**********************************************************
SAATHII Electronic News Letter
HIV NEWS FROM INDIA

SOURCE: The Hindustan Times, www.merinews.com, www.channelnewsasia.com,
 www.expresshealthcaremgmt.com,  www.kalingatimes.com,
www.centralchronicle.com,
 The Hindu, www.newindpress.com, www.telegraphindia.com,

Posted on: 27/08/2007

COMPILED BY: Randhir Kumar, B. Vilasini, and L. Ramakrishnan
SAATHII Chennai office.

Note: this compilation contains news items about HIV/AIDS
published in the Indian media, as well as articles relevant to
HIV/AIDS in India published internationally. Articles in this
and previous newsletters may also be accessed at
http://www.saathii.org/orc/elibrary

===============================================================

1. Nearly 70000 children living with HIV virus.(New Delhi)
The Hindustan Times, August 18, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=0756ba75-9829-4ca0-a819-0e7c8bded1c2&ParentID=022c029c-f1a8-4a4d-8561-6e964ae23916

2. Condom Vending Machines in India.(Chennai)
www.merinews.com, August 19, 2007.
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126005

3. AIDS virus attacks brain on two fronts: study.(Washington)
www.channelnewsasia.com, August 19, 2007.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/294658/1/.html

4. Anbumani Launches NACP III.(New Delhi)
www.expresshealthcaremgmt.com, August 20, 2007.
http://www.expresshealthcaremgmt.com/200708/market12.shtml

5. Loneliness could be bad for health.(Colombo)
www.kalingatimes.com, August 20, 2007.
http://www.kalingatimes.com/health/news/20070819_bad_for_health.htm

6. Rural people more prone to HIV/AIDS.(New Delhi)
www.centralchronicle.com, August 20, 2007.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070820/2008303.htm

7. UNDP to organise Asia Pacific Court of Women on HIV in Colombo.(New Delhi)
The Hindu, August 20, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200708162240.htm

8. Call for cheap generic drugs.(Maharashtra)
The Hindustan Times, August 21, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=a2f38f1b-d0b7-4264-a15b-6fc9d54096b2

9. Campaign to encourage AIDS counselling, testing.(Bhubaneswar)
www.newindpress.com, August 21, 2007.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20070817013523&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0

10. AIDS awareness goes online.(Chennai)
The Hindustan Times, August 21, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=071b715a-2b3e-40c1-ada1-de036c119a46

11. NACO to focus on single male migrants.(Vadodara)
www.telegraphindia.com, August 22, 2007.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070411/asp/calcutta/story_7630476.asp

===============================================================

1. Nearly 70000 children living with HIV virus.(New Delhi)
The Hindustan Times, August 18, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=0756ba75-9829-4ca0-a819-0e7c8bded1c2&ParentID=022c029c-f1a8-4a4d-8561-6e964ae23916



New Delhi: Nearly 70,000 children living with HIV virus.


An estimated 70,000 children are HIV positive in the country, while
nearly 21,000 others get the infection every year, the Rajya Sabha was
informed on Friday.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi
said paediatric antiretroviral ARV drugs are available at 127 centres
across the country.

She said as per the revised estimates, there are 70,000 HIV infected
children in the country and nearly 21,000 new infections occur in children
every year.

"Following the launch of paediatric ART initiative in November 2006, more
than 18,000 infected children have been identified and currently nearly
6,500 eligible children are receiving ARV paediatric drugs," she
said.

Denying that there was any shortage of ARV drugs, she said about 17,000
children are availing them.

The minister said the estimates for the year 2006 recently released
by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), supported by UNAIDS and
WHO, indicated that there are around 2 million to 3.1 million people living
with HIV in the country.

Noting that the epidemic has stabilised at 0.36 per cent prevalence level
during the last four years, she said in 2006 and 2005, the HIV figure in
the country stood at 2.47 million.

By using the new method of estimation, she said the number of HIV
infected persons in 2004 was found to be at 2.44 million.

Andhra Pradesh, which has a prevalence rate of 1.6 per cent, has around
4,79,866 people infected with the virus, while in Manipur, having a
prevalence rate of 1.68 per cent, the figure stands at 22,010.

In Nagaland with a prevalence rate is 1.27 per cent, around 15,277
people have been infected with the virus.

===============================================================

2. Condom Vending Machines in India.(Chennai)
www.merinews.com, August 19, 2007.
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126005



Chennai: Condom Vending Machines in India.


