Have a look on positive lives

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

HIV/AIDS become a biggest threat to human survival in the last 700 yrs. Since

the beginning of the epidemic, people living with HIV/AIDS have consistently

reported being the target of stigma and discrimination. Such as loss of family,

friends, work and housing, verbal & physical abuse have been widely documented.

Violence is not only a risk factor HIV Infection. It also is becoming

increasingly clear that violence is also a result of the epidemic.

Mumbai, Sunil Sihnde (46), an unemployed sweeper, killed himself at his Mulund.

He was undergoing treatment for HIV and TB and is survived by his wife and 11

years old son. (18 April The Indian Economics)

HIV Killed Husband, Stigma is killing me, She faced discrimination in the family

and her village in Khushinagar district after they came to know that Sharma had

died of AIDS and she had tested positive, I was told not ot enter the kitchen.

They said if I cooked food, no one would eat it. They set aside utensils used by

me, and told child not to venture out of the house,” said Uma. (21 April 05

Hindustan Times)

In Mumbai, Another HIV patient commits suicide. The state run Byculla Hospital

has lost three HIV patients in three days, Jalgaon farmer Datta Surve. The

latest casuality. Surve, admitted on April 18, jumped off the fifth-floor window

and fractured his limbs. He died an hour later. He had reached an advanced stage

of HIV and was probably influenced by Ravi Patils’ suicide,” said Dr Pravin,

dean of JJ Hospital. Patil, who killed himself on April 19, and Surve were in

the same ward. (22/4/05 The Indian Express)

In Sonbhadra, a government employee in dist. Panchayat office has been

discriminated by office staff after knowing his HIV status. Because of

discrimination he hasn’t got his salary of last three months & also he can’t

enter in office premises. (28/5/05 Hindustan)

In Vadodara, Ahmedabad Thirty-year-old Seema (name changed) was confined to one

room in her, served food in separate utensils and also prevented from playing

with her children. Her fault — she lost her husband to HIV and has contracted

the infection. (19/8/05Times of India)

In BIJAPUR, Dejected upon discovering that they were HIV positive, a couple

committed suicide at Murankeri colony here on Thursday. The police gave their

names as Rajkumar Shetgar, 29, and his wife, Eeramma, 25. They are survived by a

three-year-old son. It is said that Eeramma was pregnant. In a suicide note

accompanied with medical reports confirming that they were HIV positive, the

couple said nobody is responsible for their death. 16/9/05 The Hindu)

Furthermore, international conventions agree that discrimination against people

with HIV/AIDS is often also an abuse of their human rights. I have read some HIV

discrimination cases in state hospitals also. These are not the only Human

Rights abuse cases, which took place against positive+ last months, may be I got

few of them. I think Self-helped groups, PLWHA networks is a good move in this

direction.

Javed Abbas

E-mail: <javedabbas_2004@...>