250 attend seminar on foeticide
Tribune News Service
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061102/cth1.htm#13

Chandigarh, November 1
Nehru Yuva Kendra organised a one-day workshop and seminar on gender
equity, foeticide and social evils at Munji Mandir, Sector-23, here.

As many as 250 persons participated in the workshop and seminar.

Dr G.S. Bajwa, District Youth Coordinator, Nehru Yuva Kendra,
Chandigarh, welcomed the guests and briefed the aims of this
programme.

He added that despite being a progressive state, Punjab had the worst
sex ratio in the country.

The workshop and seminar was inaugurated by Mr V.K. Shukla, Zonal
Director, NYKS Zone Punjab and Chandigarh, and Col. Bedi (retired),
from the Technical Training Youth Society, Chandigarh.

Dr Avnish Jolly discussed the importance of woman in the ancient
society where the role of woman was positive in every sphere of life
but today's woman were themselves responsible for ''Bhrun Hatya''. Mr
V.K. Shukla, Zonal Director, NYKS Punjab and Chandigarh, in his
presidential speech said woman could play a major role to overcome
their social and family problems.

Dr Sangeeta Jund gave an account on decreasing the number of female
girl in the Punjab, particularly Fatehgarh Sahib where the female
ratio is lowest throughout the country. Miss Bhumika from the
Voluntary Health Association of Punjab, emphasised the need of
sensitising the public against the social evils. Mr Pritpal Singh,
president of the Youth Club, Khuda Lahora, Chandigarh, gave a vote of
thanks.

New form of virus found in Cherthala
Saturday October 14 2006 00:00 IST
UNI

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20061013131904&Topic=-
162&Title=Kerala&Page=R

ALAPPUZHA: A new generation of a complex form of Japanese
Encephalitis and West Nile viruses has been found in Cherthala taluk
of Alappuzha district in Kerala where more than 100 people died of
suspected chikungunya.

According to government doctors here, the Central and the WHO teams,
which visited Cherthala last week, have found that the mutation of
Japanese Encephalitis and West Nile viruses have produced a new
generation of virus.

The experts noted that patients in the area have symptoms of both
these diseases showing the presence of a complex form of virus, the
doctors added.

The genetic changes in the mosquitoes in the area were also reported
to be unparalleled, as 12 out of 38 species of mosquitoes were found
dangerous.

Earlier, the mosquitoes in the area could spread only filariasis but
because of genetic changes, they have become carriers of more than
five fever pathogenic agents.
The experts feel that if this change continues, the mosquitoes may
even become HIV carriers one day, the doctors said.

The process of wiping out mosquitoes is not sufficient as they
produce enzymes to survive pesticides and chemicals. The team has
also suggested a detailed study into the mutation of mosquitoes, the
doctors noted.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20061013131904&Topic=-
162&Title=Kerala&Page=R

NJ Supreme Court Says Legislature Must Weigh Same-Sex 'Marriage'
By Melanie Hunter
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
October 25, 2006
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?
Page=/Culture/archive/200610/CUL20061025b.html

(CNSNews.com) - The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that
homosexuals deserve the same rights as heterosexuals, but the state
Legislature must decide whether to give same-sex couples the right to
legally "marry" or create civil unions.

"The Court holds that under the equal protection guarantee of Article
I, Paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, committed same-sex
couples must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits
enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes,"
the court said in its ruling.

The Legislature now has 180 days to address the issue. It has two
options: amend the marriage statues to include same-sex couples,
or "create a separate statutory structure, such as a civil union."

"The name to be given to the statutory scheme that provides full
rights and benefits to same-sex couples, whether marriage or some
other term, is a matter left to the democratic process," the court
said.

"At this point, the Court does not consider whether committed same-
sex couples should be allowed to marry, but only whether those
couples are entitled to the same rights and benefits afforded to
married heterosexual couples," it said.

"Cast in that light, the issue is not about the transformation of the
traditional definition of marriage, but about the unequal
dispensation of benefits and privileges to one of two similarly
situated classes of people," the ruling added.

"Because this State has no experience with a civil union construct,
the Court will not speculate that identical schemes offering equal
rights and benefits would create a distinction that would offend
Article I, Paragraph 1, and will not presume that a difference in
name is of constitutional magnitude," the court said in its ruling.

That means that whatever the state Legislature decides, same-sex
couples will be free to call their relationship whatever they want
and can have their union recognized in religious ceremonies.

"New language is developing to describe new social and familial
relationships, and in time will find a place in our common
vocabulary. However the Legislature may act, same-sex couples will be
free to call their relationships by the name they choose and to
sanctify their relationships in religious ceremonies in houses of
worship," it said.

Ruling holds a 'gun to head of the legislature'

Traditional marriage supporters expressed frustration with the ruling.

"This marks the second state -- after Vermont -- where radical
activist groups have convinced state court judges to hold a gun to
the head of the legislature," said Matt Daniels, president of the
Alliance for Marriage (AFM). "The legislature will now be compelled
to choose between two bullets -- all under court order.

"Either they create so-called 'gay marriage' or they create a civil
union scheme that is identical. Either way, the people of New Jersey
lose the right to decide -- freely and democratically -- to choose
the course that is best for them, their families and their children,"
he said.

Daniels said a marriage protection amendment is the only solution
to "the continuous attacks upon marriage in courts across the
country."

The group filed an amicus brief in the case, arguing for the
protection of traditional marriage.

Concerned Women for America said the ruling "essentially mirrors what
the Vermont Supreme Court did in 1999."

"This is a textbook example of agenda-driven judges who are willing
to twist their state laws and invade the province of the legislative
branch in order to force same-sex 'marriage' on the people of New
Jersey," Jan LaRue, CWA's chief counsel, said in a statement.

"The court snubbed its nose at 28 separate statute sections that
include a specific reference to either the term 'married woman' and
a 'married man' or to the term 'husband and wife,'" LaRue said,
adding that the decision could result in a snowball effect across the
country.

"Because New Jersey has no residency requirement for marriage, if the
legislature caves in to the court, it could open the door for
lawsuits challenging every state's marriage law," LaRue added.

CWA President Wendy Wright said the court's decision is even more
reason that voters should choose to protect marriage in the eight
states that have referendums on the ballot.

"The New Jersey Supreme Court has distinguished itself once again for
imposing its own form of discrimination by arrogantly declaring that
a woman is not needed to make a marriage, or that a man is not," said
Wright.

"It's utter discrimination to claim a woman is unnecessary, or a man
is unnecessary, to make a marriage. We should not be forced, or
children subjected to, another social experiment with marriage simply
to make individuals personally satisfied," said CWA President Wendy
Wright.

Ruling not a 'victory' for homosexuals either

Same-sex union supporters said the ruling is not a victory.

"Those who would view today's Supreme Court ruling as a victory for
same-sex couples are dead wrong," said Steven Goldstein, chair of
Garden State Equality, a homosexual advocacy group based in New
Jersey.

"So help us God, New Jersey's LGBTI community and our millions of
straight allies will settle for nothing less than 100% marriage
equality. Let decision makers from Morristown to Moorestown, from
Maplewood to Maple Shade, recognize that fundamental fact right now,"
said Goldstein.

He said Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, the assembly speaker pro tem,
joined by Assemblyman Brian Stack and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, will
introduce marriage-equality legislation.

"Thousands of us will now hit the streets, the phones and the
hallways to get this legislation passed," Goldstein said, adding that
they will accept nothing short of legal marriage which is recognized
universally.

"As the late Lt. Laurel Hester and too many other cases across New
Jersey have shown, half-steps short of marriage -- like New Jersey's
domestic-partnership law and also civil union laws -- don't work in
the real world," he said.

"Hospitals and other employers have told domestic-partnered couples
across New Jersey: We don't care what the domestic partnership law
says. You're not married," said Goldstein.

"That's why it wouldn't matter if the legislature added all the
rights in the world to the current law without calling it marriage.
Marriage is the only currency of commitment the real world
universally understands and accepts," Goldstein added.

The case dates back to June 2002, when Lambda Legal, a homosexual
advocacy group, sued the State of New Jersey on behalf of seven same-
sex couples seeking full marriage rights.

"The bottom line here is that the entire court said that there must
be a remedy for the inequality that bars same-sex couples from
marriage," said David Buckel, marriage project director who argued
the case before the high court as lead counsel for Lambda Legal.

The group is hopeful that the Legislature will legalize same-sex
marriage.

"The question for the Legislature is an easy one: whether to follow
through on the support of the majority of voters in this State to
allow their gay friends and neighbors to marry, including over 20,000
committed same-sex couples raising more than 12,000 children," Buckel
said in a statement.

New Jersey's Domestic Partnership Act gives same-sex couples many,
but not all, of the benefits and protections conferred on married
people.