Condom Vending Machines are the hottest topic doing the rounds in the
country especially among youngsters. The changing trends and the attitude
to ape the western world have hyped sexual activity.

India has more than five million HIV/AIDS sufferers second only to South
Africa but efforts to control the disease stand against the extremely
conservative traditions deep rooted in our culture.

People indulge in unsafe sex in the country and if one were to say that it
is wrong to promote condoms, then one would say that it is wrong to have
sex.

There has been a rapid hike in extramarital affairs and having sex with
multiple partners in the recent years has led to the increase in HIV/AIDS
cases.

How can one afford to take a risk in the heat of the moment and regret
it for the rest of his life? It is wiser to use protection than play
the game unarmed.

Karuna Khurana a student of Delhi University says, "It is important for
youngsters to understand the importance of safe-sex and condom vending
machines would ensure that people can rely on protection when the need
arises.

If a person's mind is made up, he will have sex anyway, the only thing
we can do is encourage safe sex."

The concept of condom vending machines is fairly new to India but most
of the people are unaware about the machines that are also known as condom
ATMs.

In Chennai and Hyderabad, condom vending machines have been installed
in Sulabh toilets and a lot of people are happy with them.

Raghu Chopra, a Computer Engineer from Bangalore says, "It is indeed a
great phenomenon. I feel that it is a noble idea to help people protect
themselves against HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies.

Many a times people are unable to go to Chemist stores to purchase condoms
as they feel shy or get embarrassed and end up having unprotected sex. This
leads them into trouble.

Condom vending machines save us the dread of walking up and asking for a
condom and help enjoy safe sex."

The controversy swirling around condom vending machines is that their
installation is likely to corrupt the youth and damage the ideals of our
country.

What ideals are being talked about is the question. If one were to have
sex with a stranger, would it be wise to use a condom or simply go in for
unprotected sex? Can our cherished ideals control thousands of individuals
plunging in the act or would condom vending machines help control the
HIV/AIDS crisis to an extent?

Manisha Bahadur, Retail professional from Delhi opines, "Installing condom
vending machines is a pretty good idea as most people in our country feel
shy asking a third person for condoms. It would be a great step toward
promoting AIDS awareness and we as a nation need to focus on its positive
effects.

The social structure in our society is to be blamed for the suppression
of such concepts, which stand as a major hurdle in the way of the country's
overall progress. If this is treated in the minds of the people then we can
control the spread of AIDS efficiently.

People need to be more responsible for their lives and they have to realise
that one wrong act can destroy many lives. Condom vending machines are more of
a necessity than a luxury."

Shyam Sunder, a truck driver from Haryana says, "The vending machines
should be next to ATM machines so that people do not break them.

Several fellow Indians think that it is against our culture to use condoms
but the concept should be encouraged and everyone should have access to it
easily."

Some people think that condom vending machines will corrupt the youth and
encourage them to experiment with sex on a wider scale. But in our country,
everybody is doing it and nobody wants to talk about it.

How sane is this attitude? Can we stop people from indulging in the act
itself by promoting AIDS awareness among the masses?

Harjeet Singh, a businessman from Delhi says, "Technology in our country is
still emerging in a big way. People tend to tamper with machines either
because they don't know how to operate them or no guard is standing in front
of the machines.

People want to get everything free of cost and such incidents have happened in
the past. Such machines will require high maintenance which is not possible in
our country. Thus, I think that medical stores are the best places to shop for
condoms."

Neha Arora, a mother of two says, "We should have condom vending machines
because many youngsters are experimenting with sex and they should be
encouraged
to use condoms. These days children tend to get carried away very easily.

Times have changed and parents need to change their views as well. It is
better to know that your child is practicing safe sex rather than worry about
his/her safety all the time. Whether the child is having sex or not is not as
important as knowing if he is using a condom or not."

Ridhi Aggarwal, a fashion designer says, "Condom vending machines should be
installed in Pubs and nightclubs where a lot of youngsters end up having
one-night stands. Many of my friends have ended up indulging in unsafe sex
because the chemist stores were either shut down or were out of their way.

These machines would definitely help people in a big way."

Condom vending machines are an effort to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
They certainly
do not collide with the values of our country. For those who are against the
concept, think about the number of lives that might be saved with the effort.

===============================================================

3. AIDS virus attacks brain on two fronts: study.(Washington)
www.channelnewsasia.com, August 19, 2007.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/294658/1/.html



Washington: AIDS virus attacks brain on two fronts: study.


