The Times of India

Mumbai: When Sarita was detected with HIV almost 12 years ago, her in-laws were petrified. "They kept worrying that even a mosquito bite could transmit the virus to them,” she recalls, years after she was thrown out of the family home in Goa. Sarita (name changed) could not convince her in-laws that she had contracted the deadly virus from their son. “I nursed him till the end, but the problems started the moment he died. Issues like washing utensils and sharing the bathroom became major irritants.” And then, she was quietly thrown out.

Sarita’s story is not unique, it is repeated in thousands of homes, across all social and religious groups. "In India, women are vulnerable. They are forced into marriage at an early age and can’t ask their husbands to use condoms," says Mallika Dutt of Breakthrough, an NGO that focuses on human rights issues.

On Tuesday, the NGO will launch a nationwide campaign to highlight the growing incidence of HIV/AIDS among women in India. Titled ‘What kind of man are you?’ the campaign will encourage dialogue within marriage and the use of condoms.

“We were shocked to learn that among India’s 52 lakh HIV/AIDS patients, about 20 lakh are women. Of them, barely 0.5 per cent are commercial sex workers, while the rest are housewives,” says Mallika. The myth that infected women are mostly sex workers needs to be broken, she says. Moreover, many of these women have been infected by their husbands or lovers. Hence, the campaign: What kind of man are you?

Most women learn that they have fallen victim to HIV only when they go for pregnancy checks. According to NACO figures, around 2 to 3 per cent omen who visit ante-natal clinics are HIV-positive.

The high-profile Balbir Pasha campaign targeted men, encouraging them to use condoms. "We reached out to men because they tend to believe that sex with a regular partner doesn’t pose any risk and many are hesitant to use condoms," says Shilpa Merchant of NGO PSI. More importantly, the man remains the decision maker. "How many women can tell their husbands to use a condom? Secondly, a man who uses condoms on his own can save many other women from falling victims," says Dr. Merchant.

The new campaign has chosen to focus on women as they are biologically twice as vulnerable as men. "Women suffer various forms of violence throughout their lives - violence, rape and sexual assaults. HIV/AIDS has now been added to these problems because women find it difficult negotiate safe sex," says Dutt.The new campaign is a high-profile music video - Mann Ke Manjeere - starring Samir Soni and Mandira Bedi. The song is sung by Shubha Mudgal and the lyrics penned by advertising guru Prasoon Joshi.

"Once a woman is tested positive for HIV, she is ostracised, branded promiscuous and is often thrown out of the house," adds Dutt. In most cases, the man will refuse to take a test.

The attitude towards HIV positive is highly discriminatory, says social worker Shewta Gaurav from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). "Our team visited a ward in a government hospital on Monday, where most of the patients were HIV-positive. While the male ward had many women visitors to look after the patients, the women’s ward had few male well-wishers. This shows that while women are expected to take care of their infected husbands, they do not receive the same concern,” says Gaurav.

The Maharashtra State AIDS Control Committee and Mumbal District AIDS Control Committee is trying to spread awareness among women with the help of the media.

“Three years ago, we started running media spots with Madhuri Dixit,” says Dr V L Kulkarni, deputy director of MSACS. But the battle against discrimination has just begun.