SMITA JAIN
| Government campaigns on AIDS still target traditionally stigmatised "high-risk" populations but the truth is that the most at risk are women among the general population. |
CAMPAIGN TO SENSITISE MEN: There is an urgent need to spread awareness.
IT is a beautifully crafted music video that describes the love story of a happily married couple, enacted by celebrities Mandira Bedi and Samir Soni. The lilting lyrics are by award-winning lyricist Prasoon Joshi, the director is Arjun Bali of Red Ice Films, and the mesmerising voice is that of Shubha Mudgal.
Though it sounds like the perfect formula for the latest Bollywood Indi-pop single, the video couldn't be more different. The message of the video, called "Maati", is one that strikes you squarely in the face: are you the kind of man who wouldn't use a condom for the safety of your wife?
Today, India is home to the second-largest AIDS epidemic in the world (after Africa), with more than 52,00,000 people living with the disease. Of these, nearly 20,00,000 are women, and this number is rising fast. While the prevailing notion is that the majority of HIV-positive women are commercial sex workers, statistics show that they comprise only around one per cent of the total.
Grim reality
Given prevailing gender norms in Indian society, the reality that this points to is grim: the majority of women infected are married women whose husbands or primary sexual partners are engaging in high-risk sexual behaviour outside marriage and are, in effect, "bringing home" the virus.
The Economist magazine predicts that women will soon be a majority of those infected by HIV/AIDS the world over, "with male chauvinism largely to blame". Research has shown that women are more vulnerable epidemiologically, biologically and socially to contracting HIV/AIDS, and young women are particularly at risk. Indeed, it is estimated that women are nearly 2.5 times more likely to contract HIV than their male counterparts.
In a society where discussion of sex is largely taboo, there are currently few avenues for women to get reliable information about HIV/AIDS. "Far too many women do not know how AIDS is spread," notes Irfan Khan of the Naz Foundation. "There need to be more spaces where women and girls can access information about HIV/AIDS, and also engage in open discussions on sexual health and sexuality."
Alarming spread
The rate at which AIDS is spreading among women in the general population is alarming, and the Indian Government is not acting fast enough to check its spread. "I think the situation is pretty much out of hand as far as I'm concerned," says Anjali Gopalan of the Foundation. "We're seeing a tremendous rise in numbers of women who are living with HIV."
Government campaigns still mainly target traditionally stigmatised "high-risk" populations: sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), intravenous drug users and migrant populations. Yet the reality is that the new face of AIDS is that of a young, married woman, who may live in a home near you.
Recognising the growing risk faced by young and married women, the video "Maati" is a part of a multi-media campaign entitled "What Kind of Man Are You?" launched by human rights group Breakthrough, to promote dialogue and equality within marriage and encourage condom use among men. "The purpose of the campaign is not to place the blame on men," says assistant director Alika Khosla, "but simply to sensitise them about the issues that women face, and ask them to sit up and think about the needs of a woman."
While men usually contract the disease by engaging in high-risk sexual behaviour, for Indian women, marriage is often the biggest HIV/AIDs risk, with nearly four-fifths of new infections being amongst married women. For Indian women, who usually marry young — it is estimated that nearly 60 per cent of women in rural India marry before the age of 16 — there is an urgent need to spread awareness about AIDS and the importance of negotiating condom use with their partners. Yet AIDS is not simply an affliction only of the poor, rural Indian woman. The number of urban, affluent women afflicted by the disease is rising.
Change in attitude
"It is a misperception that all educated women in our society — married or unmarried — are aware of the disease, and are able to easily negotiate condom use with their partners," says Khosla. "When a woman asks a man to use a condom, men often perceive it as accusing them of infidelity. This attitude needs to change."
For many women, knowledge of their HIV positive status is often accompanied by violence, stigma and abandonment by their families and societies. Meena's husband threw her out of the house after learning about her HIV status, which she had discovered during a pregnancy-related check up. He refused to get himself tested, placed the entire blame of the infection on Meena, and abandoned her along with their three children. He filed for a divorce from her on the grounds that she was HIV-positive, and married another woman.
