World Aids Day: Empowering women can control spread of HIV
A number of us have watched the movie Pink, which shot to fame for its portrayal of sex workers in urban settings and the challenges and hardships they face. The movie brings into public discourse a subject that has long been considered taboo.
It talks about sex work as being practised by educated young women in cities. Such women do not fit the image of the run-of-the-mill sex worker who often finds herself the centre of attention in films, books and the media.
Such women are suave and well-spoken and consider their occupation as legitimate as any other. This is very different from the stereotypical portrayal, in which women are forced into prostitution or are the victim of circumstances such as poverty.
The film talks about young girls taking up the profession voluntarily, like any other means of livelihood. Among the several things the film talks about there is also this notion that women who are financially unstable could resort to sex work as a means of livelihood. They are not downright or abject poor, but are somehow struggling socially and economically. Although the phenomenon is not new, it has rarely been talked about so openly.
This is a substantial beginning for a subject that has been under wraps for quite long and is interlinked with efforts to control and contain the Aids pandemic. This presents a new challenge for governments and agencies looking to tackle the spread of the deadly virus.
What was earlier restricted to the Red Light Areas is now getting into the lanes and bylanes of mohallas and public residences, making diagnosis and treatment of HIV-infected people that much more difficult.
The trend is catching up fast, particularly in big cities including the metros. The evidence for such a trend is the high number of young girls getting infected with the deadly virus in urban settings. Despite being decently educated, there are scores of young women (late teens to twenties) who have been unable to find stable work. They are often getting by through odd jobs - something that doesn’t provide for a regular income.
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| Millions of people continue to live with the disease outside the system, without any treatment or support, as discrimination and stigma is still exceptionally high. |
For instance, a city like Mumbai is full of such aspirational young women wanting to find their feet, particularly in glamorous industries such as Bollywood or modelling. As they continue with their struggles, they come in contact with other girls engagingin sex work and making a fast buck.
Unable to resist peer pressure, they also get involved. Consequently, though the financial status of such women has improved, they have also ended up contracting HIV.
Figures of new HIV infections have declined; however, it would be foolhardy to take the numbers at face value. Millions of people continue to live with the disease outside the system without any treatment or support as discrimination and stigma is still exceptionally high.
Additionally, institutional response will have to be recalibrated taking into account the changing realities and fast evolving demographics as the disease spreads to new groups. Moreover, it will be a challenge for Aids control institutions to track the disease in amorphous neighbourhoods.
After more than two decades of the launch of HIV/Aids programmes in India, critical inadequacies continue to exist at the levels of social awareness, stigma, resources, support mechanisms, and framework.
Any policy would have to take into account the empowerment of such vulnerable groups and would have to provide support to them in terms of jobs and education so that they are able to take control of their lives.