study in

the same school.

Their contention is that they are not prepared to sacrifice their children

as guinea pigs to the awareness campaign that contact with HIV Positive

victims is after all much ado about nothing.

The contention of the parents had its own " justifiable'' reckoning since

none from the other side was in a patent situation to " take the risk'' of

admitting their children to the same school. From the latter camp it was

only mentioned that " had we a child in the age group, we would have sent our

child here to study with Benzy and Benson''.

The only solace that the event brought about was that the director of the

Kottarakara-based Sangetham charitable institution, Kalayapuram , and

the secretary of the Kollam District Panchayat, Abdul Salam, volunteered to

adopt the two children.

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