New Jersey does not have a law barring out-of-state couples from
marrying in the state if they would be prohibited from marrying in
their home state. That means homosexual couples could flock to the
state to get married.

Youth club leaders' workshop held - Chandigarh
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=206679
Express News Service

Chandigarh, October 25: A three-day long Youth Club Development and
Training Programme organised by Nehru Yuva Kendra at Government
Primary School, Sector 23, concluded today. The aim was development
and orientation of youth club leaders residing in villages and
colonies of Chandigarh. A total of 30 participants from villages
Raipur Kalan, Behlana ,Kishangarh, Kaimbwala , Panch Daria, Raipur
Khurd etc took part in the workshop.

It was inaugurated by Dr G S Bajwa , District Youth Coordinator, NYK.
He highlighted number of youth welfare schemes run by the central and
state governments for the benefit of dropouts, students and youth
clubs.

Lt Col Ravi Bedi (retd) from Youth Technical Training Society
enumerated the schemes under technical and vocational training
programmes. Dr Avnish Jolly gave interactive talk on sexual and
reproductive health and HIV/ AIDS.

The topics covered during the three-day training programme include
youth and mahila mandal formation, formation of teen club,
mobilisation of youth for community action and developmental
activities.

Pressure to free HIV-case nurses
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2420895,00.html

A group of American scientists are urging the United States to press
Libya to release five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor
accused of intentionally infecting more than 400 children with HIV.

In a letter to appear in Science, the scientists say that HIV was
present in the hospital where the patients were treated, "and the
most reasonable explanation is that poor infection control practices,
including the lack of sterile, disposable injecting equipment, led to
the spread" of HIV and other diseases.

The scientists said that the Libyan court relied on confessions
extracted under torture.

British scientists, including Professor Lord Rees, President of the
Royal Society and Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal
College of Physicians, wrote to The Times this month asking the
United Nations, Arab countries, the US and European Union to exert
their influence on President Gaddafi. (AP)

Advocacy of Rights of People Living With HIV
(Kindly send me Profiles of HIV+ Speakers)

Dear Associates,

Punjabi Print Media proposed me to write regularly on HIV+ Speakers
with their wish to come forward in media for the Advocacy of Rights of
People Living With HIV.

Kindly send me photographs and brief profile and activities of a
speaker how he/ she is working to reduce stigma and discrimination in
the community and their experiences.

Regards,
Avnish
mail:avnishjolly@...

REPORTING HIV/AIDS – THE EU-INDIA MEDIA AWARDS, 2006
THE THOMSON FOUNDATION
The Thomson Foundation invites applications from Indian journalists
for Reporting HIV/AIDS – The EU-India Media Awards 2006.

The awards seek to further the best practices enumerated in the Media
Manual on HIV/AIDS, which is available online at:
http://www.aidsandmedia.net/manual.htm

The awards recognize and reward excellence in the reporting of
HIV/AIDS in India.

Up to six awards will be made in 2006 – two each for Print, Radio and
Television.  The prize for the award recipients is a week-long visit
to Europe to visit organizations working on HIV/AIDS. The deadline
for
applications is November 08, 2006, and the awards will be presented
at a ceremony in New Delhi on November 30, 2006. Award winners will
go on a study
visit to the UK in December, 2006.

The awards have been instituted under *The EU-India Media Initiative
on HIV/AIDS*, which is a media project being implemented by The
Thomson Foundation with the financial assistance of the European
Union. The Indian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (INP+),
Media Management Group for Literacy and Development, Commonwealth
Broadcasting Association and University of Tampere, Finland, are
active partners in this project.

The guidelines and entry form for the 2006 award scheme are available
at:
http://www.aidsandmedia.net/awards2006.htm

Details about the winners of 2005 and their study tour to the UK are
available on the project website at:
http://www.aidsandmedia.net/awards.htm

Savyasaachi Jain
Project Editor
The EU-India Media Initiative on HIV/AIDS

Study on Violence against Children
http://www.unicef.org/violencestudy/index.html

Introduction

The United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence against
Children has been a global effort to paint a detailed picture of the
nature, extent and causes of violence against children, and to propose
clear recommendations for action to prevent and respond to it. This is
the first time that an attempt has been made to document the reality of
violence against children around the world, and to map out what is
being done to stop it. Since 2003, many thousands of people have
contributed to the study in consultations and working groups, through
questionnaires and in other ways. Children and young people have been
active at every level. On 11 October 2006, the UN General Assembly will
consider the study's findings and recommendations.

Children living with HIV being treated for infection at PGI:Chandigarh
- Need to establish more antiretroviral therapy centres in North India
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061019/cth1.htm#6

Chandigarh, October 18
A significant number of HIV positive persons north of Delhi continue to
remain uncovered so far as treatment for the infection goes. Until very
recently, the PGIMER, Chandigarh, was the only hospital in the region
administering antiretroviral therapy (ART) to those in need of it.

State Consultation on ARV Treatment Access - Chandigarh
INP+ and CNP+ on 18th and 19th October, 2006 at the CYP Asia Centre,
Chandigarh

Two day workshop on `State Consultation on ARV Treatment Access -
Chandigarh' was conducted by INP+ and CNP+ and funded by DIFD and PMO
Emergency Fund on 18th and 19th October, 2006 at the CYP Asia
Centre.  Invitations for participation and Facilitation were sent to
different organizations and individuals in Chandigarh. Around 30 PLHA
and their family members from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and BSF
participated in the workshop, which was facilitated by trained
facilitators who were actively working in the field. This workshop
was well received by the media.   All the participants appreciated
the arrangements made for the conduct of this Workshop and
participated in various sessions of Workshop and deliberated on the
State Consultation on ARV Treatment Access, Care, Support and Rights
of PLHA. The key issues, suggestions and commendations on different
issues are described below.

PLHA, Medical Professionals, Para Medical, lawyers, social activists,
NGOs, academicians and others took part in this Workshop. The
Workshop was open to all, by way of information through invitation.

The participants, facilitators and others were welcome to workshop by
Ms. Pooja Thakur, President CNP+ and the workshop was inaugurated by
Dr. Sonia Trikha, Project Director, SACS, U.T. Chandigarh. She
exhorted the participants to organise themselves, and work for the
development of the Community. This can be done by first empowering
themselves through education and skill building. After the
inauguration Ms. Meena Dalal, President, HNP+ Highlighted the
Objectives of the Consultation and Brief on Agenda of Workshop was
discussed by Mr. Manoj Bharti, HNP+.
A significant number of HIV positive persons from north India
continue to remain uncovered so far as treatment for the infection
goes. Until very recently, the PGIMER, Chandigarh, was the only
hospital in the region administering antiretroviral therapy (ART) to
those in need of it. Even after three centres have been added – two
in Punjab (Jalandhar and Amritsar) and one in Haryana (Rohtak, PGI) –
PGI's load continues to mount for obvious reasons. It has better-
trained staff to handle and administer ART and it inspires faith
among adults as well as children on treatment. That explains the
reigning statistics – 1644 people living with HIV (PLHIV) are
currently registered at PGI's ART Centre which came up in January
last year. These hail from northern India, including Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana which now have a few of their own ART
centres. A noticeable trend is the increased registration of children
living with HIV/AIDS. Of the total number of PLHIV registered with
the PGI, maximum are men (907), followed by women (534) and children
(203). Of the total registered cases, 1205 persons are on ART – 722
being men, 367 women and 116 children. They had come from far off
areas like Karnal, Gurgaon, Fatehabad, Hamirpur and Sangrur. Along
with them were their HIV positive children — some who have been on
treatment at the PGI for as many as seven years and have been
healthy.
Considering PGI's treatment load, it is no surprise that doctors have
been calling for more and more effective ART Centres. The first HIV
positive child was detected at the PGI in 1991. Right now we have 250
registered children, among who are those infected by HIV as well as
those affected by it. The latter category comprises children who are
not themselves infected but whose parents are HIV positive. We are
equally concerned about the wellbeing of such children and we are
happy to see that not a single child orphaned due to AIDS has been
left in the lurch. He or she has always been adopted by extended
families."
The technical sessions were conducted by different Facilitators Dr.
Archna Mohan – State ART Programme, Care and Support, Dr. Sonia
Trikha – State Vision, Mandate and Plan in Care and Support, Dr.
Kavita Chawan – Signification of Prevention of STDs, Mr. Sandeep
Mittal – Role of NGOs in Minimizing Stigma and Discrimination with
PLHAs, Ms. Anita Bansal – Meditation and Positive Attitude, Ms.
Shikha Narang – Role of PPTCT, Peer Counselling and Condom Promotion,
Dr. Avnish Jolly – Role of Yoga and Healthy Life and Ms. Veena
Sharma – Rights of PLHA on Treatment / Education; Situation and
Quality of Service in Government ART Centers.

