Government's intervention, the need of the hour
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 19 2011 -

Ningombam Pramod from the desk

Manipur, a state in the North Eastern part of India, with a population roughly around 27 lakhs, which has been waging a war for the last 30 years against HIV and AIDS epidemic, is a witness to an increasing number of widows and orphans. The socio-cultural factors put them even more at risk of being discriminated thus depriving them of the most basic entitlements like education, food and even shelter.

It was revealed in this paper that according to an assessment done under the Children Affected by HIV and AIDS-Health and Happiness for All, popularly known as CHAHA, an initiative supported by the India HIV/AIDS Alliance and funded by the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria-6 that among 4242 children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS in six districts of Manipur that 38 % of mothers are widows and 71.8 % among them are HIV positive.

It has been brought out that more than 2500 Children's Living with HIV and AIDS (CLHIVs) will be deprived of all sorts of support, whether be it educational, nutritional or household, by this year. This clearly indicates the gloomy situation that will prevail in the hearts and minds of the children living with HIV and AIDS.

It was very clear from the very beginning that the little support whatsoever is being provided by certain funding agencies working for the welfare of the people living with HIV and AIDS, through specific NGOs of the state will die out one day or the other. After all, how much can we expect from foreign organizations.

We can't expect them to come to our help for a lifetime. This type of help can be only done and given by the concern government, if they have the will and the desire.

The state government at present, no doubt, has various welfare schemes and policies for women and children under the Social Welfare and like departments. But unfortunately these welfare schemes seldom reach the desired target.

The most vulnerable communities like PLHIV, CLHIV and FSWs (Female Sex Workers) cannot get access to these schemes as there are no cells to provide information on the existing government welfare schemes on one hand and forced deprivation of the schemes to the needy by the well educated and elite groups who have nexus with concern authority.

Moreover, a number of women and children are illiterate and unable to access services. So what is needed at this very point of time is a reservation or quota for CLHIVs and PLHIVs. A separate scheme should be implemented and a strategy should also be adopted to make service delivery more transparent and accountable.

The state government should open their eyes wide and look at the prevailing situation concerning the PLHIVs and CLHIVs. They should be well aware that orphanage and homes do not have facilities for CLHIVs.

Widowed women living with HIV and AIDS are inadequately skilled or employed to support their children who are affected and infected by HIV and AIDS. The government should initiate life skill education and career guidance for children living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.

It is high time the state government comes up with a specific policy for the children's living with HIV and AIDS or else their life, apart from facing rigorous constraints from the society, will also be facing the impact of the negligence of the government.

This attitude of the government will in no way be a plus point for them; rather it will spoil their image as a responsible government. They will be regarded as that government who neglects the rights of children who are the future pillars of the society.

As such the state government should intervene to fill the gap left out by the certain funding organizations such as the CRS and CHAHA in providing the required educational, nutritional and household supports and act as the actual guardian of the CLHIVs.