World AIDS Day: Blaming the Young.

[Guest guest]

Youth: A soft target?

The face of HIV/AIDS is primarily young, and all too often female. Almost 12

million young people (aged 15-24) and 3 million children live with HIV or

AIDS worldwide. The majority of new infections are among the young - 6,000

young people and almost 2,000 children become HIV-positive every day.

For every person living with HIV/AIDS, a family and a community is affected.

As the disease start killing, parents and caregivers, it fuels poverty and

despair among children and adolescents and stretches family resources to

untenable limits.

In India, more than 5 million people living with HIV virus, second highest

number of infections per country and 62% among are young women or girls.

Where we are?

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The government of India investing million of rupee in prevention programmes

but epidemic is spreading by breaking of all barriers. India currently has

an overall adult infection rate is little less than one per cent but some

states prevalence rate among pregnant women have crossed the one percent

threshold and in Gujarat and Goa prevalence among populations with high-risk

behaviour is above 5%. The other state which are not mention in government

or agencies record but infection is visual are Bihar, Tamil Nadu and in sex

workers of Delhi.

Now India is stand on cross road. Mr Piot recently express his views

in World Bank Institute's newly published magazine Development Outreach by

saying Asia should 'act now or pay later'. He clearly wrote 'Africa learned

this lesson the hard way; denial and ignorance do not reverse this epidemic.

It is a lesson that the countries of Asia and Pacific must immediately take

to heart'.

Every one blame Youth

According to UNAIDS the latest figure show that HIV infection rate is

growing fastest amongst people aged between 15-29 year, irrespective of

their profile as migrant laboures, street children, prostitutes, or young

mothers. So much so, that it's report of 2003, the UN Called HIV/AIDS " the

disease of young people " (Regional Human Development Report, UNDP, 2003).

Ms. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA wrote a letter in August

'04 to Secretary General, ICYO, also turn the table on youth side for not

doing youth themselves to prevent. Mrs Obaid wrote " Let me turn to the

HIV/AIDS issue, Global efforts against HIV/AIDS prevention have focused on

youth, not to blame them as you mentioned in your statement - but because it

is in this group, your group of young people, where our biggest hope for a

better future lies. Globally, over half of all new HIV infections are in

young people, with an estimated 5,000-6000 young people a day becoming

infected - and over 60% of these are young women.'

On other side Mr n, Secretary General of United Nations already accepted

that the youth have no information and or incomplete information or no

information about HIV/AIDS.

Need of cooperation

Its look like that youth are most victim of the epidemic but effective

programmes for young people still not on card, youth programmes are centred

to classroom students, but most vulnerable youth group 'non-students'

including minority groups, are not covered properly. Most of the programmes

for these section are executive by the agencies or organizations have no

experience to work with urban youth.

Youth are a positive force for change. Healthy, educated, engaged, and

productive youth can break the cycle of spreading the HIV virus. There is

need to make them Healthy, educated and informed. Than they will slow the

AIDS epidemic.

Here the role Youth Organization, those has experience to work with youth

and ensuring the continuation of activities in energetic manner, can play

vital and crucial to cater the non-student youth, rural youth. But lack of

resources, capacity these are not in forefront in fighting against HIV/AIDS.

The institutions, agencies, governments must also take the responsibility to

keep informed the youth, youth NGOs can share the responsibilities subjected

to provided resource allocation.

The World Bank, working and investing on HIV/AIDS programmes including

India, realized the importance of Youth Organizations and its capacities and

capabilities. They organized the World conferences in Paris and Sarajevo and

discuss the progammes and action, with youth organizations, the last one

ended in Sarajevo, BiH on 7 September 2004. In closing session, Mr. D.

Wolfensohn, President of World Bank made commitment from WB to " Empower and

strengthen Youth Organizations; to facilitate joint work on selected issues;

and to find solutions to operate at national/local.

He again focused at youth concern on HIV/AIDS while he invited the ICYO

delegation of youth leaders 17 November 2004 during his Delhi visit.

The other agencies working on HIV/AIDS prevention should take lesson from

World Bank and use the 'Youth Organizations' in India to reach-out youth;

empower them with information, knowledge and skill.

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Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave

New Delhi 110029 INDIA

Phone: 91 9811729093 / 91 11 26183978

Email: icyo@... / icyo@... /

secretarygeneral@...