Sessions on Group Discussion / Initiatives, Issues and problem
Sharing and Role Play were conducted by Ms. Neetu Yadav and Mr.
Ranbir Singh. Panel Discussions and Different Questionnaires were in
detail discussed in interactive sessions by Mr. N. K. Jha. Mr. Hassan
Shafiu emphasized during the workshop that CYP initiative - Youth
Ambassadors for Positive Living plays important role for combating
HIV/AIDS. Throughout the workshop the speakers discussed in detail
with the participants the skills required to be good peer educators.
They were advised how to form network in their areas and villages,
and how the members could derive the maximum benefit from them. The
participants were also empowered on different health related issues
and different guidelines and home remedies were discussed with them
in length to copeup with stress, maintain their activity of daily
life and whom to contact during illness. The workshop was concluded
by Mr. R. K. Mishra, Regional Director, CYP Asia with hope that the
public can show love to AIDS patients and HIV+ people and allow them
to rebuild their lives in the community.

Recommendations that emerged from the State Consultation on ARV
Treatment Access are following;

PLHA and their Children shared their experiences and concerns on
issues that ranged from social isolation, being orphaned, denial of
services, access to education, emotional distress and their dreams
and aspirations for the future.

The group recognized that Treatment, care and support were addressed
comprehensively and key activities and indicators developed in
programs providing care, support for children infected and affected
with HIV and AIDS ensures improving the quality of lives. While the
document deals with most of the key components relating to children
affected by AIDS, it is suggested the following issues can be
incorporated to make it comprehensively responsive to the needs of
PLHA and their family members.

• Free Availability of Second Line Treatment.
• HIV test before marriage must be mandatory.
• The need for support groups to be established at district
level facilitated by positive women's groups as a part of care and
support programs.
• Ensuring access to correct information: Family, extended
family members, carers need to be provided with correct information.
• Psychosocial support for PLHA and their Family Members.
• Revise existing guidelines for counseling to address needs of
children affected by HIV and AIDS.
• Counselors to address violence against PLHA and their family
members.
• Ensuring access for parents/carers of affected children with
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Widow pension, schemes for
homeless women, Economic empowerment for SC/ST through girl child
marriage scheme, vocational training for girl children and various
other support schemes
• Expert committee to explicitly monitor quality of facilities
for PLHA and their family members.
• Evolve monitoring indicators for key indicators in providing
care support for PLHA and their family members.
• Prioritize stigma and discrimination reduction among friends
of children affected through School AIDS Education Program and
Adolescence Education program
• Involve PLHA and their family members in program and policy
designing, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. (GICA-
  Greater involvement of Children living with HIV/AIDS, Support for
CAHA - Children affected by HIV and AIDS)
• Include measurement of stigma and discrimination among school
children and young people in the national BSS
• Institutional strengthening for training, human resource
support and resources to build capacity support for children living
with HIV and AIDS in community, home based and institutional care.
• Need for specific schemes for economic support to the care of
children living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.
• Facility for voluntary testing and confidentiality for HIV
positive prisoners.
• Training of Prison Doctors on `HIV Issues'.
• ARV Treatment for prisoners who are affected by AIDS.
• Scaling up of ART centers in all Districts with CD4 machine.
• Micro (Vitamins tablets), macro (vitamins in powder
formulation) nutrition supplement shall be supplied through ART
centers.
• The PLHIV required conveyance those who are coming from far
distance to ART centers.
• In each ART center two counselor should be there(male and
female)
• Adequate infrastructure (waiting rooms) shall be made to
maintain confidentiality.
• Infrastructure Facilities like drinking water, seating,
arrangements; sanitary facilities and shelters should be provided.
• Periodical training to health care providers
(Doctors/Counsellors, Pharmacist, Lab Tech. etc.)
• There should be time punctuality for doctors/counsellors/
pharmacist lab tech. at 9.00 am to 5.00 p.m.
• Provision of Out Reach Workers in ART centers to do follow-
up/home visits alongwith per counseling.
• State level campaign programme on ART in all the media.
• First line and second line drugs to be available at all ART
centers.
• Specialized health care providers required for children
(Pediatrician) in all ART- District.
• All the Hospital Staff to be sensitized on ART facilities.
• Universal precaution materials shall be made available at all
hospitals up to District level.
• Pediatric medicine for first/second line regimen and provide
same colour codes to maintain adherence( e.g. DOTS medicine)
• IEC materials on ART education/adherence shall be developed
and disseminated.
• Information about marginalized community to be disseminated.
• To avail of ART all over country there should be particular
government system.
• All the Districts and all PHC should have accessibility to OI
treatment.
• IEC should be developed easy manner on OI treatment and
disseminated with the simple language, which will be very useful and
easy to understanding for PLHA.
• Periodic capacity building workshop to health care providers.
• All OI services should be provided under one roof.
• Easy access of Opportunistic Infection (OI) I treatment and
OI should be provided in center.
• Counselor should be appointed for OI treatment in all
government hospital.
• Doctors should consult or treat person minimum five minutes
and should be available all six days.
• Lab department timing should be increase 9.00 am to 5.00 p.m.
• IN STD clinic, we required male and female doctors for six
days in a week.
• Disclosing of the PLHIV status should not happen in Govt.
Hospital Stage.
• Quality of services/stigma discrimination/community care
center.
• In care home centre's bed should be increased.
• In care home they should appoint more care takers.
• Training and sanitization programmes for health care
providers (HCP) and also for other departments in Hospitals.
• While prescribing any medicine to PLHIV junior doctors should
consult senior doctor.
• All health care providers in all government hospital should
maintain confidentiality.
• PLHIV should not be discriminated at any place particularly
in Hospital, NGO's, workplace, schools and family.
• There should be equal treatment for HIV Positive in all
government hospitals.
• If government hospital prescribed to do the CD4count and OI
medicine at outside in that case reimbursement can be made for the
PLHIV.
• Ensure Universal precaution material available at hospitals
up to District level.
• New PHLIV should be informed about the network by the concern
counselor and doctor.
• Care home should be run by PHLIV network.
• Adequate infrastructure (waiting rooms) shall be made to
maintain confidentiality and to avoid isolation by general community.
• VCTC and PPTCT should be at all District levels.
• In PPTCT HIV positive women should not suffer in queue.
• Lab technicians should give proper attention on clients while
taking the blood samples.
• At VCTC and PPTCT there should be infrastructure facilities
like drinking water, seating arrangements, sanitary facilities and
shelters.
• Trained and sensitize counselors/lab technician should be
appointed at VCCTC and PPTCT who can understand our feelings.
• HIV positive peer counselor should be appointed at VCCTC and
PPTCT for regular follow up of the PLHIV.
• There should be laboratory near to PPTCT.
• Counselor must do condom demonstration at VCCTC and PPTCT.
•  Great involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS(GIPA)
• Involvements of PLHIV in health care providers committee,
District, TB control committee, Care for PLHIV committee, IEC
committee and Executive Committee.
• State level GIPA implementation plan to be developed.
• Capacity Building for PLHIV Network.
• Training on issues of PLHIV
• Training on positive prevention
• Training on MIS & leadership.
• State level conference.
• Strengthening District and State level network.
• Free Traveling under Disability Act
• E cards in Hospitals to maintain confidentiality.
• Confidentiality must be maintained on Discharge Card or
Fitness Certificate issue by any Medical Authority.
• IEC material on ART and Diet must be available in local
language.
• Insurance Schemes for PLHA and their dependents.
• Pension for PLHA.

Dr. Avnish Jolly,
#3008,Sector-20D,
Chandigarh 160020,
India.
Cell: +91-9814213809
mailto:avnishjolly@...

Workshop on `National Policy on Prisons'
Talks on improving conditions in prisons
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060924/cth1.htm#12

Dear FORUM,

Please find enclosed report on Proceedings of the Workshop
on `National Policy on Prisons' conducted at the Institute of
Correctional Administration,Chandigarh on 23rd September, 2006.

Different AIDS related issues were discussed during the workshop.This
report is useful for Community Members to understand the issue. No
one supported the availability of Condoms in the Prison during this
workshop.

Kindly discus this issue in the AIDS INDIA mailing list among
community members. For more detailed information kindly contact Dr.
Upneet Lalli, Deputy Director, Institute of Correctional
administration, Chandigarh. e-mail:<ulalli@...>

The workshop on `National Policy on Prisons' was conducted by Dr.
Upneet Lalli,Deputy Director on behalf of the Institute of
Correctional Administration,Chandigarh on 23rd September, 2006.

Invitations for participation were sent to the Prison Departments of
Punjab,Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh.
This workshop was well received by the print and electronic media.

