Re: School children with HIV in Kerala

[Guest guest]

AIDS-hit students' issue turns vexed; parents adamant

KOLLAM: The move to expel Benzy and Benson, the children of the

parents who died of AIDS, from the Kaithakuzhi Government LP School

in the district has become a complicated human rights issue. The

school is also facing the threat of closure because of the issue.

The school, which comes under the Chathannoor AEO, did not function

on Friday as a section of agitated parents and local people prevented

the headmistress from opening the school.

The Kollam sub-collector, officials of the Health Department and the

AIDS Control Society held talks with the parents.

Though it was agreed to open the school on Monday, the parents said

that they would not send their kids to the school till the two

students were expelled.

A meeting has been convened on March 4 at the school at which

Education Minister Nalakathu Soopy, top officials of the Education

and Health Departments would participate.

The seven-and-a-half-year-old Benzy and the five-and-a-half-year-old

Benson were born to the couple K C Chandy and , who contracted

AIDS. Chandy died in 1997 and in 2000. The children were under

the care of their maternal grand parents.

Their school admission had become an issue this year when they were

not allowed to continue their studies in a school where they had

studied last year. Some other schools also refused to admit them. The

issue was taken up by the AIDS Aid Centre functioning under the Human

Resources Development & Research Centre here.

Centre director Rev Fr y Thottam, a lawyer, observed a fast in

front of the Secretariat along with Jayan ph of the AIDS Aid

Centre and Geevarghese, grandfather of the children, to bring the

issue to the attention of the Government.

Chief Minister A K Antony then directed the Education Department

officials to admit the children to a Government school near their

house. The children were admitted to the Govt LPS Kaithakuzhi on

February 14.

However, the attendance in the school became thin after the students

joined the school as the parents refused to send their children. In

the last few days, only these two children attended classes. At the

PTA meeting, a few people supported the continuance of the two

students in the school.

The frequent visit to the school by officials from the health

department and the Kerala AIDS Control Society did not bear fruits.

A majority of the students in the school belonged to the lower strata

of society and their parents were afraid of sending their children to

the school as they considered it as a risky affair.

Many parents were under the impression that the chances of their

children contracting the disease were high if they mingled with these

two children.

" There is very little chance of anyone contracting the AIDS from

children, " Dr Prasannakumar, assistant director of the Kerala Aids

Control Society, told this website's newspaper.

According to him, many students who were tested HIV positive were

studying in schools in different parts of the State. In our daily

life too, we used to mingle with many HIV-affected persons at public

places.

Though 90 percent of the parents are aware of the fact that the

possibilities of contracting the disease are through sexual contact

and blood transfusion, practically they are seen afraid of mingling

with AIDS patients, Prasannakumar said.

He said that the case of Benson and Benzy had become a human rights

issue as the two students had been deprived of their fundamental

right to education.

School headmistress Jameela Beevi said that the teachers were willing

to teach these students. The total student strength of the school is

117. The teachers are afraid of the closure of the school once the

parents start asking for the TCs of their children.

The local people are also divided over the issue. A section said that

some people who had nothing to do with the school were crating

problems. But, some of the parents asked why the unaided schools in

the area were not ready to admit these students.

Meanwhile, many charitable organisations have came forward to take

care of the children.

However, Geevarghese, who is an ex-serviceman, is adamant on sending

his children to the same school as he thinks they have the right to

study there. He alleged that the local MLA had advised him to take

the children to some school in Tamil Nadu.

Geevarghese said that he would take the children to the Secretariat

if they were not allowed to study in Kaithakuzhi school. " If they

can't study there, let the government kill them and my family by

injecting poison, " he said.

http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?

ID=IER20030228155435 & Page=R & Title=Kerala & rLink=0

[Guest guest]

The unfortunate issue of Benzy and Benson points only

to one thing... the INFORMATION EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

that has been carried on regarding HIV/AIDS till date.

So far it seems we have only managed to create a 'fear

psychosis' among the masses regarding the so called

" LETHAL " disease, AIDS. It is being made into a

modern day PLAGUE needlessly. I hope someone working

at policy level reads this and find some time to sit

back and just think what exactly needs to be conveyed

to people thru the IEC campaigns on AIDS to the

" masses " and what have they been communicating so far?

Some may be naive enuf to believe that this is the

first time such an incident has happened and they will

'look into it'. The truth however is that it has been

happening for years now... remember the incident of

CHOCHI village in Haryana which was boycotted by all

other villages after a villager died of AIDS in

Chochi. This happened some 4-5 years ago.

Lynching & burning of a couple of 'SUSPECTED' AIDS

patients in Tamil Nadu also happened a few years ago.

To top it all, doctor's refusal to touch patients in

some hospitals in our Capital, Delhi, also happened a

few years ago. And it doesn't end there. It is

continuing in some form or the other...

'discrimination' arising out of 'FEAR' and 'STIGMA'.

The answer perhaps lies in changing (or atleast

modifying) our approach to COMMUNICATIONS (IEC) on

HIV / AIDS.

I was conducting a session with some Registered

Medical Practitioners (RMPs), working in some slum

areas of delhi, on AIDS about three years ago. Upon

asking them what they know about AIDS, the consensus

was that " it is a lethal disease " .

My second question to them was, " name a disease which

is not lethal? " Not only did that help them relax but

the workshop went ahead smoothly after that.

I wonder where all the funds for AIDS are going... if

we cannot 'communicate' rightly what then are we

trying to treat?

Dr. Parvez Imam

E-mail: <f20com@...>

[Guest guest]

It's apalling that this is the state of affairs in a

state where people are supposed to be more aware than

their counterparts from other states.

We can imagine the plight of similar children and

other AIDs victims elsewhere in the country. I think

this also brings to the fore the issue of creating

awareness and the right attitudes among people about

this infection.

But I am not sure if this is something which can be

handled by organisations who work on AIDS prevention

and cure or should it be left to those who are

focusing purely on dissemination of information like

media organisations and other such.

- Sam

E-mail: <samuel_jacob@...>