Don’t slip back – lend a hand….!!!

World AIDS Day is observed on 1^st of December every year to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and also it is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV. It is very important for everyone to learn more about the HIV epidemic, its underlying causes, the crippling stigma & discrimination that lie at the heart of the challenge in tackling this crisis.

Large parts of India remain without adequate monitoring. Access to prevention & care remains inadequate for most people vulnerable to HIV. And why is this? The answer is Stigma, Stigma, and Stigma…!!! Society still treats HIV positive people like dirt - they often loose their jobs, their families, social circles shun them, their children are thrown out of school. This happens in cities like Mumbai too, where we should know better. Aids infected people are always kept aloof from the society as if we castigate them, for being the victim of this deadly virus. They are ostracized from the society. People living with HIV have faced violent attacks, been rejected by families, spouses and communities, been refused medical treatment, and even, in some cases, denied the last rites before they die. How can we become so heartless for the people we once owned, loved & cared about??  Is slipping back the only option?? No instead we need to lend them a helping hand, to make their suffering less painful. Loving such people is not going to transmit the virus to you. It does not spread by embracing, casual kissing, shaking hands, working together, taking bath or swimming together with HIV infected person.

It’s ironic that the health care sector itself is stigmatizing when it comes to HIV. There’s no doubt that India as a whole & cities like Mumbai in particular, have made significant strides in targeting the epidemic from a holistic perspective. We need to spread awareness among people to help curb the reach of Aids. Dissemination of information in the remote parts of India and the most neglected strata of the society that is more vulnerable is of utmost priority. We need to talk about it and educate people instead of thinking that it’s a stigma or lashing at people who make efforts to reach out to the masses to help the cause.

Stalwarts like Bill & Melinda Gates, have done so much to fund crucial global public health projects including Avahan - an initiative to reduce the spread of HIV in India. Also celebrities like Richard Gere , Karan Johar & society doyenne Parmeshwar Godrej (Heroes Project) have stepped forward , to chip away at the ignorance & complacency that pervades our society as a whole regarding HIV. Those who enjoy power & are in a position to engage & influence huge population should do so. It really doesn’t take a huge effort; those in position of power should lend support to such causes and reach out to the masses.

Let’s unite in the efforts to educate people and help the cause let alone doing any world of good to them or limiting ourself to that part of the moral laden society that can only stigmatize or mock at people, only proving & giving a sense of their parochial thinking which stinks.