All the participants appreciated the arrangements made for the
conduct of this Workshop and participated in various sessions of
Workshop and deliberated on the National Policy on Prisons. The key
issues, suggestions and commendations on different issues are
attached.

Senior Administrators, lawyers, social activists, NGOs, prison
officers,academicians, police officers and released prisoners with
their family took part in this Workshop. All the major stakeholders
of the prison system, thus were part of this workshop. The Workshop
was open to all, by way of information through print media, notices
in University Departments, and On-line network invitation. As a
result of the same, there was high participation with as many as 50
participants taking part in this Workshop.

KEY ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT EMERGED IN THE WORKSHOP ON
NATIONAL POLICY ON PRISONS.

SESSION – I; ISSUES, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Speaker : Justice J.S. Narang

Prisoners Rights
Prisoners should not be deprived of their rights.
Medical Facilities Better medical facilities should be provided to
every prison inmate. Well equipped Lab with testing facilities in
every Central Prison.
* Certification of Water and Food CMO should visit the prison
premises every month and get the samples of water and food collected
for certification.
* Expectant Women / Women with Infants
There should be system of parole for them to deliver a baby outside
the prison and thereafter to bring up their infant in normal society.

Speaker : Mr. A.P. Bhatnagar, IPS (Retd.)

Physical conditions of Prisons The process of overcrowding should be
taken care of by shifting the prisons from towns / centre of city to
the outskirts through the process of private public participation in
constructing and management of prisons.

Administrative block
A modern administrative block with all modern technological devices
should bethere in each prison to qualitatively improve day to day
jail administration, including its security

Architecture design
Architecture design should be qualitatively improved keeping in mind
the prison security and service.

Prison Campus
Prison campus should also cater to the housing needs of the staff as
well as community centre to cater to the needs of staff and their
children.

Prison Administration
Prison Administration should be run on economic criterion of making
it self sustainable, efficient, cost-effective and dynamic.

Speaker : Dr. S.L. Sharma

Scientific classification of prisoners
Staff should be trained in order to classify inmates scientifically.

Speaker : Prof. P.S. Jaswal,

* Separate Prison for Undertrials
As far as possible, attempt should be made to segregate undertrials
from the convicts. And also ensure better training programmes for
each of them.

Work Programmes for Undertrials Undertrials should be asked to work
so as to maintain their upkeep expenses.

To ensure presence of undertrials in Court
An attempt should be made to introduce the video conferencing for
undertrials to get their cases processed expeditiously. Delay in
production can be avoided through separate prison escort force for
taking undertrials to courts .

Criminal Courts
Either double shift in criminal courts should be introduced or more
judges should be appointed for expeditious disposal of cases.

* Legal Aid Facility
The timing and places should be properly displayed where legal aid is
made available to public at large and families of undertrials in
general so that the maximum benefit could be extracted in each
prison. For this NGOs and Law students should be encouraged to
contact the prisoners and their families on a regular basis to
fulfill the requirements of approaching the court. Legal Aid Cell in
each prison should be there to help in processing the legal aid
applications and full case record of undertrials be kept.

Wages for Work
The wages paid for work should be reviewed every five years and the
Supreme Court judgment regarding wages should be followed, where a
part of the wages is paid to the victim's family.


Speaker : Kr. Vijay Pratap Singh, IPS

Physical Conditions of Prisons
A norm should be adopted to construct flush latrines and bathrooms
for the prison inmates. Accordingly, the same number of bathrooms and
toilets should be constructed. There should be Model and Modern
kitchen with proper ventilation in each prison along with a dining
facility.

Diet Menu
Diet menu should be drawn by Dietician keeping in view the
demographic composition of prison population.

* Health and medical facilities - Supply of adequate medicines Supply
of adequate medicines should be ensured either through local purchase
or through a central system and in case of non availability, then
Superintendent should be empowered to purchase up to a limit at a
time with no embargo on an annual basis. The physical infrastructure
of hospital / laboratory in each prison should depend on prison
population and for prison population below 50 a dispensary is a must.
Proper medical examination record of each prisoner should be
maintained. System of telemedicine should also be encouraged.

* Biometric Identification of visitors to Prison
Biometric Identification of both prisoners and visitors to the prison.

* Grant of Parole
Grant of parole should not be denied, by quoting the often repeated
argument that there is a threat to law and order. SSP should given
specific reasons for not granting parole and there should be proper
representation to convict in case of rejection of his parole. There
should not be pre-mature release to habitual criminals.

SESSION – II ISSUES

Speaker : Justice Iqbal Singh (Retd.)

Lok Adalats
Lok Adalats should be held in each prison.

Better Coordination
There should be better coordination of the prison Department with
other Departments and also the Criminal Justice Functionaries.
District and Session Judge should ensure smooth coordination between
prison departments and all others including police and prosecution.

Speaker : Dr. Upneet Lalli

Women Prisoners / Outside crθches
There is a need to have outside crθches for those children whose
mothers are inside the prison.

Mulaquat Area
There should be better visiting area for women inmates to meet their
children. No meeting behind bars for women and their Children.

* Communication facility
There should be PCO Room and each prison must be provided with
telephone facility, E-mail, etc. in order to facilitate better
communication and contact of the women inmates with their children
and family.

* Women Staff
The ratio of women staff in prisons should at least be equal to
prison population ratio of women and slowly increased to 50%.
Periodic training of women staff.

Education and work programmes
To ensure that education and work programmes remain more useful to
both inmates and society, these should be outsourced as far as
possible and outmoded and outdated programmes should not be run on
account of scarcity of funds. Gardening and landscaping activities
for women inmates.

* Medical facilities
There should be a lady doctor and nurse in each women prison. There
should be a proper medical examination and then a subsequent yearly
medically examination of the women inmates.

Encouraging Alternatives to Imprisonment
a) More liberal use of bail by judiciary
b) Review of compoundable offences
c) More effective use of probation
d) Public awareness about community service schemes
e) Community Service Scheme as an alternative for offences under
Excise Act and minor theft cases and other minor offences where
maximum imprisonment is upto three years.
f) Sensitizing judiciary about alternatives to imprisonment
g) Identity Cards to those offenders who go to the workplace as an
alternative to imprisonment.
h) More open prisons and their use to encourage reformation and
rehabilitation of convicts. Open prisons for women convicts as well.


Speaker : Justice P.S. Patwalia
• Public awareness about community service schemes
• Change in the Law i.e. I.P.C. and Cr.P.C. and Special Laws
• Awareness programmes for judiciary on `Alternatives to
Imprisonment'.

Speaker : Mr. B.S. Sandhu

All India Prison Service
All India Prison and Correctional service for higher level prison
staff.

Pay Scales
Pay scales of prison staff should be at par with police officers.
Promotional opportunities should be there for each level of prison
staff with a minimum of three promotions in 25 years of service.

Head of the Prison Department
The Head of the Prison Department should be from within the prison
cadre. In case of deputation, then a minimum tenure of three years
should be given to enable the HOD to make an impact.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS

Motivating Prison Staff

Dr. Jyoti Seth + NCW Report on Conditions of Women in Detention Dr.
A. Jolly, Counsellor, Chd. * (HIV Issues) and Criminal Justice
Initiative (NGO, Mumbai)
Ms. Suman Gupta, Counsellor Alcoholic Anonymous Creating Awareness
about alcoholism, drugs, etc.
Deepika, Research Investigator
Prisoners (Miscellaneous Suggestions)

• Commendation certificates, citations should be given to efficient
staff by the Superintendent / Inspector General of Prison.
• Welfare officers to look into welfare issues of staff.
• Recreational facilities to staff be provided within prison campus


• Newspapers and magazines supply to women inmates
• Separate bank account for women who work inside the prison
• Counseling programmes to prepare women for separation from their
children
• Work programmes for women inmates like handmade paper, hair
cutting, beautician, etc.

• Variety in Food for children and also for prisoners
• Gender Sensitization training programmes for Prison Staff.

• Facility for voluntary testing and confidentiality for HIV positive
prisoners.
• Training of Prison Doctors on `HIV Issues'.
• ARV Treatment for prisoners who are affected by AIDS.

• Indoor Display Boards for Self-Help Groups like Alcoholic
Anonymous, HIV positive Helpline, Women Helpline, Suicide Helpline,
etc. with telephone numbers at prison reception area and in mulaquat
area.
• Telephone facility to avail of tele-counselling.
• Psychiatric treatment and facilities for managing drug-addicts.
• Undertrials data-base and its proper management
• Non official women members to look into issues of women inmates.

• Regular review of Diet Scale
• Pamphlet of rights and duties of prison inmates should be given to
every inmate upon entry.
• Superintendents must have power to allow prison inmates to attend
cremation ceremony.
• Religious and meditational programme should be organized in each
prison.
• IGNOU Centres should be set-up in each prison.
• To ensure physical, mental and spiritual well-being of inmates,
outside community must be encouraged to participate in prison
programmes.
• Review of prison offences and punishment powers of Superintendent.
• Short stay homes for women inmates who are released from Prison.
• Employment Certificates to inmates who have obtained training
during their stay in prison.

