Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 02 2010:
In a joint venture, some prominent NGOs based in the State have launched a study project on female Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) for the first time in Churachandpur, Imphal West and Chandel covering the border town of Moreh.
The project supported by Project ORCHID and the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), is aimed at aimed at reducing hazards related to injecting drug use and unsafe sex practices.
It is specially targeting female injecting drug users as many of them are also sex workers.
The Female Injecting Drug Users initiative, as the programme is known, began in July in Churachandpur, Imphal West and Moreh bordering Myanmar in Chandel said a report prepared by an NGO adding that in Churachandpur the programme is being implemented by SHALOM.
So far, 127 female IDUs have been registered in Churachandpur under the needle syringe exchange program.
In October alone, 3,668 clean needles and syringes were provided through drop-in centres (DIC), two out-reach workers (ORW) and four peer educators (PE).
Ten women accessing services under the programme come along with their sexual partners or husbands, the report said.
During the same period, the female injecting drug users who are also into sex trade received 8,462 condoms from the DIC, ORW and PEs.
Used needles and syringes are collected from the DIC and through PEs and the same are deposited at the DIC.
A wide-mouth water bottle serves as needlesyringe collector for the PEs.
Once the container at the DIC is full, the PEs take it to the community care centre run by SHALOM where an incinerator is installed.
Stella (name changed), a former injecting drug user and currently serving as a peer educator at SHALOM said that most of the women in Churachandpur injecting drugs have been expelled from their families and none of the families are willing to take them back.
During the day they stay in hotels but at night they stay at SHALOM night shelter or at the verandahs in the market places, said the report.
Women who use drugs face double risk of HIV infection due to unprotected sex and unsafe injections.
Incidentally, Manipur is one of the six states in India with high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS.
The total number of reported HIV positive cases in the state recorded by the Manipur AIDS Control Society ( MACS) between September 1986 and August this year is 36, 372 including 9733 females, it mentioned.