Bensy goes down fighting AIDS, stigma

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Bensy goes down fighting AIDS, stigma

Thiruvananthapuram, May 06, 2010

AIDS patient and orphan Bensy (15) told HT last Friday at her residence in

Kollam that she wanted to be " a doctor and treat the HIV-affected free of cost " .

She died in a government hospital here on Thursday, leaving her brother, Benson

(14), also HIV-positive.

In 2002, Bensy and Benson were on the banner of the anti-AIDS campaign of the

country.

Both staged a fast-unto-death before the state secretariat in 2002, when they

were thrown out of Government Lower Primary School in Kaithakuzhi (southern

Kollam district). They had earlier been expelled from four other schools.

Battling stigma and ostracism, they stormed their way back to school.

The then chief minister of Kerala, A.K. Antony, now defence minister, gave them

moral support. There was outrage at the decision of the school, which had to

knuckle under.

Their fight was moving. " My snaps with these children will speak for themselves

in future, " said Sushma Swaraj, health minister in the National Democratic

Alliance government, after hugging them at an AIDS awareness programme here in

2003.

The former President, Abdul Kalam, had also met them.

The siblings lost their parents at an early age. Both had died of AIDS. Since

then she and her brother were staying with their grandparents.

When relatives, classmates and others shut the door on her face, Bensy gently

reminded them of their right to live and learn. Through protest marches and

awareness campaigns, she succeeded to an extent in getting her right to live

with dignity.

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