With Personal Regards,
Avnish

Dr. Avnish Jolly,
#3008,Sector-20D,
Chandigarh 160020,
India.
Cell: +91-9814213809
e-mail: <avnishjolly@...>

District Level Adolescent Advocacy Workshop - Chandigarh

A one day District Level Adolescent Advocacy Workshop was held on
Saturday 14 Oct 2006 at the CYP Asia Centre, under the aegis of
Ministry of Youth Welfare and Sports, Government of India.

This is in continuation of the 6 day training workshop conducted at
Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development at Sriperumbudur
in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Welfare and Sports,
Government of India, in which our UT's team of Three District
Adolescent Resource Trainers (DART) Lt Col Ravi Bedi, Dr. Sangeeta
Jund and Dr. Avnish Jolly had participated. The workshop was
sponsored by United Nations Population Fund, and consisted of resource
persons who are experts in their fields.

The participants of today's workshop are the Office bearers and
representatives of youth clubs of each of the Union Territory's 18
villages. Due to the peculiar nature of the population pattern of the
Union Territory, however, it is intended to cover the youth
in the Slum and Rehabilitation colonies in collaboration with various
NGOs which are active in the city.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mrs Ramminder Kaur Buttar, Deputy
Director Panchayati Raj Institutions, Government of Punjab. She
exhorted the youth to organise themselves, and work for the
development of the Nation. This can be done by first empowering the
youth through education and skill building. Moreover she brought to
the notice of the youth, the adverse gender ratio in the northern
states especially Punjab and Haryana. This is reminiscent of the
outdated idea of the Girl being the weaker child, which is not true
today.

The technical sessions were conducted by Dr GS Bajwa –Role of Teen
Clubs, Dr Avnish Jolly – HIV/AIDS, Drugs and Human Trafficking and Dr
(Mrs) Sangeeta Jund – Role of Peer Educators. The speakers discussed
in detail with the participants the skills required to be good peer
educators. They were advised how to form teen clubs in their areas
and villages, and how the members could derive the maximum benefit
from them.

Dr GS Bajwa
Dist. Youth Coordinator
bajwags@...
Cell 91- 98153-55542

Indian Schools to introduce sex education next year
MIL/Agencies, Oct 13, 2006.
http://internationalreporter.com/news/read.php?id=2418

New Delhi, October 13, 2006 - Indian schools have become very serious
in introducing sex education for the young students.  They have
decided to teach nursery children about sexual health and drugs from
next year to boost awareness of the dangers they face in the changing
society.

India's national examination board is set to introduce a new
programme teaching pupils at kindergartens and schools about drug and
sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, hygiene and nutrition. The step has been
taken to enhance a positive sexual health and responsible behavior in
children.

Topics related to sexual changes at puberty, substance abuse, myths
concerning the reproductive growth of a child and sexually
transmitted diseases will be part of the curriculum.

A conservative attitude to sex, contraception and a lack of awareness
is common, especially in rural India. Experts say this has not only
left adolescents vulnerable to abuse but has also exacerbated the
spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, which now has the highest number
of cases in the world.

According to the United Nations, 5.7 million Indians are living with
the virus. But activists say the true figure may be far higher as
social stigma forces many of those infected with the virus to keep
their status a secret.

Reducing AIDS-related Stigma and Discrimination in Indian Hospitals
http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/inplhafriendly.pdf

Conclusion and Recommendations

The formative research findings clearly indicated the need to address
stigma and discrimination in the hospital setting and corroborated
many of the findings of earlier research in India in this context
(UNAIDS 2001). This study found that although HCWs generally denied
that their hospital refused admission and/or treatment to patients
because of their known or suspected HIV status, caregivers and
patients reported that the access to and quality of in-patient care
in New Delhi hospitals depended on a patient's HIV status.
Experiences with and fears about such treatment was enough to deter
some patients from seeking care, and cause other patients to conceal
their HIV-status from HCWs, if possible. Common manifestations of
differential treatment of PLHA in the participating hospitals
included delay in treatment, unwarranted referrals to other
facilities, segregation, labeling, excessive use of barrier
precautions, breaches of confidentiality, unconsented HIV-testing,
inadequate pre-and post-test counseling, and withholding HIV test
results from patients. The study also found that many health care
workers lacked adequate knowledge and training in the basics of HIV
transmission, infection control, and clinical management of HIV/AIDS.
Also, a lack of hospital policies protecting PLHA and ensuring staff
safety contributed to differential treatment.

These findings highlight that stigma and discrimination in health
settings is fueled by both individual and institutional factors.
Therefore, reducing AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in
clinical settings requires addressing not just the attitudes and
practices of health care workers but also their needs for
information, training, and supplies. The study also showed that all
cadres of health care workers, including doctors, nurses, and ward
staff, carry out discriminatory practices. It was interesting to note
that even though ward staff are not engaged in providing clinical
care to patients, they still had the most discriminatory attitudes
toward PLHA. Because of the important role they play in providing
support services in the hospital, it was critical for the
intervention to target ward staff. This supports the intervention's
basic premise of involving all levels of health care workers, from
ward staff to hospital superintendents, in improving the hospital
environment rather than simply trying to effect change from the top
down by only working with management. The participatory methods used
by the project team proved to be crucial in mobilizing hospital
managers to take action to reduce stigma and discrimination. Facility-
specific survey data, the checklist, and other tools sparked action
among managers to make the hospitals more "PLHA-friendly" and
facilitated ownership of the process. The hospital managers were
engaged in designing and implementing the multilevel intervention
that included training, materials development, and policy reform.
Although the study design does not allow the researchers to
definitively prove the efficacy of the approach, pre- and post-survey
data show significant improvements in health care workers' reported
knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the care and
management of PLHA. Interviews with hospital managers corroborated
many of the changes detected by the quantitative data. But, despite
these positive findings, there is room for fine-tuning of the
intervention. The study demonstrated that some attitudes and
practices may be more difficult to change than others and may require
more focused activities. For example, support for mandatory testing
for invasive procedures was about the same after the intervention.
This lack of change in HCWs' attitudes toward testing may be due to
their heightened  risk perception of contracting HIV from their
patients. To allay these fears, hospitals may need to place a greater
focus on improving HCWs' access to appropriate infection control
methods and the use of universal precautions. Also, the meaning,
norms, and values placed upon seemingly universal principles like
patient confidentiality may in fact differ in different settings. For
example, in this setting, while there was improved respect for
patient privacy in general, many HCWs continued to feel that they
were entitled to know the HIV status of their patients and continued
to share such information with one another.

Therefore, more work is needed to translate changes in attitudes and
beliefs to changes in practice. Even in large public hospitals
confronting a wide range of institutional challenges, it is possible
to create positive change. This study demonstrates that government,
private/non-profit, and research groups each have a role to play in
reducing stigma and discrimination in the health sector. However, a
respectful and open attitude on the part of each sector is required
for such a partnership to succeed. For example, when the intervention
began, hospital managers feared that data about stigma and
discrimination would be used for lawsuits and negative publicity, and
AIDS NGOs tended to blame health care workers for stigmatizing or
discriminatory practices. In response, the study team reassured the
hospitals that the data would be confidential and not be reported by
hospital, and sensitized AIDS NGO staff about the concerns and
difficulties of health care workers who practice in overburdened,
resource-constrained settings.

In sum, the following recommendations emerged from the study:

In order to reduce stigma and discrimination, it is important to
assess and improve HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes of all
HCWs. Misinformation and judgmental attitudes among all cadres of
HCWs can foster stigma, fear, and differential treatment of PLHA.
This study showed that even the most senior HCWs do not have complete
understanding of HIV transmission and prevention. Therefore, it is
important for programs to target all levels of HCWs with initial and
ongoing refresher training. Such training should go beyond providing
information to include sensitizing staff to the needs, concerns, and
rights of PLHA.Efforts to increase knowledge and improve attitudes
must be accompanied by policies, information, and supplies that
create a safe working environment for HCWs.

This and other studies (Nyblade et al. 2003) have shown that health
care workers perceive themselves to be at high risk of infection
because of their exposure to the virus during service delivery. Thus,
training alone may not have the desired impact on health care
workers' attitudes and practices if they do not perceive environment
within which they work to be safe to implement their newly acquired
knowledge and skills. Thus it is essential to assess and acknowledge
health care workers' fears and risk and then develop and implement
workplace policies that ensure staff safety and respect for health
care workers rights. These policies need to ensure the availability
of essential supplies (e.g., gloves, post-exposure prophylaxis) for
maintaining optimum infection control practices by health care
workers at all times to not only protect themselves but also to
protect their patients from exposure to infection.

