Note: Members who have seen the RTI application and the
response mentioned in this news item are requested to please share a copy with
the group. The news appears to be a bit confusing if not misleading.
Kerala doesn't care about AIDS
anymore
By Anil S
29 Oct 2010
http://expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=218941
KOCHI: At a time when the Centre and most state governments take all possible
measures to control the increasing number of commercial sex workers and make
health tests mandatory for them Kerala is groping in the dark.
Unlike the AIDS control societies in other states, the Kerala State AIDS
Control Society (KSACS) has not been carrying out registration of male/female
sex workers. Similarly the state government has not been taking any action to
make health certificate for sexually transmitted diseases mandatory for sex
workers.
The information, revealed by KSACS under RTI Act, should send shock waves on
the possibility of HIV epidemic due to unprotected sex.
In an RTI reply, the society revealed that it's not carrying out any
registration of sex workers, neither does it provide any health certificate to
them. HIV testing is being done at the Integrated Counselling and Testing
Centres (ICTC) in government hospitals and medical colleges.
"However no categorisation of the infected persons, such as number of sex
workers etc is not done," said the reply. Interesting AIDS control
societies in most of the states have taken measures to register sex workers in
the respective states.
Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had revealed that the
southern states have the largest number of registered sex workers with Andhra
Pradesh topping the list followed by Karnataka.
Delhi tops the list among the metros in the number of registered sex workers.
Currently a number of institutions are functioning in the national level to
rehabilitate female sex workers. According to KSACS, there's a scheme called
'Ujjawala' under the department of social welfare state government to
rehabilitate sexually harassed aged women.
There are four centres Chola P R Home Kannur, Swaruma P R Home Ernakulam,
Swanthanam P R Home Kochi and Sangamithra P R Home Thrissur functioning under
the scheme.
The officials of the KSACS said the registration of the sex workers is being
done through various NGOs operating under the society. "The registration
or health tests and treatment of them are not being done by the society.
The responsibility has been given to various NGOs like Suraksha through
different projects. It's being done as per the instructions of the National
AIDS Control Organisation (NACO)," said Dr T V Velayudhan, additional
project director, KSACS.
http://expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=218941
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