NACO to track high-risk behaviour areas

[Guest guest]

Naco to track high-risk behaviour areas

Pritesh Basu

KOLKATA, May 11: The National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) will

invest Rs 8 crore to identify areas where high risk behaviour groups,

such as sex workers, and intravenous drug users operate.

Programme manager of Naco, Dr Smarajit Jana said identifying the

exact locations where these `high risk behaviour' groups carry out

their activities was important for carrying out AIDS awareness

programmes efficiently. Identifying these areas is usually difficult

as the sex-workers and drug addicts often change their place of

activity fearing raids by the police.

Hence Naco decided to select non-government organisations (NGOs) who

keep track or work with these groups throughout the year to trace out

the hitherto unidentified HIV prone areas, Mr Jana added

Nine NGOs' across the country have already been shortlisted to carry

out the survey programme in 17 states, including Assam, Manipur,

Nagaland, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,

Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra

Pradesh, Maharastra, Chattisgarh and Punjab.

A spokesperson of Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a Kolkata

based NGO, which has been assigned the task of identifying these

areas in Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar said: " Empty railway stations

and bus terminuses, deserted railway tracks and dark alleys or areas

behind roadside teashops or `dhaba' are some of the places where drug

addicts take shelter. Apart from the red light areas, there are

several other places which are used as pick-up joints by sex workers.

All these places need to be identified. "

Following the completion of the survey, Naco would initiate AIDS-

awareness programmes in these areas.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23 & theme= & usrsess=1 & id=203574

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Re: /message/8783

Apropos to NACO's initiative to track high risk behaviour areas.

In the place like Manipur, the situation is quite different from other states.

Most of the IDUs are mixing up with everyone and everywhere and no specific

place is there where one can approach. Schools, colleges, local clubs, and

hotels at road side or locality, would be a right place to talk about HIV-AIDS

though people are seems to be fed up with HIV-AIDS activities. But that does not

mean that all are know about HIV-AIDS.

For instance, most of the parents of IDUs know the behaviour of their children

but they do not want to reveal or accept as they are not habituat to listen or

condemn from others. Therefore, AIDS awareness is also much to do with IDUs

family members particularly parents. Unless and until parents are not sensitize

enough, HIV infection could not be control in Manipur. Awareness would also be

provided to Women Groups usually known as Meira Paibis - Torch Bearers.

Gyanen

Nomenita Chetia

e-mail: <nomenita@...>