A multi-sectoral, participatory approach to reducing stigma and
discrimination is promising.The improvements in reported HCW
attitudes and practices and in hospital policies support an approach
characterized by participatory problem identification and problem
solving, and the involvement of all levels of staff in intervention
activities, from ward staff to hospital superintendents. Groups and
organizations wishing to work in health care settings should consider
positioning themselves as true partners rather than as critics or
watchdogs/whistle blowers if their goal is to improve the health care
environment for PLHA.Further research is needed to determine whether
the improvements observed reflect actual reductions in stigma and
discrimination as perceived by PLHA.

Conducting this research in Indian hospitals that now are seeing
greater numbers of PLHA or in regions with a higher HIV prevalence
would enable researchers to gain valuable feedback from HIV-positive
patients. Also, any further research should examine the role of
increased availability of antiretroviral on stigma and discrimination
in health care settings.

Tackling HIV/AIDS - More sense is needed, not money
by Rami Chhabra
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061012/edit.htm#4

HIV/AIDS is a high-visibility media issue. So is trafficking. Yet
surprisingly, major developments in both are quietly underway with no
media focus, much less debate. The media flurry will perhaps follow
after events are fait accompli.

India: Child Labor Law Welcomed, But Needs Enforcing
Press Release: October 5, 2006
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/04/india14264.htm

The Indian government has taken a step forward by enacting a law to ban
domestic work and some other forms of labor by children under age 14,
Human Rights Watch said today. The law goes into effect on October 10,
but to be effective, the Indian authorities will need to improve upon
their weak enforcement of existing child labor protections.

Nearly 10,000 HIV positive cases in state
Dipak Mishra
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2132658,curpg-
1.cms

PATNA: With the number of HIV positive cases on the rise, the disease
is threatening to assume alarming proportion in Bihar.

According to the latest statistics provided by the Bihar State Aids
Control Society (BSACS), the number of HIV positive cases in the
state is close to 10,000. The first case of AIDS in Bihar was
detected in Nawada in 1992.

In the last two years, the number of such patients have shot up by
over 3,500 and more than 100 have died due to AIDS. Around 64 per
cent of the HIV victims are males.

On an average around 2,000 HIV patients are being detected every year
in Bihar. Unofficially, even members of the society concede that the
actual figure of HIV patients would be much higher.

Despite the claims of creating awareness on AIDS and HIV, patients
hit by the dreaded disease still face social boycott. There are
reports from Saharsa about one Shambhu Singh of Pama village who was
left to die by his family members and co-villagers.

Singh was working in Delhi and has been an HIV patient for the last
three years. Earlier, there were reports from Darbhanga about the
wife of an AIDS patient having to drag the body of her deceased
husband to the cremation pyre because relatives and villagers refused
to touch the body.

Earlier, an HIV patient was reportedly isolated and locked in a room
at Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital. Apparently, the media
publicity and awareness campaign launched by voluntary organisations
is still to evoke the desired public response.

Sources said a major chunk of HIV patients in Bihar are migrant
workers returning to the state after being affected by the disease in
Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and other places.

Not surprisingly, the growth of HIV patients has been alarming in
eight districts of North Bihar due to largescale migration of
labourers. These are East Champaran, West Champaran, Khagaria,
Madhubani, Purnia, Kishanganj, Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi.

But it is not just the large number of migrant labourers the state
has to worry about. The state has been identified for trafficking of
women especially in areas located near the Indo-Nepal border.

There are 22 identified red light areas having about 3,000 sex
workers in Kosi area alone, according to an NGO Bhoomika Vihar.

The number rapidly increased during the past five years. "Its
anybody's guess what the actual figure of HIV patients in Bihar will
be if sex workers and their clients are tested for HIV," said Arun
Kumar the convener of Bhoomika Vihar.

Condom scam unearthed in state
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=204505

Health dept finds NGOs supplied spurious condoms to high-risk groups
and claimed money from the state government by showing inflated bills
Ravik Bhattacharya

Kolkata, october 8: The lid was opened from a shocking scam involving
NGOs working for prevention of HIV after the state government
recently found that the former had made money by supplying rejected
condoms to high-risk groups, including sex workers, truckers and men
who have sex with men (MSMs).

An investigation by the state government has revealed that the NGOs
supposed to distribute condoms among the high-risk groups are not
only buying spurious condoms, but also sending inflated bills to the
government and claiming money.

The gross malpractice for the past two years was discovered by the
Health department a few months back during the tenure of S. Suresh
Kumar, who was the then director of West Bengal State HIV AIDS
Prevention and Control Society. Soon after, Kumar launched an
investigation.

However, even after unearthing the scam, the department is yet to
concentrate on central procurement of condoms and medicines.

"The condoms we found were repackaged ones with no quality standards.
They were made illegally at Bagri market. The NGOs bought them in
bulk and distributed them," said Kumar, currently working with
National AIDS Control Organisation in Delhi.

"A section of NGOs usurped lakhs by distributing false medicines and
rejected condoms, which is unpardonable. You cannot play with
people's lives, since condom distribution and medicine supply for
patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are the mainstay in
our fight against HIV-AIDS. After the NGOs were caught, the central
procurement system was put in place, but recently they are trying to
discontinue it. We are all for central procurement by the
government," said Debapriya Mullick, adviser, NGO-AIDS Coalition, a
private body which keeps the liaison between the NGOs and the
government.

According to Health department sources, the samples of condoms
distributed among sex workers and truckers in different parts of the
state were collected and sent for tests in a laboratory in Chennai.
They were found to be rejected and sub-standard.

Sex workers in red-light areas across the state, and truckers on the
highways were given such condoms, which were duplicates of foreign
brands. During investigation, it was also revealed that such condoms
had a clandestine manufacturing unit-cum-market in Bagri area of
Burrabazar, where foreign labels were pasted on the packets. The NGOs
made bulk purchases from this market.

"These condoms had pictures of nude women on the covers, with the
labels announcing that they were foreign made. These were very cheap
compared to the authentic ones. Each NGO forwarded bills worth lakhs
for such condoms," said a highly placed officer in the West Bengal
State HIV-AIDS Control Society.

Migrants at higher risk of HIV/AIDS
Experts want AIDS control policy-III to address the issue
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060924/himachal.htm#5

Parwanoo, September 23
India is finally witnessing a concerted campaign to address linkages
between migration and HIV/AIDS. The much-needed initiative, which was
critical considering the growing evidence of migrants getting infected
in the wake of low awareness and poor access to healthcare, has come
from a group of development experts committed to the cause.

Sexually transmitted diseases

STI cases highest among UT migrants

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060925/cth1.htm#3
Chandigarh, September 24
If a study conducted by the PGI here is anything to go by, migrant
population in the city is highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Migrants
also have high incidence of sexual transmitted infections (STIs) and
reproductive tract infections (RTIs), making them more vulnerable to
HIV/AIDS.
**********************************************************************
Sexually transmitted diseases among teens on the rise
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=14538
25 Sep 2006
The data published on Saturday revealed that the number of
Singaporean teens affected by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
has more than doubled in 4 years.

According to the latest facts, 678 people in the age-group 10-19
years needed medical aid for STIs, last year compared to 256 cases in
2001.

The teenagers' share of STD when compared with all STD patients has
risen from 3.8 % in 2001 to 6.1% in 2005.AIDS virus' infection among
them is on the rise. 18 teens were reported to be HIV positive during
the period 1985-2004. This accounts for less than one new case a
year. However, 4 boys of the age 17-19 years were diagnosed as HIV
positive in the year 2005 alone. All these 4 cases were of sexual
relationship with men.

Counsellors warned that sexual activity was becoming common among
teenagers at a very young age. Unprotected sex and multiple partners
were on a high. "Those who seek help at the Department of Sexually
Transmitted Infections Control clinic have had an average of four sex
partners," said assistant manager Theresa Soon. "The bulk of them
live for the present and some view abortion lightly. Increasing
numbers of these teens first get to know each other online and then
meet specifically for sex, " she said.

Officials are concerned about the rising numbers of HIV infection
cases. However, the extensive promotion of condom use has been
declined by the government and it blamed the gay group of people.

Haryana's gays come together as a group
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060923/haryana.htm
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 22
It was an occasion to look up to. After practising a culture of
silence for years, several members from Haryana's MSM (men having sex
with men) community finally came together to talk about their rights,
fears and insecurities.

Offering discussion space to the group, identified as one at a high
risk of HIV/AIDS by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) was
the Panchkula State AIDS Control Society (SACS) which facilitated
mass mobilisation of the state's MSMs today. The event was
significant in two ways - one, it brought a marginalised group to
centre stage. Two, it formalised the assembled MSMs as a group,
lending them the power they need to demand their rights.

