Kerala AIDS e Forum: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

[KeralaAIDS] AIDS awareness campaign launched

27 May, 2011
Staff Reporter

AIDS awareness campaign launched

Cultural rally marks State-wide launch of the drive

Excise Minister K. Babu said here on Thursday that addiction to alcohol and narcotics among the youth has grown to dangerous proportions.

Delivering the inaugural address at the State-wide launch of the culture rally to create awareness about the HIV AIDS here on Thursday, Mr. Babu said that his department will take action to free the young generation from this menace.

He said that while narcotics was a central issue, the State government and Excise Department will seriously consider the possibility of giving more powers to the State to tackle this issue. Mr. Babu said that the attitude of people towards the people suffering from AIDS should change.

Cultural rally

Instead of ostracising them, they should be treated as human beings and part of the society. He said that AIDS was now being looked up on with same fear that was once attached to leprosy.

The Minister hoped that the cultural rally would be able to do about AIDS what the KPAC play ‘Ashwamedham' achieved in changing people's attitude towards leprosy patients. Hibi Eden, MLA, presided. District panchayat president Eldhose Kunnappally delivered the keynote address. Later, Mr. Babu called on the former Judge of the Supreme Court V.R. Krishna Iyer at his residence. Mr. Eden and Dominic Presentation, MLA, accompanied the Minister. Mr. Babu left with the promise to return for a more detailed visit later.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2053334.ece

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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sex Workers Rehabilitation Scam (Manorama News) [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from Dr. Jayakrishnan T included below]

Note: Please visit http://bit.ly/MMNews-FSW-Rehab-Scam-27May11 to read the transcript and to view the video clipping of the Investigative Report. A PDF of the text is attached with this mail. More details are available from the second part available at http://bit.ly/MMNews2-FSW-Rehab-Scam-27May11

Dear All,

Yesterday, Manorama News Channel aired an investigative story on how an organisation in Kerala is involved in a scam through their project to rehabilitate sex workers. By misinforming the authorities and inflating the number of rehabilitated inmates they have already misappropriated quite an amount of money.

Congratulations to the Reporter for bringing news like this.

Actually there were only three or four sex workers in the centre but in their records it was 19. (5 to six fold). The reporter elicits the truth by asking the cook about the number of lunch / dinner prepared by them - which was only for six persons including the director.

During the time of inspection they will import women from outside. In the records they include Kudumbasree workers !

In the name of HIV, many people have become rich like this - perhaps their numbers are more than people living with HIV. Charity or money - who will ultimately win in the game? How the authorities and communities can check this type of "NGO" activities - when most of the HIV related projects are owned by NGOs? It is becoming rehabilitation of this type of organisations and not sex workers. Such defaulters should be brought in front of the law and punished.

With regards,

Dr. Jayakrishnan T
Medical College,
Kozhikode.

From: Media Monitor
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 12:40 PM
To: KeralaAIDS@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [KeralaAIDS] Rehabilitate sex workers, Supreme Court tells states (IANS | Zee News)

IANS
4 May 2011

http://www.zeenews.com/print.aspx?aid=704175

Rehabilitate sex workers, Supreme Court tells states

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the states to comply with its earlier order on rehabilitating sex workers, failing which it will summon the chief secretaries of the errant states and seek an explanation.

The apex court by its February 14 directions had asked the central and state governments to prepare schemes for giving technical and vocational training to sex workers and sexually abused women to make them financially independent.

An apex court bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra said: "We will issue notice to the chief secretaries and home secretaries of non-compliant states as to why contempt notice should not be issued to them." "If you don`t comply, we will have the chief secretaries (of non-complying states) present in the court. We will catch hold of them by their necks," Justice Katju said.

The court was told that only West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh had filed affidavits listing the steps they has initiated for the rehabilitation of the sex workers and sexually abused women.

Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Manipur, Delhi, Chandigarh and Andhra Pradesh have sought additional time to file their affidavits. The court granted them four weeks time.

The bench took serious view of the states that had neither responded nor made their counsels appear before it. The court was also not satisfied with the central government`s affidavit, and directed it to file a fresh one in four weeks.

The court said that it was unfortunate that women were forced to work as prostitutes.

"Sex workers are also human beings. They become sex workers not out enjoyment but out of (needs of the) stomach.

