Re: Legal aid clinics to benefit HIV positive persons

[Guest guest]

Dear Associates,

Re: /message/11169

The community response to  HIV/AIDS is an important area for anyone

wishing to understand public health related policy-making in India.

This posting is deal with epidemiology, gender, legal, Human Rights and other

aspects of tackling HIV/AIDS.

We have collectively failed to address”violence against women; women living with

the virus face domestic violence and are usually the last

to receive care. One can go beyond such well-tread paths by studying if the

recent law against domestic violence has elped HIV positive women.

There is also a need to design a public health response for survivors of

sexual violence even when the assault is not

reported to the authorities and ECP (Emergency Contraceptive Pill) is not given

to female rape victim.

We cannot deal with HIV/AIDS risk in isolation of

psycho-social-religious-economic-legal support to victims of sexual violence.

These issues get lost in the now-almost-decade-old debate on whether criminal

laws relating sexual assault should be gender neutral.

In recent times, the WHO has emphasized that countries with HIV epidemics should

carry out HIV tests on everyone attending health centres unless they opt out.

The important question here is this: will the implementation of the opt out

policy™ roll back HIV counselling in India for those accessing public health

services.

Legal help is needed by HIV/AIDS infected as well as affected people but the

legal mechanism is cumbersome in our society, how to implement the Judicial

Order at community level.

Thanks moderator for advocating and moderating this issue.

Best Wishes and Regards,

Avnish

Avnish Jolly,

#3008,Sector-20D,

Chandigarh 160020, India.

Cell: +91-9814213809