‘We need food, house and treatment’: HIV+ women
By Niti Vishnu in Ahmedabad
At first look they appear to be women next door. But it is only when they pour their heart out that one realises the pain they undergo for the gross discrimination meted out to them by the society.
The realisation hurts all the more considering the growing awareness on HIV/AIDS. More than 20 women from different parts of Gujarat came forward bravely to tell their tales and demand facilities from the government at a public hearing organized by ActionAid, Gujarat State Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS and other organizations. The auditorium was packed with HIV+ women.
“Almost 350 women attended the hearing, 90% were HIV positive. Some were homeless and had children who were also HIV+ in need of advanced HIV drugs. Others are wage labourers who sometimes go to bed hungry. At the hearing, they spoke with government representatives about the condition of people living with HIV. We will continue the drive for subsidised ration for HIV+ people,” says Sushila Prajapati of ActionAid.
Echoing calls around the country, the meeting urged Parliamentarians to pass the HIV/AIDS Bill to give better access to care and treatment. Some 10000 postcards have been sent to Prime Minister from Gujarat calling for the speedy approval of HIV bill.
Women at the hearing also demanded that they be provided Below Poverty Line and Antyodaya cards, housing allowance and widow pension. A clarion call was made to make available second line of Anti Retro Viral AIDS drugs free in Gujarat. First line ARVs are already free for HIV+ persons but those who need more advanced treatment are being left in the lurch.
Harsh realities
Twenty-seven-year old Nita Yadav from Surendranagar broke down narrating her woes. A mother of two children, Nita is HIV+ and even her HIV- children face discrimination. “My eight-year old elder son is in class I for the last five years. They are denied admission in the school,” she says. That’s not all. The Yadavs do not get a rented house easily and when they do get they are asked to leave as soon as the landlord comes to know Nita’s HIV+ status.
Nita’s monthly earnings of around Rs 5,000 are tightly stretched. “Many a times I do not even have money to get glucose biscuits for my children. For this meeting, I came to Ahmedabad by selling my gold ear ring,” she says.
Preeti Chavda, 26, from Jamnagar is worried as to what would be she doing in her last stage with not much money at her disposal. She earns Rs 5,000 a month, but she also has to support her parents in their 70s. Quite a good amount goes in eating healthy food as well. Preeti is lucky enough to get widow pension. However, she does not have Antodaya Card that provides many other benefits.
Her life goes on but she still can not forget the treatment meted out to her once her husband tested HIV+. “After he tested positive, we were kept in separate rooms and not allowed to see each other. On the eighth day, I was told to go back to my parents’ home. A day after I went to my parents, my husband passed away,” she says.
Daksha Rajput from Surat is at the end of her tether. “I end up spending around Rs 2,000 per month for my son’s medicines. I also have a 10-year-old daughter to feed. I do not have a BPL card. My resources are meager. I desperately need help,” she says. Daxa is HIV+ and so is her son. Her husband, who was also HIV+, died a couple of years ago.
Coming together
The magnitude of discrimination may differ. But nobody is spared. As sociologist Dr. Gaurang Jani, working in the field of HIV/AIDS for several years said, “HIV+ persons will have to strengthen their group and continue to make efforts to fight for their rights.”
As Gita Chitroda, another HIV+ woman, says, “We want support and not mercy.”
Social defence officer of Ahmedabad region C P Joshi, who was present at the hearing, assured that he would recommend the government to give ration cards on the basis of the HIV+ status and not asking for various other documents.
