HEALTH AWARENESS PARADE BY THE MSM COMMUNITY IN PATHANAMTHITTA DISTRICT: A STRATEGY TO MOBILIZE THE COMMUNITY

[BEST PRACTICE DOCUMENTATION UNIT OF KSACS]

The MSM behavior in Kerala is both stigmatized and hidden, and hence
it is not easy to mobilize them to work against HIV/AIDS. The lives
of the MSM community in Kerala is characterized by rejection and
violence and these range from verbal abuse to physical, stigma and
discrimination taking place in homes, schools, on the street,
workplace and even in health delivery institutions.

Though it is socially, culturally, legally and religiously proscribed,
sex between men is ubiquitous anywhere in Kerala. The Participatory
Site Assessment Exercises conducted by Kerala State AIDS Control
Society to implement Targeted Intervention Project estimates that
there are about 31500 MSMs in the State. Though the targeted
intervention projects reeps contact with all these people, they have
failed in ensuring their active involvement in HIV/AIDS prevention
initiatives and community mobilization activities. No doubt, the
reluctance is mainly due to the fear of revealing their identity and
the stigma associated with it. Of course, it is not so easy to tackle
the issue, but constant effort is needed to overcome it.

Several initiatives and deliberate efforts have taken place in this
area challenging the hidden nature of the MSMs due to the fear of
stigmatization. There are several replicable models of such efforts
initiated by the implementers of targeted intervention programmes in
Kerala viz, Kerala State AIDS Control Society, Technical Support Unit,
TI implementing CBOs and NGOs, etc. A recently demonstrated Health
Awareness Parade at Pathanamthitta District Head quarter by a group of
MSMs under the banner of
‘Santhwanam’ - the community based organization (CBO) of MSMs in the
District, was such a strategic initiative to tackle the issue.

The Parade was held in the evening of 25th June 2010 at Pathanamthitta
Town. About 120 MSMs participated in the procession that covering 3.5
Kilometers in the town. The major attraction of the programme was the
presence of dressed up MSMs in feminine attire. The placards with
health awareness messages including HIV/AIDS messages carried by them
attracted the attention of the general public and also the media. The
support and recognition from the public to the parade boosted the
morale of the MSMs participated in the programme. “It was really a
novel experience for me, being able to wear saree (the traditional
dress of women in Kerala) before public. I went back home in the same
attaire after the programme, nobody teased me for the same’, Viji, one
of the active participant of the programme opined.

Actually the programme was silently communicating the presence of MSMs
in the social order to the Society. It also tried to urge MSMs who
hide themselves from the public due to the fear of stigmatization and
rejection to come forward in collective voice. ‘The programme was a
great success, as it grabbed sufficient media attention and attained
appreciation from various authorities. It also attracted the attention
of many MSMs who were not willing to participate in the get-togethers
or meetings of MSMs in the district, organized by the Santhwanam CBO
and the Targeted Intervention Project,’ Mr. Justine, Project Manager
of the Santhwanam Suraksha Project confirms. ‘More than 40 MSMs who
were onlookers of the programme, joined the CBO, as an aftereffect of
programme’ Mr. Ajayan, the president of Santhwanam, support the
argument with evidence. ‘We are planning to regularize such public
appearances to improve our visibility and acceptance in the
community,’ he continued.

Improving the visibility and acceptance of the MSMs in the society
will certainly reduce the stigma and rejection associated. Such
improvements will pave way for increased utilization of services aimed
for the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Country. It will also improve
the quality of outreach by the targeted Intervention Projects which in
turn will support NACP-III to halt and reverse the epidemic by
saturated coverage among core high risk group of MSM community.


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