The AIDS virus does not only destroy brain cells, it also inhibits the body
from making new ones, according to a new study published in the United States.

"It's a double hit to the brain," wrote researcher Marcus Kaul in the study
into the causes of the condition known as HIV-associated dementia published
in the August issue of the Cell Stem Cell.

A protein known as gp120 which is found on the surface of the HIV virus is
responsible for the damage, the researchers from the Burnham Institute for
Medical research and the University of California at San Diego found.

"The breakthrough here is that the AIDS virus prevents stem cells in the brain
from dividing; it hangs them up," said Stuart Lipton. "It's the first time
that the virus has ever been shown to affect stem cells."

"The HIV protein both causes brain injury and prevents its repair," added Kaul.

The study found that gp120 in mice slowed down the production of new neurons
in the hippocampus, the region of the brain which is vital for learning and
memory.

It has been long known that HIV infection could lead to acute dementia, but
the numbers of cases are rising as HIV patients live longer thanks to drug
therapies.

Current anti-viral drugs cannot however easily penetrate into the brain
tissue, thus leaving behind a reservoir of the virus.

Scientists believe the team's research could help determine a new course of
treatment for HIV dementia.

"This indicates we might eventually treat this form of dementia by either
ramping up brain repair or protecting the brain mechanism," Kaul said.

===============================================================

4. Anbumani Launches NACP III.(New Delhi)
www.expresshealthcaremgmt.com, August 20, 2007.
http://www.expresshealthcaremgmt.com/200708/market12.shtml



New Delhi: Anbumani Launches NACP III.


The third phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP III) was launched
by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss in
New Delhi, recently.

In line with its global commitment, the main aim of NACP III is to halt and
reverse the tide of the HIV epidemic in India by 2010. The programme aims to
reduce new infections in all categories and prevent spread of HIV from High
Risk Groups (HRG) to the general populations.

NACP III seeks to ensure access to a package of prevention and care services
to an estimated four million people in the high risk groups category, namely
female sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.

It ensures 90 per cent of the 10 million units of blood required is
from voluntary
blood donation; conduct 42 million tests, both in the public and private sector
facilities to identify those infected with HIV for providing early care and
treatment; and provide treatment to 3,40,000 AIDS patients.

NACP III focus areas draw heavily from the experience in the last two phases—
NACP I and NACP II. To achieve these goals of reversing the epidemic, NACP III
envisages an investment of Rs 1,585 crore. Of these, the Government will
spend Rs 8,023 crore with the rest being mobilised from private sector.


NACP Phase III Focus Areas


# Developing safe behaviors and attitudes in terms of human relationships,
particularly among the youth and among high-risk groups and with a particular
focus on regions most affected. This is critical as unprotected sexual
relationships enhances the risk of getting sexually-transmitted infections
like HIV.

# Ensuring the people infected and affected with HIV get easy access to a
comprehensive package of services that include prevention, care, support
and treatment.

# Establishing a world-class blood transfusion system in the country for
bringing down the incidence of blood- transmissible diseases by actively
promoting voluntary blood donation.

# Finally, NACP III, which at present is being implemented as a vertical
programme, under this phase could develop a systems approach in order to
underway for integrating HIV/AIDS with the National Rural Health Mission,
National TB Control Programme, and health promotion aims at adopting healthy
lifestyles.

As the first step, NACO will adopt this process of integration at the district
level by placing the district AIDS control units under the District Health
Society.

===============================================================

5. Loneliness could be bad for health.(Colombo)
www.kalingatimes.com, August 20, 2007.
http://www.kalingatimes.com/health/news/20070819_bad_for_health.htm



Colombo: Loneliness could be bad for health.


Some 25 years after the discovery of the first case of AIDS, the global figure
for people living with the virus will come down when fresh figures are released
in November, a senior official of the United Nations AIDS umbrella disclosed
Sunday.

The scale-down in the epidemic is being attributed to a new counting
methodology
pioneered jointly by the Indian government and the UN - which saw the figures
for Indians living with HIV/AIDS decline from 5.7 million to around three
million two months ago.

"The global numbers will come down a bit - but I can't tell you exactly how
much. For that you will have to wait until November when our annual report is
released," UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Deborah Landey said at a press
conference to kick off the eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and
the Pacific (ICAAP).

"The prevalence rates from country to country may come down but our concern
is that declining numbers could conceal the complexity of the picture and we
are very worried about complacency setting in," Landey said in response to
a query by IANS.