Usha, 26, found out her HIV positive status two years ago, as her husband lay dying of tuberculosis. "We sought treatment for months and months, and couldn't understand why he wasn't getting better. At a bigger hospital, they confirmed his HIV- positive condition. Immediately after, they tested me."
Her husband is the only person she has had sexual contact with, and she was unaware of his other sexual partners. She has not told her family members about her condition, as she is unsure what their reaction will be. "I don't want to burden people with my pains. Due to god's grace, I have not yet had a reason to think about my condition. I work hard every day, with the knowledge that my daughter may study and have a better life. I want to show people that even we can lead happy, positive lives."
"Women need to know more about AIDS, and myths need to be dispelled. I know that I will never marry again as I do not want to afflict anyone else with the disease. Men need to begin to think the same way."
Indeed, if India is to stem the threatening tidal wave of atrocities against its women — and prevent an epidemic of African proportions — an attitudinal change amongst men is urgent, and necessary.
E-mail the writer at: smitajain2@gmail.com
5 comments:
madam,
its a well focused,lucid article touching the new dimensions
of the HIV problem.
To your article "Bringing the virus home",The Hindu,27 Nov.Sunday,I would like to express my veiws...
It is true the men should keep there male chauvinisim at bay and realise there reponssibilites towards his life partner , his family and above all the society in which he lives.Like food ,shelter and education, after a certain age sex too plays an important part in a man's life.And I belive that it is the right of every human being to get the best knowledge about safe sex.At school children are taught about various deseases that spread through contaminated water and the precaution they should take. In the same way deseases relating to sex for example STD and AIDS must be a part of school syllaby after a certatin class, maybe in 11th and 12th grade.It should not be a taboo issue any more as AIDS is labelled as an epidemic with no cure yet. All we can do is act reponssibly and prevent it from spreading by first ,taking proper precaution on personal front and secondly by spreading the awareness.
Since charity begins at home parents should feel free to take up the issue with their wards.Even elder siblings with proper knowledge can be a big help.Family physcian to can do his part....All we need now is to act ..
Any one trying to grasp the nettle of HIV/AIDS threat will be confused if her/his information through media, knowledge through disseminated literature and own wisdom, your well argued essay in Sunday Magazine of the Hindu(27 11 05), the Hindu Editorial 'Scale up response to HIV' (28 11 05), the news items 'Fast mutating HIV virus poses new challenge' in Pioneer (28 11 05) http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=front%5Fpage&file_name=story3%2Etxt&counter_img=3?headline=Fast~mutating~HIV~virus~poses~new~challenge
and 'World inter-faith meet on AIDS in January'
http://www.thehindu.com/2005/11/29/stories/2005112908830500.htm
are read together. This applies to the social workers also as this associated reading, each true in parts, sends mixed signals.
The Sahadharmini (read wife) is the vicarious and undeserving victim; so is her child to be born. Their protection, not only on moral grounds, but on the practicality of married couples being the largest cohabiting group and the innocent party at that, ranks highest. Your point is therefore well taken. Attitudinal change in the husband can be brought about, most often, only by his wife, particularly in the Indian society. She wields an influence, subliminal though, which others cannot, even when the male chauvinist pig treats her as chattel and even if he is governed by the impulsive urge only. She can be empowered only if she can dangle the condom at the right moment and sway the truant husband to go for safe sex, raising the spectre of risk to the children-that- could- be-conceived. NGOs should adopt this agenda, sensitive and 'outrageous' as it is, to gift a packet of condoms to women at risk, including the 'virtuous' ones, who have ganged up against Khusboo and Suhasini, with the gleeful MCPs. But, the task is urgent and what better than targeting the mushrooming women self-help groups for empowerment? And, known groups at risk like the partners of Namakkal truck drivers, that of seasonal migrant labour and wandering sales representatives. No class of wives are safe, as male truancy is common in all strata of society. But, the poor and vulnerable come first.