By the end of the day, the Panchkula SACS had inspired the first
community-based organisation (CBO) of MSMs in Haryana, which has over
50,000 persons belonging to the stigmatised community. The move comes
close on the heels of NACO's guidelines that stress the formation of
CBOs among high risk groups comprising MSMs, commercial sex workers
and intravenous drug users. The three groups are core groups that
demand urgent policy attention as far as HIV/AIDS awareness,
treatment and care go.

The last of the three objectives is perhaps the hardest to manage as
is clear from the history of discrimination which homosexuals have
suffered in India. But the future might be different, feels Rahul
Singh, an MSM, who has been part of the movement to decriminalise
Section 377 of the IPC ever since it started.

A member of the Delhi-based Naaz Foundation, which filed a PIL
demanding Section 377 of the IPC to be read down to exclude
consensual sexual activity among partners in a private space, Rahul
Singh said, "We have been fighting her long to secure our sexual
rights. Now, the movement has acquired the support of Amartya Sen and
Vikram Seth. Once the law becomes sensitive, rights will follow."

The activist said the government needed to broad-base AIDS awareness
campaigns by sufficiently addressing the risk factors which the MSMs
faced. "When you look at AIDS awareness materials of the government,
the impression they give you is that HIV/AIDS can only be contracted
through a heterosexual contact. Nowhere is it said that a homosexual
contact can also cause HIV/AIDS. The reason is stigma which is
inherent in issues of sex and sexuality. We must initiate a debate
around these issues and talk about sexuality more openly. Dialogue is
the best form of awareness generation."

As Rahul spoke, MSMs from Panchkula, Pinjore and Kalka voiced their
worst fears. Most of them stemmed from police indifference to the
cause of MSMs. "This", Rahul said, "is unacceptable. Our outreach
workers in Delhi have often been harassed by the police. But we have
devised ways around the problem."

The Foundation is famous for having trained police personnel in Delhi
in MSM rights and risk factors. "We tied up with the human resource
cell of the police and held seminars for constables. The attitudes
have since changed for the better."

Something on similar lines can be initiated in cities where the
police is unaware of MSM issues and rights. Equally important is the
formation of support groups, like the one that was formed in Haryana
with the support of Dr Chand Singh Madan, Assistant Director,
Panchkula SACS, Director Health Services, Panchkula Avinash Sharma
and resource person Dr Avnish Jolly.

Priests get tips on AIDS awareness
Tribune News Service
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060921/cth3.htm#2

Chandigarh, September 20
For the orientation of the priests for spreading awareness on
HIV/AIDS, Media Commission of Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese organised a
seminar for the priests of the diocese today at the Catholic Church,
Sector 19A, here, on the theme, "The Role of Religion, Media and
Community in Combating HIV/AIDS".

The Bishop of the Diocese, representatives of the State AIDS Control
Society, Chandigarh and Haryana, and NGOs participated and expressed
the need for a concerted effort and collective responsibility of
religion, media and community in combating AIDS.

Dr Sonia Trikha, Project Director, State AIDS Control Society,
Chandigarh, spoke on the basics of spread of HIV, prevention and
various government programmes on HIV/AIDS.

Dr Chand Singh Madan, Assistant Director, State AIDS Control Society,
Haryana, spoke on the impact of HIV on economically weaker sections
of society.

Ms Aditi Tandon, Mr Pardeep Tiwari and Mehthapudin spoke on the role
of media in combating HIV/AIDS. The role of community and self-help
groups in combating HIV was highlighted by Pooja Thakur, president,
Chandigarh network of people living with HIV/AIDS and by Dr Avnish
Jolly, co-coordinator, AIDS Hotline, and Servants of the People
Society.

Ms Pooja Thakur, president of the Chandigarh Network of people living
with HIV/AIDS, interacts with religious heads at a seminar at the
Catholic Church, Sector 19, Chandigarh, on Tuesday.
— Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060921/chd.htm#hlt

UNITE FOR CHILDREN  UNITE FOR PEACE
http://www.unicef.org/football/

Team UNICEF

For the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UNICEF and FIFA, the international
football federation, team up to ensure every child's right to a
peaceful world.

Undue Punishment - Abuses against Prisoners in Georgia
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/georgia0906/

"Everyone Lives in Fear"- Patterns of Impunity in Jammu and Kashmir
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/india0906/

Rescue miners from Borthels: HC
http://in.news.yahoo.com/060911/48/67hnn.html

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the police to crack down on
brothels across the city to rescue minor girls who have been forced
into flesh trade. The court also asked the police to file an action-
taken report in two weeks' time.

A division bench of Justices J N Patel and Roshan Dalvi directed the
senior inspectors of all police stations to comply with this order.
The division bench was hearing a petition filed by a non-
governmental organisation, Prerana, pertaining to a 2003 case in
which nine minor girls had gone missing, soon after being rescued
from a brothel in Santacruz. Prerana moved the court in an attempt to
expedite the investigations.

The court also came down harshly on the police, saying that even
though it did not expect much, the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking
Act and the Juvenile Justice Act required the police to ensure that
minor girls not be forced into prostitution.

The court further observed that inspite of police crackdown, if minor
girls were found in brothels, there was no reason why the concerned
police inspector should not be suspended.

The state government informed the court that they had rescued 26
minors in 2003, 12 minors in 2004, 31 minors in 2005 and 27 minors in
2006. Justice Patel retorted that if the state had worked more
seriously, there would have been two zeros after each of these
figures.

On August 29 this year, the high court had ordered that the case be
transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation, as Mumbai Police
had failed to trace the minors even after three years. The court also
directed the CBI to come up with a blueprint to curb
trafficking of minors.

As per an affidavit filed by CBI Director Vijay Shanker on September
7, a special cell headed by Crime Branch SP Surinder Paul has been
constituted to investigate the case, following which the case was re-
registered at V P Road police station.

Urgent Action Alert:: Changes in Data exclusivity

Help protect the affordable generic medicines for the people
globally. Your letter, email, fax has helped in the past; it is
another opportunity to make a difference.

Stop HIV/AIDS in India Initiative
(www.shaii.org)

Association for India's Development - CP
(www.aidindia.org)

Health Global Access Project - Health GAP
(www.healthgap.org)

Students Global AIDS Campaign
(www.fightglobalaids.org)

American Medical Students Association
(www.amsa.org)

People's Health Movement - U.S.A
(www.phm-usa.org)

Global AIDS Alliance
(www.globalaidsalliance.org)

ACTION ALERT!

Are you concerned about people dying for lack of medicines in order
to increase profits of multinational pharmaceutical companies?

Are you disturbed by the fact that rich will have instant access to
newer medicines while the poor will have to wait for an extra 20
years?

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of millions of people
living with HIV/AIDS globally?

Please take the time to mail, fax, or email a letter to Indian
policymakers to let them know that the world is watching.

You may sign the petition online at
http://petitions.aidindia.org/data-exclusivity/

Join us NOW to protect the access to affordable medicines around the
world. Your fax, letter, phone call or email can make a great
difference!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Many of you have helped Indian advocacy groups in early 2005 to
oppose amendments to the Indian Patents Act that threatened access to
affordable generic medicines for millions of people living with
HIV/AIDS in the global south. Together, we helped secure significant
positive changes in the proposed amendments. Our letters, emails,
communications strengthened the Indian grassroots groups in their
efforts to protect the ability of Indian generic producers to
challenge weak patent applications, to continue producing generic
drugs already being produced, and to utilize all flexibilities
allowed by the WTO TRIPS Agreement.

We appreciate the Indian Health Ministry's response to the people's
voices. It no longer supports the data exclusivity changes in the
Indian Drugs and Cosmetics Act (information about data exclusivity
can be found at the end of the email).

Urgent need:

Various ministries in India are meeting this week to discuss data
exclusivity rules which would either preclude government reliance on
registration data to grant marketing approval to therapeutically
equivalent generic products or require costly payments to data
originators thereby increasing the costs of generic medicines. There
is urgent need to stop these ministries from bringing a proposal that
goes far beyond the requirements of international law to the Indian
parliament to amend the existing law.

Let us persuade the Indian prime-minister's office to choose people
over the business profits of major international pharmaceutical
companies.

Dr. RA Mashelkar, Director General, Council of Scientific &
Industrial Research is advocating for data exclusivity or
alternatively for data compensation and has submitted a study to
Indian officials to prove the alleged benefits of the data
exclusivity. However, this study is funded by MNC pharmaceutical
companies and serves their bottom line interest in delaying or
preventing generic competition.

Specifically, we are asking the Indian government to stand up to the
pressure of multinational pharmaceutical companies and refuse to
include data exclusivity or data compensation provisions in an
amendment to the Indian Drugs and Cosmetics Act. India is one of the
biggest suppliers of low-cost medicines globally, including Africa.

