Re: Kerala: Discrimination of children living with HIV/AIDS continues

[Guest guest]

Hello to the Forum,

We are decades into this epidemic and still there are people in the world

that can't understand that HIV is not contagious only transmissable via

unprotected sex and needle sharing. If the children in this small town were

having diabetes would they need to be segregated. HIV is not more likely to

transmit to other children than if they were diabetic. There are no cases

anywhere in the globe of children catching hiv from other children unless

they are engaging in unprotected sex.

One of the ways of ensuring that these children die quickly of course is to

segregate them and constantly remind them of their illness. Stigma and

discrimination is what hastens the end of most HIV+'s in India. Never does

the virus have a chance to do its destructive work. The destruction of

immunity will work much quicker with discrimination and stigma so I guess

the school is hoping that their positive discrimination policies will rid

them of their problem without seeming to deny the children a chance to use

their brains for some education while they wait to die.

I have a task to do in Thrissur in your State some time in the next two

months and I would be more than willing to detour to the town concerned to

explain more to the parents and teachers of the community. It is just so sad

that children are being condemned for something that is not their fault and

as well, is not a danger to their fellow classmates so long as they are not

sexually active together.

If India generally doesn't try harder to understand the nature of the HIV

virus and how to outwit it, it will destroy whole communities. Already the

statistics are showing an increasing trend of positive people and the

community must be more proactive and informed or the virus will rely on the

ignorance and continue to affect communities everywhere.

Globally there is a significant knowledge base around this tragic virus but

only those people who are fully informed will be able to defeat it.

Pillorying children who didn't cause their infected status and who have an

opportunity to live to a ripe old age if supported, are being crucified by

this ignorance.

The reason Kerala seems to be the rapid target of exposure is that there are

also large numbers of people who are informed and who are quick to raise the

issues so that more people can become empowered. I call on the NGO to

maintain their stand against uninformed fear and I offer whatever influence

I can bring to assist in empowering the community which is the latest to be

highlighted, in the hope that fear can be replaced by facts. The biggest

risk factor for positive children is the danger they face from the germs

that other children can live with and that they bring to school with them.

It is not the other way round. This is important information that must be

understood if India is going to have a chance to win this fight. Right now

in many parts of India the virus is ahead on points.

Geoffrey

E-mail:<gheaviside@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear All:

It is really disheartening to see this happen in the state with arguably the

highest literacy rate in India, reasserting the fact that simple implemetation

of convention on the rights of children in our country needs lot of work.

These kind of incidents should be taken with utmost sense of urgency by all

stake holders to awaken decision makers for a quick and effective response.

Thanks and Regards

Jagdish

E-mail:<jharsh@...>