"For instance, prevalence rates can decline simply because people are dying.
We will try to capture some of the complexity of data in November," she
added.

According to figures released by UNAIDS last year, there are between 34 and
42 million people living with HIV or AIDS worldwide, and Landey thought the
figures to be announced in November will stay in that broad bracket.

One of the main reasons for the decline will be the methodology of Population
Household Survey - house-to-house counting that Landey said is particularly
good for rural areas - which was used in India to gauge the extent of the
epidemic for the first time earlier this year.

The same methodology has now been tried out in 22 countries in Africa and the
Caribbean, and 20 of them have returned lower figures for HIV/AIDS - a fact
that is certain to bring down the global numbers.

"Good and accurate data are evolving. What India has done very well is to
tap different survey methodologies," Landey added.

But she sounded a note of caution: while Population Household Surveys were
good at capturing rural data, they can do little about people who are not at
home when health workers pay a visit. And these can include high-risk groups
such as truck drivers, migrant workers and sex workers.

Landey's startling disclosure about the expected decline in numbers comes at
a crucial juncture in the global fight against HIV/AIDS - with more and more
money being put into prevention and access to life-saving drugs that were once
out of reach of poor people, the international campaign to fight the spread of
the disease is seeing its first glimmer of hope.

The danger, say health experts in Colombo, is that news about declining numbers
will lead to governments becoming complacent in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"We are worried about complacency," said Landey. "Countries that have become
complacent have seen the epidemic go up."

Some 2,500 health experts and community workers from 70 countries across
Asia-Pacific are attending the ICAAP meeting from 19 to 23 August.

They will exchange notes and share lessons in best practices so that
Asia-Pacific
can avoid the experience of sub-Saharan Africa - a region that has been
devastated by HIV/AIDS, said Athula Kahanda Liyanage, secretary to the
Sri Lankan
health ministry.

===============================================================

6. Rural people more prone to HIV/AIDS.(New Delhi)
www.centralchronicle.com, August 20, 2007.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070820/2008303.htm



New Delhi: Rural people more prone to HIV/AIDS.


The onus of sex education lies solely with the parents. Hence, the
poor, illiterate
parents must be made aware of the enormity of the unsafe sex, so that
they could
help their sons and daughters known to the dreaded disease- Shamsur Rabb Khan

We had a sense of relief when read earlier this month that the Health Ministry
had released fresh data that halved the estimates of AIDS prevalence in India,
which means that the country has 2.5 million AIDS patients as against
the previous
estimate of 5.2 million.

But what is disturbing is the fact that 60 per cent (about 1.5
million) HIV-infected
adults in India are living in rural areas. This is what WHO reports.

Not only it breaks the age-old myth that life in rural areas is free
from contagious
diseases like HIV/AIDS and that the people follow strict morals. What
can then be
the possible reasons for such prevalence and continuing escalation of
HIV/AIDS in
rural set up?

Research studies have shown that specific class of people have found
to be infected
with the lethal disease, which includes: sex workers, injecting drug
users (IDUs),
truck drivers, men who have sex with men and migrant workers, among others.

While sex with prostitutes is the major reason behind the prevalence
of the pandemic
in most parts of the country, IDUs, especially in north-eastern states and the
four metros is fast emerging as a major source of HIV/AIDS spread.

The WHO report says: "analysis of surveillance data by place of
residence indicates
that HIV has been spreading to the rural areas.

Of the reported AIDS cases, sexual transmission accounts for 86 per
cent in India.
" The prevalent trend indicates that the dreaded disease has now
started penetrating
the general population of rural areas.

One reason why HIV/AIDS is fast spreading to the rural areas is the continuous
inter as well as intra-state migration in search of jobs, especially
the low-wage
earners, labourers and average middle income groups who stay away from home for
a long duration.

Hence, due to prolonged separation from their wives, visitations to
the brothels
or making illicit relations can be presumed activities among these
migrant workers
and in the process they have fair chance to get infected.

Once the carriers, these people transmit the disease to their spouses
back home.
As a result, the wives of such men are at greater risk of being
infected without
knowing that their husbands have made them diseased. It does not stop
here, as the
children born to such parents are also becoming unfortunate victims.

Even in the case of unmarried men, who are infected while staying in
cities and still
unaware of the disease, as the primary symptoms not yet visible due to
age factor,
can infect their newly-wed wives.

