Safeguarding Sri Lanka from HIV Promoters

Nadira Gunatilleke

I was very proud to represent Sri Lanka in the World AIDS Day press tour and World AIDS Day main celebration organised by WHO, New Delhi due to one reason. It was that we, Sri Lankans, can hold our heads high and say that we are not among the other South-East Asian countries that have a high level of HIV prevalence. But South-East Asia has the second highest number of HIV infected persons, 7.2 million followed by Sub-Sahara Africa.

It is not an easy task to maintain this place and preventing Sri Lanka from falling into the common place where other Asian countries are, especially when there are certain NGOs trying their best to push Sri Lanka to the high level of HIV prevalence in the name of implementing HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns.

The main objective of all the other State and non Governmental organisations should be preventing Sri Lanka from falling into this dangerous category. Each Sri Lankan who love his/her motherland will do his/her best to stop any type of HIV promotion in Sri Lanka. We have to thank our traditions, culture, ethics and especially all the religions for this distinguished place we are in today among other South-East Asian countries which have been badly hit by HIV/AIDS.

In Mumbai, India its incredible to see how certain NGOs promote HIV through various indirect ways in the name of HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns. During a field tour, a delegation of Asian journalists were invited to see some HIV prevention, care and treatment projects implemented in Mumbai and New Delhi by certain NGOs.

The journalists were surprised to see how some of those NGOs indirectly support to spread HIV instead of blocking each and every way of spreading the virus. Those NGOs are headed and run by certain persons who have entirely different objectives such as promoting homosexuality, prostitution (both male and female) and drug abuse.

Certain NGOs operating in Mumbai provide facilities for male sex workers who are called as MSM (Men having sex with Men). While promoting safe sex among MSM and gay persons this NGO provide facilities to get to know each other and have multiple partners which is in contrast to one partner concept, one of the concepts of a HIV prevention campaign.

When questioned about the percentage of HIV positive members in this specific NGO, the person who headed it angrily rejected the question and refrained from answering. Another NGO operates in the same area providing day-care facilities for children of prostitutes which attracts more and more women to the trade.

The most surprising fact is this NGO comes across many young girls who are forcibly kept in brothels or had been sold to brothels by different persons but this NGO does not interfere and rescue those girls on any ground or inform the police about them. This NGO treats 'human smuggling' as something common.

In New Delhi a certain NGO run by some persons including recovered drug addicts, promote injected drugs increasing the number of Injected Drug Users (IDUs). This NGO provide fresh syringes to drug users for used syringes. The objective of this programme is preventing the spread of HIV and STD through used syringes but it indirectly facilitate IDUs by providing free syringes. This NGO indirectly promotes drug related crimes, violence and all the other social problems.

In Thailand almost all the NGOs try their best to prevent HIV/AIDS epidemic by conducting awareness raising programmes, especially for adolescents. According to Suphachai Wannarat, a 17-year-old boy engaged in one of such awareness-raising programme, a significant number of adolescents change their negative attitude on love and safe sex after taking part in those awareness-raising programmes.

"Before taking part in the programme most of the adolescents believed that they have to have a sexual relationship to prove their true love to their partner and young boys forced young girls to prove their true love by having sex with them. But after taking part in the awareness raising programmes most of them changed their attitudes towards this issue," he said.

It is very fascinating to see how one young Thai wife who got infected with HIV by her late husband lead a happy and suffice life after 20 years of infection and help others to lead a happy life with the help of religion, herbs and courage.

Apart from various awareness raising programmes, these NGOs and some Buddhist temples try to provide vocational training and other facilities to HIV infected persons and vulnerable groups. In Thailand all religions have come forward together to fight against HIV/AIDS and take care of infected persons. The way all religions act together for the welfare of HIV affected persons in Thailand is very admirable.

There is a possibility that NGOs that operate similar to Mumbai and Delhi will invade Sri Lanka at any time. It is the responsibility of all Sri Lankans to prevent such NGOs from invading Sri Lanka and commencing their 'operations'.

At the moment several such NGOs are operating in Sri Lanka behind the curtains and only come out with HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns during World AIDS Day (December 1). All the religions promote good behaviour among people. No religion preaches against mother nature and be an abnormal human being. For an example in Buddhism, it is a sin to involve in sex outside marriage.

Therefore we have to understand that we are safe and can live a life free of HIV/AIDS as long as we live a decent life without going against nature, religions, morals and social ethics.