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"Wives of uniformed personnel a key partner to combating HIV"
The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Aug 17:We have dwelt long and discussed issues relating to how to HIV/AIDS among the uniformed services, but the HIV prevention and care needs of their wives and partners, their children and families always hit a blind spot! It was a perfect example of missing the tree for the wood…and the woods for the tree, said Winnie Singh, who recently relinquished charge as President of the Assam Rifles Wives Welfare Association (ARWWA).
Singh was addressing a session on "Women, Security & AIDS in Wives of Uniformed Personnel" at the 16th International Conference on AIDS in Toronto, Canada from August 13 to 18, according to a statement issued by the SASO.
Singh is the chairperson of the NGO Maitri - involved in the welfare of women and children of the uniformed services personnel. She is also also a member of the National Commission for Women, India.
According to her, the way ahead to deal with the causes, consequences and to mitigate the impact of HIV on the families of the personnel of the Uniformed services, there must be greater cohesion and visibility of women as leaders. The leaders must be willing to break taboos which have silenced women, especially in India. They must be able to strengthen and provide long term support to women`s empowerment in society and their leadership role and being able to mobilize existing women`s movements, the statement added.
At the conference Singh proposed bold measures such as women being mature and astute enough to ensure that the husband always should have a condom handy and not to stand in judgment over his morality but to protect themselves and their children by always taking precaution.
While stressing that a two-pronged approach must be adopted – prophylaxis and rehabilitation, she observed that prevention is only possible through precaution, and therefore, advocacy, the rehabilitative aspect is a great deal more complex since it covers critical socio-economic issues. This rehabilitation calls for building awareness and sensitizing people affected, infected and afflicted by HIV/AIDS. This cover should extend not just to those themselves infected with the virus but their immediate families, dependents and peers.
She also call for easy access for women to affordable information and facilities for reproductive heath care including free condoms, integrate VCT into sexual and reproductive health services, introduce the concept of pre-marital counselling and testing followed by periodic health check-ups and couple counselling, creating a common platform for wives of all the Soldiers living with HIV/AIDS, (SLWHA) introduce disclosure policy in uniformed services with wives/partners being giving option of "informed choice" to opt in or out of marriage or choose to continue or terminate pregnancies, prepare group health & life insurance packages for wives of uniformed personnel and legal services for wives of SLWHA for succession rights & social/economic security.
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