So, this transfer of HIV/AIDS from the urban settlements to rural
areas or the vice
verse is growing every day.

Another reason is men who have sex with men. Though sound studies need to be
undertaken to gauge the actual scenario of homosexuality prevalent in
rural areas,
particularly among younger lot, the chances of its growing presence
cannot be ruled
out.

Even minors are lured and forced to perform the unholy business without knowing
that one out of every eight children suffering from HIV/AIDS worldwide
are in India.

The recent book "Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and
History" by
Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai analyses the history of homosexual
behaviour in India,
drawing from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and modern fictional traditions.

The book has an impressive collection of stories from the Mahabharata,
Panchatantra,
Kamasutra, Shiv Purana, Krittivasa Ramayana, Skanda Purana, Amir
Khusro, Baburnama,
and a variety of modern Indian material.

Women of weaker section of the society are lured or forced to have sex
with the rich
and powerful people; both are at a risk of HIV/AIDS. And as most in most of the
cases, such women never make resistance or tell anyone, the severity
of the problem
multiplies.

With about 70,000 children below the age of 15 in India battling the
dreaded HIV/AIDS,
some who are born with it and others who have got it through blood
transfusion, according
to a Health Ministry official, the future seems very challenging, if not bleak.

As children are more prone to unsafe sex, there is a need to teach them sexual
behaviours of elders. More importantly, the rural people must be made
aware of medical
treatment they receive in government hospitals where health workers
hardly care about
the safety measures.

Last year, Goa government came up with a proposal to make pre-marital
testing of
HIV mandatory. Several state legislatures, including Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh,
want to introduce bills that will make pre-marital testing of HIV mandatory.

In fact, a recent conference of bishops in Trissur, Kerala passed a
resolution to
make pre-marital HIV testing mandatory. The government is implementing
a nationwide
programme called "Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission" in order
to sensitize
the general masses.

Given the grim scenario and the possible spread of infection to other
regions of
the country, the vehement opposition to sex education in schools
sounds nothing more
than superfluous arrogance.

More importantly, rural folks need to be aware of the basics in sex
that they did
not get so far when they were in schools. For those who did not attend
schools or
illiterates, the need for sex education is highly recommended.

The onus of sex education lies solely with the parents. Hence, the
poor, illiterate
parents must be made aware of the enormity of the unsafe sex, so that
they could help
their sons and daughters known to the dreaded disease.

It is time we can not leave the essence of knowing for safe future
life than mere social
taboos that prohibits people from learning about sex. In fact, people
should shed their
inhibitions and openly address issues of sex, in order to ensure
safe-sex practices.

The educated parents, more than anyone else, can help youngsters appreciate the
emotional paradigm of sex, and the cost of early experimentation to
their health
and well-being. Ideally, NCERT publications on sex education should be sold in
bookstores across the country and read by the parents of five-year-olds so they
can 'talk' about the basics.

If we are serious about saving rural people (and in the process, urban
people as well)
from HIV/AIDS infection, then a concerted effort is needed to educate
our villagers
about the causes of the disease.

There should be a detailed discussion in the panchayat meetings on the
subject. Once a
discussion on HIV/AIDS related issues takes place in any such meeting,
the male members
can very well talk to their wives who need help in safe sex practices.

An HIV/AIDS free India can be accomplished only when rural people eschewed from
disease-infecting causes.

===============================================================

7. UNDP to organise Asia Pacific Court of Women on HIV in Colombo.(New Delhi)
The Hindu, August 20, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200708162240.htm



New Delhi: UNDP to organise Asia Pacific Court of Women on HIV in Colombo
Compelling life stories by HIV positive women from Asia and the Pacific on the
denial of inheritance and property rights and their dispossessions by families
and society because of their HIV status, insightful analyses by activists and
academics on the broader context within which this dispossession is
taking place
and visionary responses from an Eminent Jury will be the highlights of the
"Regional Court of Women" to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka as part of the 8th
International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP).

Organised by UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme and Asian
Women's Human
Rights Council (AWHRC) in partnership with UNIFEM, UNAIDS and several NGOs in
the region, this "Asia Pacific Court of Women on HIV, Inheritance and Property
Rights: from Disposession to Livelihoods" will be the first regional summit on
the issue of inheritance and property rights of women in the context of HIV.

It is an attempt to give visibility to the lives and voices of those who are
increasingly being pushed to the margins of our societies and polity because
they are identified as positive and because they are poor.

