news details |
|
|
| 59 fatalities and more to come – Toll of AIDS deaths to increase in Kathua | | | VIKAS SHARMA
Jammu | August 4…
For seventeen women it resulted into death while 42 of them had to lose their husbands because of this deadly disease. Yes, we are talking of Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome – commonly known as HIV/AIDS. And, hold your breath – these are the figures from just one district – Kathua.
This might have not sounded alarm bells for the authorities but have been taken seriously by an NGO Francois Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) who carried a survey of 65 families covering 35 villages in Kathua district.
Out of these 42 women, whose husbands were established cases of the disease, three have been confirmed HIV+ while the remaining 39 have not been tested so far.
These staggering figures were provided by FXB programme coordinator, Sanket Vetam, who also said, “Women living in the rural areas are feeling voiceless against all sort of exploitation which further leads to their stigma and discrimination In fact, ‘she’ is more sufferer of deadly HIV-AIDS pandemic as compared to men owing to lack of proper information regarding the spread of the disease.”
“Illiteracy is also one of the major contributing factors responsible for this situation,” he further said adding that, “The HIV widows living in these villages are facing double burden as a widow and an HIV- positive person. They are not being allowed to live in their husbands’ house after their death. Only 10 percent of them are living with their husbands’ families. What is more interesting is that 60 percent of these HIV – positive widows are nearly less than 30 years of age and staying with their natal families after being thrown out by their in-laws following death of their husbands.” Recently, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National AIDS Control Organisation, and National Council Of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in order to assess the socio economic impact of HIV/AIDS carried out a study in six high prevalence states of India affected with the deadly HIV/ AIDS Virus.
However, FXB in continuance of its spirited fight against the deadly HIV/ AIDS in the Jammu Region, FXB achieved a major success as their ambitious project in collaboration with INP + has been approved by the Indian Network for People Living with HIV/ AIDS (INP+) Chennai. The project titled “Innovations Fund” is the first of its kind in the state with the sole objective is to raise awareness among wider women community with regard to HIV/ AIDS prevention.
While briefing about the ambitious project targeting towards the empowerment of Women, Sanket said, “The centre of innovative idea is community mobilization for HIV AIDS prevention by formation of women health committee at village level in the Jammu region by developing women health community at village level in Jammu Region to educate them about the AIDS pandemic and various preventive measures to safeguard themselves against the deadly virus. For this, there is an urgent need to empower the adolescent girls and women living in the rural areas by increasing their knowledge about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), HIV/AIDS, Easy Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Illness (STI) and sexual rights.” observed Sanket Vetam.
In set Box: Survey conducted by FXB comprising 65 families of 35 villages in Distt. Kathua.
60 percent of HIV + widows are nearly less than 30 yrs of age.
63 percent of men knew that HIV/AIDS is preventable while 51 percent women knew this fact.
According to UNDP survey, 1, 11, 608 AIDS cases are reported in the country till July 31, 2005.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