These data exclusivity amendments and the changes it will bring will
negatively affect poor people worldwide. In some instances, they
could even prevent effective utilization in India of patent
flexibilities granted by the WTO TRIPS Agreement, including the right
to produce and sell medicines pursuant to a compulsory license.

Please write to Dr. Mashelkar that people are watching him - people
who prefer people's lives over profits of a handful of rich
companies.

You can use the letter below. or write one of your own!

Contact information of the officials:

Available emails of all of the following for your convenience -
dgcsir@..., dg@...

pmosb@..., cim@..., psmin.cpc@..., hfm@...,
asdg@..., hiv-aids@...

Dr. RA Mashelkar

Director General
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg
New Delhi 110001
Phone: 23710472, 23717053, 23731832
Fax: 23710618


CC:

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
Room No. 152, South Block, New Delhi
Tel: 91-11-23018939, Fax: 91-11-23019545, Email: pmosb@...

Sri Kamal Nath
Minster of Commerce & Industry
Room No. 45, Udyog Bhavan, New Delhi
Tel: 91-11-23063664, Fax: 91-11-23061796, Email: cim@...

Sri Ramvilas Paswan
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Shastri Bhawan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi
Tel: 91-11-23386519, Fax: 91-11-23384020, Email: psmin.cpc@...

Dr Anbumani Ramadoss
Minster of Health and Family Welfare
Nirman Bhavan, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi
Tel: 91-11-23061751, Fax: 91-11-23792341, Email: hfm@...

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi
President, Indian National Congress Party
10, Janpath, New Delhi
Tel: 91-11-23014161, Fax: 91-11-23017047, Email: not available

Ms. Sujatha Rao
Director General, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
Chandralok Building, 9th floor, 36 Janpath, New Delhi
Fax: 91-11-23731746, Email: asdg@...

Sample letter:
September 5, 2006

Dr. RA Mashelkar
Director General
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg
New Delhi 110001


Dear Dr. Mashelkar,

The global HIV/AIDS Community is thankful to India for the health and
hope that the Indian generic pharmaceutical industry gives to people
living with HIV/AIDS around the world. We would like to express our
concern that certain laws and policy changes in India may adversely
affect both the domestic and thereby the global availability and
affordability of essential HIV/AIDS medicines of assured quality and
of other new inventions such as women-controlled prevention methods
(microbicides).

Through this letter, we would like to communicate our concern
particularly about contemplated data-related amendments in the Indian
Drugs and Cosmetic Act. The implementation of data exclusivity or
data compensation provisions as an amendment to the Drug and Cosmetic
Act would primarily affect India's ability to provide drugs to
millions of its own people living with diseases
such as HIV/AIDS, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, among others.
However, the deterrent to local production and marketing of generic
medicines would have a knock-on effect on the willingness of Indian
generic producers to enter the global market as well.

There are actions that can be taken that will allow for maximum
availability of generic drugs while being TRIPS compliant. Without
Indian generic drugs, millions of people in developing countries will
die as a result of lack of access to affordable medicines.

Data exclusivity provisions, if added to the Drugs and Cosmetic Act,
will prevent generic companies from using registration data on
existing drugs to gain regulatory approval for therapeutically
equivalent generic versions.

Under data exclusivity, generic companies will be forced to repeat
time-consuming, expensive, and unethical studies to receive
regulatory approval during the period of exclusivity. Under
alternative proposals for data compensation, there will be procedural
delay and litigation bottlenecks that will also delay access and/or
increase costs of essential generic products. Under either option,
generic drugs could take years to come into the market and medicines
would be more expensive in the interim. The people of India and the
developing world would be denied access to the new treatments
available to their richer counterparts who can afford brand name
drugs.

The WTO TRIPS Agreement does not require data exclusivity, and thus
India is not obligated to adopt TRIPS-plus data exclusivity laws.

TRIPS Article 39.3 simply merely requires that members
protect "undisclosed test or other data..against unfair commercial
use." The World Health Organization's Commission on Intellectual
Property Rights, Innovation, and Public Health recently reinforced
the view that TRIPS does not require data exclusivity:

"Article 39.3, unlike the case of patents, does not require the
provision of specific forms of rights. It does not create property
rights, nor a right to prevent others from relying on the data for
marketing approval of the same product by a third party or from using
the data except when unfair (dishonest) commercial practices are
involved."

India has a human-rights obligation to protect its own residents and
the citizens of the world from the ravishes of the HIV/AIDS pandemic
rather than change its law to assist a handful of multinational
pharmaceutical companies in making more profits while people are
dying for lack of medicines.

You are head of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
(CSIR), an industrial research and development organization whose
mission is to provide economic, environmental and societal benefits
to the people of India. Data exclusivity or data compensation changes
will not only severely limit the access to affordable medicines in
India but have enormous adverse impact worldwide. Millions of people
around the world are currently taking generic
drugs made in India.

Please do not undermine India's leadership. We urge you to keep these
life-saving medicines available and affordable to all those in need
for the future by not supporting the new amendment that includes data
exclusivity provisions in the Drugs and Cosmetic Act.

Sincerely,

Your name

This petition supports the efforts of various global and Indian
organizations working to protect production of affordable medicines.
The organizations include

Global AIDS Alliance, Health Gap, Students Global AIDS
Campaign, Association for India's Development - CP, American Medical
Students Association, People's Health Movement, Lawyers Collective,
Indian Network of Positive People, Doctors without Borders, Drug
Action Forum -Karnataka, Center for Trade and Development, India's
Centre for Human Rights and Law, All India Drugs Action Network,
International Peoples Health Council, Diverse women for Diversity,
Society for Conflict Analyses and resolution, Alliance for
Development, Centre for Research and Advocacy.

Please take the time to mail, fax, or email a letter to let Indian
policymakers know that the world is watching.

Data exclusivity protection means:

1. Data exclusivity provisions will prevent generic companies from
using registration data on existing drugs to gain regulatory approval
for therapeutically equivalent generic versions. Generic companies
would be forced to repeat time-consuming and expensive studies to
receive regulatory approval. Essential medications would remain
prohibitively expensive during the period of exclusivity without the
competition from generic companies.

2. Data compensation provisions will require generic companies to
reach "reasonable royalty" agreements with data originators or resort
to expensive and time consuming litigation to seek government
mandated regulatory access to the data. Access to generic medicines
would typically be delayed and the costs of generic medicines would
increase because of royalty payments.

3. The research-based pharmaceutical industry is also seeking to
link the rights of registration to the original drug's patent status.
The linkage would require a drug registration authority to postpone
registration of a generic competitor until expiration of the entire
20-year patent term. As a practical matter, five-year data
exclusivity and patent-term market exclusivity will fully bar access
to the newest medicines, relegating consumers in developing countries
to the charitable whims of proprietary manufacturers. The people of
India and the developing world would be denied access to the newest
treatments available to those who can afford brand name drugs.

For more information visit websites of the organizations mentioned in
the header, or write to us at info@...

In solidarity,

Vineeta
(For the action alert team)

Dr. Vineeta Gupta
M.B.B.S (MD), LL.B (JD), LL.M
Director, Stop HIV/AIDS in India Initiative
Email: vineeta@...
Phone: 202-789-0432 Ext 207
www.shaii.org

Domestic workers play goodwill match
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060905/cth2.htm#11
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 4
It was a special day for over 500 domestic workers from across
Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, who assembled on the grounds of St
John's School in Sector 26 yesterday to exchange notes and share joys
and sorrows.

The event was unique as it brought together so many male domestics
from the region, who have never had a chance to know each other. They
had all the chance in the world to enjoy themselves over a special
goodwill football match organised under the aegis of the National
Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM), with which all these domestic
workers are registered. Partnering the NDWM in the cause was the
Chhota Nagpur Adivasi Sangathan, which is engaged in extending
support to the domestic workers who end up being targeted by
traffickers.

On the field, the boys played exceptionally well, driven as they were
by the urge to win. They were divided into 14 teams which were then
made to play in pairs. Finally, the victory belonged to everyone
though the winning team was crowned and even rewarded financially.

As for the organisers, they saw in the goodwill match an opportunity
to being the domestic workers together as a group and
institutionalise them so that all future battles can be fought on a
united front.

J&K sex racket cases shifted to Chandigarh
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060905/main1.htm

New Delhi, September 4
In view of the hostile atmosphere against sex racket
accused in valley, the Supreme Court today transferred
the cases of 14 persons, including two former
ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, from a Srinagar
Sessions court to District and Sessions Judge,
Chandigarh, for trial after they have been
chargesheeted by the CBI.

Nation page: Sex scam: SC pulls up J&K Bar for
statement
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060905/nation.htm#2