Re: Concluding arguments in challenge to Section 377. The 'truth' about Lucknow arrests

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

This is in reference to the posting made by Ms. Tripti Tandon of  the Lawyers

Collective, posted on the 17th November 2008 on AIDS-India, on Concluding

arguments in challenge to Section 377 - The 'truth' about Lucknow arrests

 

In response to these arguments, NFI Regional Office would like to response by

stating:

1.  Both of the organisations that had been victimised by the local police had

been registered with the Government of India either through the Registrar

Societies, or the RBI.

2. NFI had been well known to both NACO, UNAIDS India Country Office, a range of

NGOs, the Home Ministry and others since its development in 1996. It as also

well known for its work internationally.

3.Both agencies were also well known to UPSACS. The Project Director of UPSACS

attended the presentation to NGOs in Lucknow on the opening of the regional

office of NFI, and the Programme Manager had been previously used by UPSACS as a

trainer and resource person.

4.  Naz Foundation International is a technical assistance and support agency

working across South Asia. It does not provide direct HIV services to MSM, hence

it would not have any significant amounts of condoms in storage other than what

it uses for training programmes. The “artificial penis†mentioned by Sharma

is common to many NGOs working with HIV as a condom educational tool.

5. NFI has an information resource centre with a with a range of documentation

on masculinities, sexualities and sexual health that is not open to the general

public. This resources is used by those working in the field of male sexual

health, not only in India, but internationally. Books, documents, etc were all

donated to the resource centre from Terrance Higgins Trust in the UK, Deutche

AIDS Hilfe in Germany, international NGOs, LGBT organisations around the world,

the BBC, and many others. It is these documents that Sharma is referring to.

6. As for Sharma’s statement in regard to HIV, it is not whom you do sex with

but how, that is critically important for reducing risks of HIV transmission is

common knowledge in the HIV educational field. HIV organisations should not be

passing moral judgement on those it works with.

7. At that time, neither Bharosa nor NFI received government funding. NFI was

receiving funding from the British Department for International Development at

that time.

8. The actual facts of the case indicate that a false case had been made.

9. It is worth mentioning that during the framing of the charges Section 377 was

dropped (the only non – bail able section which was used to put the staff of

NFI and Bharosa in jail for 47 days) which is again an evidence of misuse of the

section.

For those interested in truth and social justice, details of the case can be

obtained from NFI by emailing at: India@...

With warm wishes & regards!!

For India Naz Foundation International

Arif Jafar

Executive Director

8 Gulzar Colony, New Berry Lane,

Lucknow - 226 001, U.P., India

Phone: +91 (0)522 - 2205781-2 Fax: +91 (0)522 2205783

Email: India@...

Website: www.nfi.net