WUNRN
Via WOMEN'S FEATURE SERVICE
India - New Delhi
India: HIV Epidemic Is
Increasingly Younger, Rural, Feminine
Story of Sensitization for Less
Stigma for Women with HIV/AIDS
India:Ganjam's
Prejudice Turns to Pride
By Manipadma Jena
Ganjam (Women's Feature Service) - Koma Mohanty, 35, is on the brink becoming a
full-blown AIDS case. Yet, the only giveaway to her unfortunate condition are
her sunken eyes and laboured walk. In fact, she is the perfect example of
courage for women in similar situations in the Ganjam district of Orissa.
Koma's life changed, first, for the better and then sank beyond all expectation,
when her husband, Trinatha, migrated to Gujarat from their village, V. Raipur,
in the Purushottampur block of Ganjam district, in search of more lucrative
work opportunities in the mid-nineties.
The regular, but meagre income he sent home ensured that their three children
could go to school. And on the rare occasion he came home - once every year or
two - he brought along a trunk full of dresses, saris and plastic gifts for the
family.
But, on one of those visits, unknown to himself, he also brought the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In 2006 he tested positive for HIV and later that
year succumbed to the dreaded disease. When he passed away, no one in the
village came forward to help cremate the body for fear that they would 'catch'
the infection. Later, a local NGO, Nirmata, came to Koma's rescue. But with the
unfortunate end of her husband began Koma's long and seemingly impossible fight
for social acceptance.
Until December 2007, Ganjam district accounted for 35 per cent of the total
AIDS deaths and 37.8 per cent of a total of 8,200 HIV-positive cases in Orissa,
according to Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS).
At the Anti Retroviral Testing (ART) Centre in the district's central town,
Berhampur, from 2002 till February 2008 - out of a total of 37,386 persons
tested, 3,491 were HIV-positive. ART treatment has been started on 1,015 cases.
The emerging face of the HIV epidemic is increasingly turning younger, rural
and feminine. Prevailing gender stereotypes and early marriage ensure that
women remain ignorant and unable to protect themselves - making them especially
vulnerable to infection from husbands. Of the total HIV infected population in
India, 38.4 per cent are women and 57 per cent rural, according to the National
AIDS Control Organization (NACO, 2006).
One of the most debilitating impacts of this epidemic is the stigma and
discrimination resulting from disclosure of status. And AIDS widows, in
particular, bear the brunt of inhuman social ostracism, their situation
exacerbated by loss of the earlier social support system and source of
earnings; dependent children; and denial of healthcare.
However, as awareness grows, Women Living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA), such as Koma,
are summoning the strength to not only face the disease head-on but fight
discrimination as well. They are finding a sense of self worth in information
sharing among support groups.
After her husband died, Koma tested positive in November 2006. A few days later
her eldest son Santosh, 14, was found hanging from a tree in the nearby mango
grove, after having been hounded by villagers for supposedly carrying the
virus. At school, her daughter, Girijanandini, 13, and son, Niranjan, 12, were
isolated and later had to drop out.
Plagued with recurrent common cold and allergic rashes, Koma would visit the
Bhatakumarada Public Health Centre (PHC), where health workers would keep her
waiting for hours, refusing to attend to an HIV-positive patient. Broken in
mind and body, Koma, too, contemplated ending her life and also that of her two
remaining children.
It was the constant counselling from activist Sarbeswar Mohapatra of Nirmata
and from Krushna Chandra Das, the school headmaster and also Koma's neighbour,
that prevented her from taking the drastic step.
In an effort to condition the community to accept her and her children, Das
even called a special parent meeting at the school and asked Koma to light the
ceremonial inauguration lamp. Teachers and parents protested but Das persisted
with the practice and his fervent interventions yielded results. In two months
time, the two children rejoined school and were treated normally. In fact, in
the final class exams this year, the son secured a 65 per cent aggregate, while
the daughter got above 60 per cent.
Today, Koma's health may be slipping, but her mind is strong. Health
permitting, she leads HIV/AIDS awareness rallies in neighboring villages and
schools and speaks at the meetings of Self Help Groups' (SGHs), where she
focuses on the wives of migrant workers - a growing group in the
district. Every year, around 500,000 to 700,000 people in Orissa migrate to
Gujarat in search of better work opportunities in power looms and diamond
polishing factories in Surat or the ship breaking yards around Bhavnagar. Of
these, 80 per cent are from Ganjam district alone.
Elsewhere, in the high-incidence Shergarh block of Ganjam district, Damayanti
Goud in Bhaginipur village was blamed for her husband's death by his family,
when he died of AIDS in 2004. The accusation was in keeping with the
misconception that HIV is contracted solely from women. With no other recourse
but to return to her 80-year-old father, Damayanti, 29, got a roof over her
head, but only in the cowshed. When she was diagnosed as HIV-positive, the
villagers stopped visiting her father's house.
Today, Damayanti is no longer a cast-off. She received ART treatment and has
returned to her in-laws - after they were similarly made aware about HIV/AIDS.
She also works, when she can, at a construction site, where she advises her
female co-workers against unsafe sex. At local AIDS awareness gatherings, she
is the first to stand up and enunciate the dos, don'ts and consequences of
ignorance.
In Ganjam, women no longer talk around HIV/AIDS, they talk about it. In fact,
the 420-household Sitalapalli village in the Rangeilunda block has 10 women
SHGs. Sandhyarani Mohanty, president of Maa Santoshi SHG, says they have a
regular slot at each monthly meeting to talk about HIV/AIDS - its impact and
how to prevent it. The discussion is often triggered by related village gossip.
Adding to levels of heightened awareness is the effort of young HIV/AIDS
activist Manini Patro, 20. Patro who dispels harmful gossip and myths about the
disease, entered the NGO sector seeking a job at 17, but developed it into a
mission seeing the plight of affected women. She has thus counselled
HIV-infected persons and also braved the innuendoes of the village youth, who
would deliberately invite her to teach them how to use a condom.
The growing awareness and training has led to a positive change in attitudes,
among the primary health workers, as well. Dr Bishnu Prasad Mohapatra, Ganjam
District Nuclear Officer, at Berhampur MKCG Hospital, oversees the
implementation of the government health and HIV/AIDS projects. He admits that
earlier an HIV-positive pregnant woman would get no health service and that
even today he has to sometimes counsel and argue for hours to get reluctant
health personnel to treat an HIV-positive patient.
Yet, he feels optimistic. Ever since he shared his mobile number at a recent
training programme on Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) of
HIV/AIDS for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), 'Anganwadi' workers and
Ancilliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), he has been receiving calls seeking
information and clarifications. Going by the number of telephonic queries he
gets, Mohapatra believes that the health workers are implementing the concepts
learnt at the training.
Acknowledging the tribulations faced by AIDS widows, the Orissa government
announced a monthly pension scheme of Rs 200 (US$1=Rs 40) under the Madhubabu
Pension Scheme in February 2008. The gesture is expected to boost their morale.
Slowly but surely the tide is turning.
(Names are not changed; the women mentioned in this report have openly and
voluntarily declared their HIV-positive status in their communities.)
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