Coming to the Hindu Editorial, the comfort from UNAIDS and WHO reports is premature and is of little significance. Number crunching has no meaning in tackling this social ill. The misplaced blaming of the sex workers shifts the focus, though different set of social skills are needed to protect and teach them. None knows the risk to survival better than the sex worker herself. She needs encouragement and support and not mere advice. Criminalisation of the drug-injecting populace is a matter of law and not shrill moralising. Campaign and law-enforcement should go in hand in hand, with a sense of perspective. The action plan has to be scaled up on many fronts, not merely in extending access to Anti Retroviral Treatment. Those of differently-oriented sex urge, an euphemism for the gay and lesbians, should be disabled from infecting other women. This is no shrill moral tone, but the recall of the 'party being over' in the gay capital of San Francisco in the Eighties of the last century. If I am right, the first AIDS case was reported in 1985 in Ahmedabad. I remember being appalled at the way the patient was left to die unattended. We have travelled a long way on this front since, but, not towards a solution.
The Pioneer article is more disturbing as the first India-specific HIV sub-type C study in Chennai reportedly showed mutations that throws the spanner in the works. Worse still, is the admission that little is known about anti-retroviral resistance in HIV type C, prevalent in India.
I am also sceptical about what can be accomplished by inter-faith meets and the like on AIDS, apart from pulling at the strings of the AIDS purse. Such diversions could damage the cause, though I wish I am wrong. I also read about the Universities in Delhi getting proactive. That is a welcome step.
I thank you for the opportunity to comment on the subject. I mail this from the UK, where I volunteer in a different social arena. Here, one can collect condoms at the post office anonymously.
hi smitajain
this is zimmy.i have read your article "bringingthe virus to home"on the hindu.i was impressed by that.ur view on hiv and how it effects society is really good.let me introduce my self my name is zimmy in fact pet name.most of the peoples call with that name only.iam doing 1st year MBA in areputed institute in a.p.iam intrested to participate if your going to launch any awareness programme or something like that.Being a part of society i fell its my responsibility.and i want to be a friend of you if you are interested send reply to this mail reply with your ph no.then i can contact when ever your free.iam very much interested in articles of papers and i want to be friend of write.if you are interested.. reply.and your article is good
Hi Smita,
It was nice reading, "Bringing the virus home" in Hindu Magazine.
Being interested in developmental and social issues, I am tracking the campaigns done to prevent AIDS. I have noticed a conspicuous evolution of themes especially related to advertisements, rather social messages built around curbing the spread of AIDS. If I recall correctly, the earlier campaigns were talking about the importance of having only one sexual partner. However now, we seemed to have accepted the reality that our initial plank was not strong and hence the promotion of condoms as a means to prevent the spread of virus.
I have also seen the commercial, if I can call it that way, asking the men to be more sensitive. But, from a target audience point of view, I wonder whether it will strike the right tone with the 'insensitive' men. I would say that it would have been better if they promoted something like with that advertisement. Also, I really doubt that if a condom can prevent the virus being spread – 100%. But of course it might be near 100%.
As your article suggests, the bigger challenge for India is to spread the awareness. I have read some years ago (should be at least 4 years) about prostitutes insisting their clients to wear condoms, and it was even reported that one prostitute even asked her clients to wear 2 condoms preferably. If awareness can reach groups like prostitutes who are considered inaccessible then why not the masses?
Speaking about sex openly has been very un-Indian. However, if I have to go by the surveys done, at least in cities, doing sex is not. So in-addition to spreading the awareness among the people, one has to simultaneously concentrate on the younger generation – especially teenagers.
The situation of Indian women facing social stigma on being identified as an AIDS patient is nothing uncommon. I would say that this situation is rather a rule. The Indian woman is considered is at the receiving end in almost all cases.
Hence I believe that the case with AIDS cannot be seen in isolation. It has to do a lot with the society's approach to women, girl child, male chauvinism etc.
Once again congrats on your article, and keep writing.
Rgds
Sanjay
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