AIDS and 'Navratri' : Message from PHO

[Guest guest]

AIDS & Navaratri September 23, 2006

PHO's NAVRATRI MESSAGE- 'DANCE WITH ANY ONE', 'LOVE WITH ONLY ONE'!

Come Nav-ratri - PHO, the premier NGO in the fight against AIDS in India since

1985, gets unusually busy with calls related to safe-sex, condom usage, oral

sex, contraceptives, when to take pregnancy or HIV tests?, ˜Morning-after Pills

etc.

Last week PHO AIDSline (23719020) received a call from 17-year-old HIV+ve girl

who was infected by unsafe sexual encouter with her

boy friend during last Nav-ratri. Momentary pleasure in spur of a moment

shattered her dreams and jolted her family. Efforts are on to get her boy friend

to Voluntary Counselling Testing (VCT) and to discuss his liability to marry

her, albeit a child-marriage in legal parlence! Another teenager asked where she

can get ˜Condom ablets' to avoid AIDS, in case she does get involved in sex with

her boy-friend.

Last year a principal sought PHO advice on 'safe-disposal' of used condoms lying

in the college premises that was hired for 'Disco-Dandia'.

India has been a land of deities and festivities. Religion plays important role

in individual lives, in ˜knitting' social fabric and now even ˜knotting'

sex-ties. Youth celebrate festivals with fervour; spending lot of time and

money, with little of restraints.

In our society with double moral standards, of recently pre-marital sex has

become routine for youth, but thanks to wiser counsel, many are turning to

'safer sex' such as kissing, non-penetrative sex, condom usage etc.

Traditionally parents exert restriction on the mobility of their daughters, but

Navratri is an exception. It is a documented that the end of Navaratri (nine

nights), is beginning of nine-months for some! However most do not want to

complete the gestation

period and consequently abortions go up significantly (by 50%) in

post-Navratri period. PHO estimates that Navaratri in Mumbai alone costs Rs.1000

Crore. Lakhs of youngsters spend nine nights, some landing-up in risky

activities.

Most Navratri-sponsorships come from Tobacco and Alcohol companies

with surrogate adevertising. Alcohol consumption and seeking pleasures from

friends or sex workers increases manifold during Navratri. This follows

'Shravana', a Hindu month of religious restraints on such vices. The Navratri

organisors are too busy to consider imposing 'Code of Conduct' on participants

of 'Disco-Dandia'. Even politicians hardly bother to issue any code, though

their rhetoric of publicising themselves through banners and

hoardings sprung all-over continues. Of late deaths are recorded among

youngsters who suffer from variety of TB, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs),

complications of alcoholism and HIV/AIDS.

They leave behind parents/grand parents, HIV affected widows and orphans.

According to PHO, Alcohol consumption is a precursor to having risky lifestyle

in majority of youth.

PHO GUIDELINES:

Utilising festivities for cost-effective mass AIDS awareness, PHO initiated

campaign with courage and caution, with a thorough sense of social

responsibility. Specially devised slogan, 'Khelo Beshumar,

Par Karo Surakshit Pyar' and 'Dance with anyone, Love with only one' has been

part of many dandia programs.

Information on risks and consequences of unprotected sex should be provided

using theme 'If you can't be good, be careful' and forewarn youth- 'Look

before you leap and Think before you

sleep' While efforts should be made to prevent HIV/STDs and pregnancies; VCT

should be popularised. Those who have been exposed to unsafe sex should take HIV

test after 3 months. Girls should also take pregnancy test 2 weeks after missing

period.

Follow five levels of prevention:

1) No sex outside marriage;

2) Avoid penetrative sex;

3) Use condoms in penetrative sex;

4) Take HIV test if risk is taken and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis within 8 hours

of sex with HIV+ person;

5) Take proper medicare, if tested HIV+.

Dr.I.S.Gilada,

Secretary General, PHO & AIDS Society of India

Municipal School Building, J.J. Hospital Compd, Mumbai-400008

Tel.(22)-23719020; Fax: 23000016; E-mail: ihoaids@...