"No one sells their body for pleasure. It is out of poverty," Justice Katju said.

He also advised the counsels present in court to read stories by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay on the subject.

He said that Chattopadhyay`s stories portray some sex workers as people of very high character who sacrificed everything for others.

The court also appointed senior counsels Jayant Bhushan and Pradeep Ghosh as amicus curiae (friend of the court). Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium is already assisting the court as amicus curiae.

The matter will come up for hearing July 19, 2011.

IANS

http://www.zeenews.com/print.aspx?aid=704175

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Attachment(s) from Dr. Jayakrishnan T

1 of 1 File(s)

MMNews-FSW-Rehab-Scam-27May11.pdf

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Friday, May 20, 2011

Prevention Resources for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) Website

Hello,

I am an administrator for a new website www.PLHIVpreventionresources.org entitled Prevention Resources for People Living with HIV (PLHIV). The website is sponsored by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and was created by ICF Macro.

The purpose of the website is to warehouse and disseminate state-of-the-science technical information including guidelines and policies, intervention materials, and supportive literature related to HIV prevention programs for people living with HIV. The resources on the website are organized into four main topic areas including:

prevention of HIV acquisition and transmission,
protecting the physical health of PLHIV,
protecting the mental health of PLHIV, and
involvement of PLHIV.

The Prevention Resources for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) Website also has an events calendar and links to global HIV organizations. We hope that you will find this new site a valuable free resource in HIV prevention for people living with HIV.

If you have any questions, please send them to pwpinfo@cdc.gov .

Sincerely,

Alton Stewart

CDC Contractor

http://www.plhivpreventionresources.org

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NACO concerned over state's poor performance (Express Buzz)

By G Rajiv
05 May 2011
http://expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=271572

NACO concerned over state’s poor performance

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has expressed serious concern over the poor performance of the state in the fight against HIV.

The NACO has termed that the Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS) has showed a poor performance in programme management and programme implementation for the past one year.

An expert team from the NACO, led by its National Technical Support Unit chief Rajan Khobragade, was in the state last week to analyse the performance of the KSACS and also to review the progress of several of its programmes. According to sources, the NACO has expressed serious concern over many senior officials leaving the organisation, which has badly affected the performance of the KSACS.

Kerala has been the top performer in the HIV prevention programmes in the country and over the past one year, the state has gone down in the performance chart following which the NACO decided to send an expert team to the state.

Rajan Khobragade, who himself was the project director of the KSACS years back, held discussions with the authorities here.

The NACO officials pointed out that the decision by seven top officials to discontinue their stint with the KSACS had badly affected the organisation in the state. Two deputy directors and five joint directors have returned to their parent organisations after completing their tenures in KSACS.

“All these seven officials did not want to continue in KSACS owing to the serious differences of opinion with the present Project Director,” said one official who quit the KSACS.

The absence of these seven crucial officers who were well experienced in the programme implementation over the past few years, had derailed the functioning of the KSACS. The deputy directors of two wings viz Sexually Transmitted Infections and Surveillance, joint directors working with five wings such as Blood Testing, Care and Support, Basic Services, Blood Testing and Communication, are the seven officials who decided not to renew their deputation at the KSACS.

All the duties of these seven officials were entrusted with a single Additional Director for all these days. Interestingly this Additional Director has been allowed to continue in his position even after his retirement without even informing the government or the NACO.

http://expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=271572

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Rehabilitate sex workers, Supreme Court tells states (IANS | Zee News)

IANS
4 May 2011

http://www.zeenews.com/print.aspx?aid=704175

Rehabilitate sex workers, Supreme Court tells states

The court was told that only West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh had filed affidavits listing the steps they has initiated for the rehabilitation of the sex workers and sexually abused women.

The court said that it was unfortunate that women were forced to work as prostitutes.

"Sex workers are also human beings. They become sex workers not out enjoyment but out of (needs of the) stomach.

"No one sells their body for pleasure. It is out of poverty," Justice Katju said.

He also advised the counsels present in court to read stories by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay on the subject.

He said that Chattopadhyay`s stories portray some sex workers as people of very high character who sacrificed everything for others.

The court also appointed senior counsels Jayant Bhushan and Pradeep Ghosh as amicus curiae (friend of the court). Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium is already assisting the court as amicus curiae.

