Are we changing?

HYDERABAD: Mistreating, abusing, and staying away from people who have been suffering — this is what most of us have been doing with people who are HIV-positive. Though there have been awareness camps everywhere about this, people still lack an understanding as to how one has to behave when they see a patient suffering from the disease. Thinking about the emotional trauma one goes through, let us take you to one of the experiences that a doctor had recently. The mother and father of a 10-year-old kid were HIV-positive and the school which became aware of this expelled the student from their school so that other kids did not get “affected” by this. Now, how can this be fair when a child is punished for something that he or she barely knows or understands?

On this note, we try and get in touch with physiologists and social workers who explain to us how one is emotionally damaged by the behaviour of society and also take us through how one needs to be educated about AIDS.

Radhika Nallan Acharya, clinical psychologist and student counsellor talks about how one should behave with the person affected with the disease and the right education about the same.

“On one side there is a stigma about people who have been affected with the disease and on the other side, there is a high-risk behaviour in the context of sexual activities. They have become very common these days prior to marriage. Many people are not clear about what precautions one has to take, there are many myths which are wreaking havoc. I see boys and girls who are unaware of how to take care of themselves in this matter. Nobody wants to die miserably.

People eat pani puri without being conscious about what goes in it, but when it comes to someone suffering from the disease they become extra careful about it. They think if they touch someone it might spread. People start spreading rumours and sometimes add their own. Where they have to take precautions people are not bothered much. So, awareness is always required in a proper way, proper channel and method. Also, people affected by the disease are always traumatised by their situation, and we need to understand that. It is important to get proper sex education which our people need. The person who is aware that he or she is going to die is always depressed and we need to give them hope by being kind.”   

Anusha Bharadwaj, the Executive Director of Voice 4 Girls talks about how mistreating these kids or patients would affect them in long run. “As social workers, we educate girls about sexual health. I could say that HIV-positive patients go through immense trauma. Sure, there have been advances in treatment. But first, there is the trauma that they have contracted it.

Then they start blaming themselves and think about how it happened. It is important to get support and care during this time. These are the levels at which problems arise. Openness in any space you go to and to access reproductive healthcare is important when this issue is spoken about. There is a lot of shame and stigma around just asking a question regarding this. It is about how acceptable it is in places where we normally go for care as educated people. How many educated people can say that they are dealing with this infection and want support.”

Anusha says it’s not just holding discussions but people ought to show it in action as well. While we approach yet another AIDS Day, let’s think of change our mindset and reaching out to those who need us.