Global AIDS Week 2008

Time to pass the HIV Bill, say activists volunteers and HIV+ people.

Global AIDS Week kicked off on Sunday with calls from volunteers, activists and HIV+ people across the country for the HIV Bill be passed in Parliament.  

Campaigners are urging the government to act fast to finalise and approve the HIV/AIDS bill to help protect the rights of more than 2.5 million Indians living with the virus.

The draft of the bill is with the law ministry and is still in consultation phase. Once the bill turns into a law, an HIV+ person’s right to treatment will get more teeth. A law banning discrimination against HIV+ people will empower them to lead a life of dignity, activists say.

“Despite initiatives to raise awareness against stigma, large scale discrimination takes place openly against HIV+ people,” says Pragya Vats of ActionAid.

HIV+ people, AIDS activists and organisations working on prevention, treatment and care across the country have input to the draft bill and the current content has strong support from civil society.

Candle light vigils

AIDS activists in Chennai and Bangalore took part in the 25th International AIDS Candle Light Memorial Day on Sunday. Candle light vigils were held for those who died of AIDS. Promises were also renewed at the memorials to support those living with the virus. This year’s theme is ‘Never Give up. Never forget.’

Shantha of the Karnataka Network of Positive People shared her experience of losing loved ones due to lack of information and services made worse by stigma and discrimination.

“Denial of rights and discrimination impact women and children the most, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas. Their human rights are violated even within families,” states Shantha.

At the vigil, Karnataka health secretary Madan Gopal spoke about the need to integrate HIV with other health issues. He promised to share the concerns of people living with HIV with government authorities.

On Sunday morning in Bangalore 50 people including AIDS activists took part in a marathon of almost six kilometres. Participants carried banners demanding that Parliamentarians ratify the HIV Bill.

In Bhubaneswar ex-minister Dr Devendranath Mansingh was the chief guest at the candle light vigil.

“The need of the hour is the passage of HIV/AIDS Bill in the country,” Mansingh said. He promised to mobilise Parliamentarians and Orissa state ministers to speed up the approval of the bill.

In Delhi and other states

Over 200 people took part in the ‘AIDS Walk for Rights’ on May 21 in the capital, marching from Jantar Mantar to the health ministry. Campaigners are also writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In Gujarat, postcards are being sent to the central Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss urging him to push for the bill.

Seminars, workshops, rallies and candlelight vigils in the other states - Nagaland, Manipur, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu – are taking place throughout the week.

In Chennai, a massive awareness drive was conducted on Sunday and Monday with characters dressed as doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, policemen, engineers, movie stars, sportsmen and army and air force officers distributing leaflets on HIV/AIDS to some 500,000 people.

Global AIDS Week

For the past two years during the Global AIDS Week of Action, activists in over 30 nations have organised activities to hold world leaders accountable on their historic commitment to fight AIDS made at the United National General Assembly Special Session on AIDS (UNGASS) in 2001.

In 2005 world leaders made another momentous promise on universal access, pledging to: "developing and implementing a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of coming as close as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010."

Every year during Global AIDS Week, activists come together to remind governments of their national targets for universal access to treatment prevention, care and support.