The matter will come up for hearing July 19, 2011.

IANS

http://www.zeenews.com/print.aspx?aid=704175

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[KeralaAIDS] Formation of Junior Red Ribbon Clubs in the Schools in Kerala (JRRC) [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from NIJO V.J included below]

Dear Forum,

The proposal submitted by Kerala SACS to the Education department of Kerala in connection with the formation of Junior Red Ribbon Clubs (JRRC) in the schools in Kerala is approved by Education Department, Govt. of Kerala and Office of the Director of Public Instruction issued orders to the Deputy Directors of Education in the Districts to form Junior Red Ribbon Clubs in all the schools in Kerala.

The objective of the Junior Red Ribbon Clubs in schools is to address the knowledge, attitude and behavior of the Adolescents in the interrelated areas of Life skills, Voluntary Blood Donation, HIV & AIDS and sexuality, as demanded by their age, environment, and life style. The Junior Red Ribbon Club will serve as a complementary and comprehensive prevention intervention to support and reinforce similar youth led initiatives.

Regards,

Nijo

Kerala SACS

Nijo V.J
Consultant (Youth Affairs)
Kerala State AIDS Control Society
Dept. of Health & Family Welfare
(Government of Kerala)
Red Cross Road
Thiruvananthapuram - 695 035
Kerala State

+91 471 2304882, (O)
Fax: +91 471 2305183

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Attachment(s) from NIJO V.J

1 of 1 Photo(s)

DPI junior rrc.jpg

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Sale of Musli Power Extra banned

Note: Dr. Sundaram adds on to Toms’ response, while Maju brings in another aspect.

Hi All,

If the product is banned I guess the company should not be advertising. Please see the website... http://www.muslipowerxtramusli.com

Thanks,

Maju

Dear All,

What Toms has said is very True.

Over-the-counter sale of drugs without prescriptions should be stopped. There should be definite treatment protocol for all common diseases. Unnecessary use of drugs by doctors should be regulated.

There should have price control of all drugs. Unnecessary combination of drugs to escape from price control should be banned. All irrational combination of drugs should be banned.

There should be strict quality control of all drugs manufactured in India and doctors should not write trade names of drugs. All 'offers' on bulk purchase of drugs should be banned. All advertisements of medicines, Hospitals and doctors in press, other print and visual media should be strictly forbidden.

Medical Council of India should be reconstituted with elected representatives and there should be very strict guidelines as to the character, reputation and academic record of each member to be elected to this highest body. Their selection should be like the selection of members of Lokpal as envisaged by Anna Hazare.

Regards,

Sundaram.

Hello Everyone,

As a health activist, my concern is on the implementation of the Drugs and Cosmetics act at a broader level. Musli power extra is an isolated case. What about the other medicines including the ‘English’ Medicines? There is also a need to regulate the role of drug marketing among the doctors. It would be good to look at the drug control and regulation on a broader level than at isolated cases.

Regards,

Toms K Thomas,

Mutual Assistance Resource Group (MARG),
Thrissur.

Previous Postings on Musli Power and the responses received so far is available at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/KeralaAIDS/message/379

Orukkam 2011 - 30th May, Tagore Centenary Hall - Kozhikode

Dear Friends,

Greetings from the Malabar Cultural Forum (MCF) - Kozhikode, Suraksha MSM Project.

It is our great pleasure to invite you all to ORUKKAM 2011, the 11^th Annual get-together of MSM all over Kerala, conducted on 30^th May 2011 at the Tagore Centenary Hall - Kozhikode.

Highlights of the programme:

Experience sharing by MSM community members (what was the experience, their views, hopes, etc.)
MSM CBO Best practices

Both are competitions open to communities within and outside the state.

In addition to the Public meeting and cultural competitions, a film festival on HIV and MSM community is also thought about.

We cordially invite your esteemed presence and participation in the programme.

With regards,

Team MCF

Suraksha MSM Project

Kozhikode.

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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Applications for UNAIDS' Special Youth Programme (SYP) - 9 May Deadline

The Special Youth Programme (SYP) of UNAIDS seeks to recruit young people aged 20-24 years, from developing countries with some programme experience in HIV-related issues for a nine-month remunerated fellowship.

The application deadline is 9 May 2011.

For further details, please visit http://bit.ly/UNAIDS-SYP

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