Speaking to reporters here today, Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Regional HIV/AIDS Team
Leader, UNDP Regional Centre in Colombo, said, the "Court" will bring to public
focus the challenges faced by women in the context of HIV and AIDS.
"HIV deepens
the prevalent gender inequalities driving the epidemic in the region.

When women are denied their rights to inheritance and property, they are robbed
of the social and economic empowerment needed to help prevent HIV infection and
cope with its impact on families and communities," she said.

"The unequal rights of women to inheritance and property in many parts of the
region have been severely aggravated by HIV. Burdened by the care of
their spouses,
illnesses and the responsibility of the household, women living with
or affected
by HIV are often denied their rightful access to property when their
spouses die.

Blamed, abused and expelled from marital homes, HIV positive women are often
denied access to their children as well."

The feminization of the epidemic in the Asia Pacific region and the related
challenges are truly daunting, Ms. Wiesen said. About 30 per cent of the new
infections in the region are among women.

With little or no control over their sexual lives and burdened by
abuse, exploitation
and violence, women in the region are extremely vulnerable to HIV as
borne out by
the facts. In PNG, 60 per cent of the new infections are among women while in
Thailand, "housewives" accounted for 40 per cent of the new cases.

Inheritance and property rights are tools for empowerment and
protection of women
in the context of HIV. Studies show that ownership of properties offer
some form
of protection against violence and HIV vulnerability.

However, what we see in the region is that a large number of women are denied
inheritance and property rights when they need them the most.

A recent socio-economic impact study in India by UNDP and the National
Council for
Applied Economic Research (NCAER) show that 79 per cent of the
AIDS-widows in the
country were denied a share of their husband's property and 90 percent were
expelled from their marital home.

"Dispossessed of land and property, women are left to inherit HIV,
loss of family,
shame and poverty," Ms. Wiesen added. "Women should be empowered to claim their
rights to inherit properties and to disinherit their vulnerabilities to HIV"

"The expulsion of HIV widows from marital homes, and the indignities,
humiliation and
discrimination they face, the deepened deprivation and vulnerability
to HIV they
endure is well known in other parts of the world such as Eastern and
Southern Africa.

However, in Asia and the Pacific, the story is yet to be told on a
scale that the
Regional Court will provide on Saturday."

Twenty women living with HIV, representing Bangladesh, India, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, Pakistan,
Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, PNG and South Africa will
narrate their harrowing
tales as testimonials before the "Court", Ms Wiesen said. With facts
and figures we
often become numbed to the realities that women live in the context of
a burgeoning
epidemic.

These personal testimonials will bear witness to the socially
sanctioned violence
women experience at individual and societal levels. It also provides
the space to hear
and celebrate women who have persisted against all odds and succeeded
in reclaiming
their rights to housing, safe shelter, livelihoods and their families.

Speaking about the processes and perspectives that inform the Courts
of Women, Madhu
Bhushan, AWHRC, India, said that the Courts are part of a global
movement that seeks
to redefine rights and other notions of justice from the lives and
life visions of
women – particularly from the global South.

Conceived and initiated by Corinne Kumar, the founder of AWHRC and the
Secretary General
of El Taller International in 1992, more than 30 Courts of Women have
been held in
different regions of the world – Asia, Arab states, Africa, Central
and Latin America.

The issues have been diverse and also specific to the regions they
have been held in –
from the violence of poverty, globalisation and development, the
violence of cultures,
caste and racism to the violence of nuclearisation and of all wars.

Through exploring the feminist methodology of weaving together the
personal with the
political, women's subjective testimonies are woven together with
objective realities
presented by Expert Witnesses.

The Courts also offer us other ways to know through weaving together
the logical with
the lyrical by interspersing these testimonies and analyses with video
testimonies,
artistic images and poetry.

By urging us to listen to the women as the victims and witnesses to
the violence of
our times, the Courts seek to create reference points of justice other
than that of
the rule of law; they seek to return ethics back to politics.

It is in this context that this Court of Women on HIV, Inheritance and
Property Rights,
seeks to define property and inheritance from the perspective of the
dispossessed
disinherited women towards finding responses that must not only be
legal but also rooted
in social transformation.

About 30 testifiers and expert witnesses from different countries in
the region including
Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Papua New Guinea,
Thailand, Malaysia and even Ethiopia and South Africa will present
testimonies in four
sessions i.e.

