Life on the streets of north AOC point

By Rajesh Khongbantabam *

"Being an HIV-positive woman using drugs has always been the biggest challenges in accessing any kind of treatment."

"It is simply unthinkable to go out and seek treatment disclosing my status and true self that I am a woman using drugs and also HIV positive. Perhaps I am destined that way but let the agencies protect our rights and stop this police harassment before initiating any program."

These statements were made during the run up to a study for APN+, as endless streams of women's woes were revealed. The many declarations defining women's rights have little meaning for those on the streets of north AOC point—a hub of drug and alcohol use and sex work.

Once on the street, you forget your rights to life as you use all your energy trying to survive. You forget your past identity because your new network is all you have. Your belief in rights disappears as the street teaches you everything you need to know.

You earn a living committing petty crimes, engaging in sex work and dealing drugs. You get stoned, drink, inject drugs and try to escape reality. Nobody cares, including the area's corrupt cops. You stop caring, because this life is all you know.

The plight of female injecting drug users reflects the erosion of traditional Manipuri society, in which women were placed on a pedestal and violations of their rights were met with an outcry. A family crisis is underway in Manipur, brought on by the state's failed economy as well as the affects of HIV and AIDS on all sectors of society.

Women are being abused, exploited and raped, but sadly little research is available on female drug users in this part of the world. In many developing areas, female drug users face greater levels of stigmatization and marginalization.

Male drug users face these forces too but female drug users have to deal with the double impact of being a drug user and being a woman. The government has developed rehabilitation centers for male drugs users but what about the female drug users that are often abused and living on the street?

The state authorities and local NGOs have to own up to the fact that they cannot adequately defend the rights of women or cope with the problem. Many female drug users turn to drug use and sex work to survive, increasing their risk of contracting HIV. Early sexual experiences, promiscuity, unsafe sex, the use of psychoactive substances, constant exposure to violence and sex work all increase the risk of transmission.

In early 2004, SASO and the International HIV/AIDS alliance in London initiated programs containing provisions for support and care. But these weren't aimed specifically at female drug users, and mainly targeted male drug users and their partners.

There are no state programs aimed at female drug users with HIV and many of the NGOs working with these women focus on providing injection equipment, condoms and basic medicines. Many women urgently need shelter, food and clothing as well as re-socialization skills and risk prevention education.

Female drug users are not used to asking for help and negative experiences with the law and social organizations making them less likely to make contact with official institutions. Many female drug users with HIV do not try to conceal their status and do not necessarily recognize their behaviour as 'risky'.

This is not because they are intellectually unaware. They just have different group values and attitudes, according to Sunil Minor, a long-time front line worker with female injection drug users.

Minor says, "Is it due to a lack of support from agencies and NGOs or perhaps a lack of delivering quality services that need to be delivered desperately?"

"How many [female injection drug users] are accessing [antiretroviral drugs] at the moment?"

While research is conducted and newspaper articles published, the number of women living on the street grows. The situation will only improve when there are more NGOs, doctors and outreach workers start focusing on streets with a hostile atmosphere.

NGOs and state agencies need to adopt a unified medical and social strategy with a humane touch. If they do not, much of the north AOC point's next generation will be lost to drugs and the streets.