AIDS AWARENESS - NGOs fear working with high-risk groups

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AIDS AWARENESS - NGOs fear working with high-risk groups

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090617/cth1.htm#6

Chitleen K Sethi

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 16

The Punjab and Haryana AIDs control societies are reeling under the shortage of

NGOs to work with high-risk groups. NGOs work in tandem with the state AIDs

control societies to implement targeted intervention projects funded by the

National AIDS Control Organisation.

While the NGO crunch is likely to bring down achievement targets set by NACO for

these states, dearth of willing workers is also pushing these high-risk groups

towards a point of no return.

" Despite the fact that the NGOs are well funded, only a handful of them are

coming forward to work with female sex workers (FSWs), intravenous drug users

(IDUs) and men having sex with men (MSM) groups, which have been listed as the

high-risk groups for contracting HIV, " lamented Dr NM Sharma, additional project

director Punjab state AIDS control society.

The main reason behind this is that NGO staff is not willing to work with these

groups, which are considered to be on the other side of law and dangerous to

work with. Deepika (28) (name changed) worked with an NGO in Haryana as part of

an intervention project. Her work involved generating awareness among commercial

sex workers about HIV. One day, she was shocked to receive an obscene phone

call, wherein a man asked her that on what `price' she would offer her

`services.' " The pimp who was also working with the project had given the NGO

worker's number to the client, " said Vinod, deputy director, intervention

projects Haryana AIDS control society. Similar cases have been reported from

Punjab, including one in which a counsellor working with an MSM group was asked

to gratify some members!

" No body wants to go to places where drug addicts hang around. NGO workers are

scared of being looted by them, " added Meenu, deputy director intervention

projects Punjab AIDS control society.

" In districts like Sangrur, Nawashahar, Muktsar, Faridkot and Barnala, there is

no NGO cover. We have been advertising for NGO recruitment several times but

there is either no response or there is response from those who are not found

suitable. In any case we have very little to choose from, " added Sharma.

" NGOs have no problems working with migrants and truckers which are considered

safe to work with, " added Vinod. There are some other reasons too for the

shortage of NGOs. " The peer educator is a member of the high-risk group and is

embedded in the implementation process. But he is paid a paltry sum of Rs

1,500, " said an NGO director, adding that the AIDs control societies demand a

lot of paperwork. " The only way out of such a shortage is train community- based

organisations so that they can run their own NGOs, " said Vinod, adding that one

such NGO was being run by a group of MSM in Panchkula.

In Haryana, 32 intervention projects are going on with no NGO cover in Sirsa.

" We have been given 15 more projects, " said Vinod. In Punjab, 24 intervention

projects are being implemented by 20 NGOs. Another six projects have been added

this year.