1.Poverty, Violence and HIV
2.Culture, Marginalisation and HIV
3.Evaluating State Responses and
4.Voices of Resistance and Hope

The Eminent Jury will include Miloon Kothari, UN Special Rapporteur on
Adequate Housing;
Marina Mahathir (Malaysia), Justice Shiranee Tilakawardane (Sri
Lanka), Justice Kalyan
Shrestha (Nepal), Cherie Honkala (United States), Lawrence Liang
(India) and Farida Akhter
(Bangladesh).

In addition, five experts of repute will present their contextual
analyses of the diverse
aspects of the issue. These "expert witnesses" will be Vicky Corpuz,
Tebtebba Foundation,
Philippines; Sunila Abeyesekera, INFORM, Sri Lanka; Anand Grover,
Lawyers Collective,
India; Elizabeth Reid, Sociologist, Australia; and Assefa Yirga
Gebregziabher, Ethiopian
lawyer.

The issue of HIV and women's rights to property and inheritance is a
major theme of the
ICAAP. Starting with first ever Regional Court of Women on the issue,
the theme will
feature in plenary sessions, symposia, and in the Community Dialogue
Space of the Asia
Pacific Village.

==============================================================

8. Call for cheap generic drugs.(Maharashtra)
The Hindustan Times, August 21, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=a2f38f1b-d0b7-4264-a15b-6fc9d54096b2



Maharashtra: Call for cheap generic drugs.


UNAIDS on Monday urged countries, including India, to opt for
compulsory licensing under
the Trips agreement to ensure people in need have access to cheap
generic second-generation
drugs to treat HIV/AIDS.

Compulsory licensing allows countries to manufacture or import cheaper
generic (copycat)
versions of patented life-saving drugs in a medical emergency.

India is the world's biggest manufacturer of cheap unpatented drugs in
the world.

"Governments cannot say they don't have money for the more expensive
second-generation
drugs and abandon people under free treatment under national
programmes. Governments
have the responsibility to ensure care and if needed, go for
compulsory licensing to
import or manufacture patented drugs.

Other countries should follow the Thailand example," says JVR Prasada
Rao, Director,
Regional Support Team, UNAIDS.

India provides free first-generation drugs to 82,000 people living
with HIV/AIDS.
"India is one of the world's largest producers of second-generation
anti-retrovirals
used to treat HIV/AIDS and yet it does not provide it under its
national programme,"
said Prasada Rao, who was a secretary in the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare.

India has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the
Asia Pacific region.
Of the 5.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the region, roughly
half -- 2.47
million -- live in India.

Yet India accounts for about a third of the people getting AIDS medicines under
the government programme -- India accounts for 82,000 of the 235,000
people who get
AIDS drugs under public health programmes in the region.

"Countries in the region would support Thailand that defied big pharma
to save lives.
I have been HIV-positive for 16 years, and if it wasn't for medicines,
I would have
died years ago," says Sheeba, regional coordinator, Asia Pacific
Network of Positive
People.

===============================================================

9. Campaign to encourage AIDS counselling, testing.(Bhubaneswar)
www.newindpress.com, August 21, 2007.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20070817013523&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0



Bhubaneswar: Campaign to encourage AIDS counselling, testing.


Latest estimates by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) say the
number of HIV
infections in India is way lower than what the earlier figures
suggested - 2.5 million
in 2006 against 5.7 million as a UN study had reported.

But this�s no reason to cheer. The UNAIDS and NACO have clearly called
for an upscaleing
of efforts. In fact, the agencies have identified new pockets of high
HIV prevalence
in West Bengal, Orissa, Rajasthan and Bihar.

Ganjam, for record�s sake, has an adult prevalence rate of 3.2
percent. Needless to
mention, it�s time the State pulled up its socks. Health Department
sources said the
recently released Sentinel Surveillance Report brings to fore some new
facts about
HIV/AIDS in Orissa.

At least 10 percent of those surveyed from among the injecting drug
users (IDUs) in the
State were found to have contracted the virus.

The report, however, revealed that of the 250 samples collected during
the surveillance
by Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS), 26 tested HIV +,
pointing to a prevalence
rate of 10.4 percent.

It need not mean that IDUs are in large number in Orissa and so is the
PR, said an
official of OSACS. The surveillance was conducted at certain sites
where the prevalence
was found high. So far,671 people have died of AIDS in Orissa.

With quite a few challenges at hand, OSACS launched Integrated
Counselling and Testing
Centre (ICTC) Campaign in the State on Thursday in a bid to generate demand for
counselling and testing to prevent transmission of HIV.

The two-month long campaign too would help positive people access to
life saving care
and treatment.

�Since HIV testing is voluntary, the programme is aimed at drawing in
the people so as
to check the spread of the disease,� Project Director, OSACS
Parameswar Swain said.

Principal Secretary to State Health Department Chinmay Basu kicked off
the campaign
titled Katha Rakhiba: AIDS Rokiba. Swain said HIV counselling and
testing will be done
round-the-clock in the public health centres (PHCs) of high prevalence
districts such
as Ganjam.

That apart, such tests with support from National Rural Health Mission
will also be
carried out in other vulnerable districts such as Khurda and Balasore.

According to OSACS Deputy Director (IEC) Manoj Kandher, a massive
multimedia campaign
across the State and a door-to-door campaign, especially in Ganjam
have already been
launched.

===============================================================

10. AIDS awareness goes online.(Chennai)
The Hindustan Times, August 21, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=071b715a-2b3e-40c1-ada1-de036c119a46



Chennai: AIDS awareness goes online.


After trying out every other medium to reach out to the young
generation, the government
has now turned to the Internet to create awareness on AIDS.

That's not all. Beginning August 21, millions will also get an SMS –
"Do you know your
HIV status?" or "Have you got tested for HIV?"

These are among the many AIDS awareness SMSes being sent out by the
National AIDS Control
Organisation (NACO) to millions as part of a nationwide campaign to
induce more people
to get tested for HIV/AIDS.

NACO's media campaign so far focussed on more conventional media such
as the television,
print ads, posters and street plays.

Now, with one-third of the total HIV infections occurring in young
people, the multimedia
campaign has been made more youth-oriented, with NACO sending out its
messages through
the Internet, cable and satellite services, SMSes and plays at college
and university
campuses.

"Only 13 per cent HIV-positive people in India know they are infected
and despite free
testing, only 4.2 million people have got tested last year. This
multimedia campaign
is designed to help us more than double the number of people seeking
counseling and
testing to 10 million by the end of the financial year," says an
official with the
NACO.

UNAIDS-backed data shows there are 2.47 million people living with
HIV/AIDS in India.
But with only one in seven of those infected knowing that they are
HIV-positive, there
are chances of them unknowingly infecting their partners or failing to
seek free HIV
counseling, testing and treatment being offered under the national programme.

Not knowing their positive status is a major reason why only 82,000 people have
registered to get free anti-retroviral treatment used to treat AIDS
under the government
programme. Under the third phase of the Rs 11,585 crore National AIDS
Control Programme
(NACP-3) launched two months ago, NACO plans to offer counseling and
testing services
to 42 million people by 2012.

===============================================================

11. NACO to focus on single male migrants.(Vadodara)
www.telegraphindia.com, August 22, 2007.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070411/asp/calcutta/story_7630476.asp



Vadodara: NACO to focus on single male migrants.


In the third phase of the HIV/AIDS control programme, likely to begin
this September,
National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) aims to focus on single male
migrant labourers
after their detail research and survey in Gujarat, said city-based
NGOs. Gujarat State
AIDS Control Society (GSACS) will coordinate with NACO in the program
implementation.

Kamlesh Bhatt, HIV/AIDS project officer from Vikas Jyot Trust, said,
"All 14 NGOs,
working in the city for HIV/AIDS control, coordinated with GSACS in
mapping single
migrant labourers' position in Vadodara city." Such workers in the
industrial areas,
auto rickshaw drivers, and slum-dwellers in high vulnerable pockets
were made to fill
questionnaires by volunteers and NGOs, he added.

GSACS officials said that NACO's third phase AIDS control plan for
program implementation
is yet to be decided. "NACO's team from Delhi is already in Ahmedabad.
In three days
time, we will discuss policies before initiating the implementation
programme," said
Dr D M Saxena, assistant project director of GSACS.

Meanwhile, a field worker of Vikas Jyot Trust, Ankur Patel confirmed
that NACO would
be focusing on the single male migrant labourers, who in a recent
survey conducted by
GSACS, emerged as one of the vulnerable groups not only in Vadodara
but also in other
parts of the State.

"Every person in the vulnerable areas were asked questions like how
many family members
does a migrant labourer have and what is his social status," Saxena
said. Based on such
facts, a map of the most vulnerable areas in the city and the State
was prepared, said
Bhatt.

===============================================================

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in the above articles
are those of the respective newspapers, not those of
SAATHII.