Coming to the aid of the future

India, though HIV negative, is vulnerable to the epidemic.

It is noteworthy that the high-prevalence Tamil Nadu, which according to the National Family Health Survey NFHS is now a 8216;highly aware8217; state, is reported to have halted the epidemic. This indicates the potential of the 8220;awareness vaccine8221; for behaviour change and prevention. It is evident that years of preventive education and mass awareness, beginning with the innovative, youth driven and youth owned 8220;Universities Talk AIDS8221; in the nineties, followed by a series of suitable prevention, care and support programmes, have achieved one concrete result 8212; stopping the virus from galloping and crossing the critical one per cent mark.

HIV is no normal infection. It is a complex social and relational issue involving human behaviour that requires deeper understanding and a sensitive approach. Due to too much media exposure, the age at first sex has been going down steadily. About half of India8217;s population comes under sexually active age group 8212; the category hardest hit by HIV. Yet use of condom even in risk prone sexual encounters remains extremely low, and negligible among married partners. NFHS-II 1999 had shown condom use to be a mere a 3.1 per cent 8212; after half a century of family planning programme! Invention of a male contraceptive pill reported last week, though an achievement for family planning, spells further disaster for condom use.

Child marriage is another problem area. We seem to be blind to the fact that almost half the marriages in India are illegal, brides being below the legal age of 18. It carries an enormous risk of HIV/AIDS because of early, unprotected sexual exposure, when the girls are biologically most vulnerable and the young bridegroom totally ignorant. The NGOs working with sex workers in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have found that many boys visit commercial sex-workers for their first lesson in sex.

There is a widespread belief that marriage protects girls from HIV infection, which effectively condones the practice of child marriage. The reality is exactly the opposite. A study shows that 80 per cent women have been infected by their husbands. Ironically, simply being married is a major risk factor for women who have little control over abstinence or condom use at home or their husband8217;s sexual activity outside. Thus, alternative methods of protection that give women the control have to be further developed and refined, such as female condoms, and microbicide.

Violence against women and girl child abuse are also a serious threat; as much as 90 per cent sexual abuse takes place within the family or by someone known and trusted. The recently passed Prevention of Domestic Violence Act 2005 is a welcome step.

India is now a young society as over 70 per cent of its population is below 35 years and about 23 per cent are adolescents 10-19 yrs. Many of them are out of school, sexually active, risk prone and exposed to negative peer pressure. Not surprisingly, about 35 per cent of the new infections are among the young people in the age group of 15-29.

Some of the recent initiatives have the potential to make a great difference. One is the National Adolescent Education Programme covering 1,50,000 schools. The other is YUVA Youth Unite for Victory on AIDS involving 21 million youth volunteers of NSS, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, NCC, Scouts 038; Guides, Youth Red Cross and other youth networks. The involvement of such an active young force can saturate the country with messages of awareness and behaviour change communication.

One recalls the pledge administered by the prime minister of India at a unique Youth Parliament on HIV/AIDS in New Delhi in 2004. This special Parliament had rightly asked for providing the youth three weapons 8212; information, knowledge and services to fight out the three threats 8212; silence, stigma and shame in relation to HIV/AIDS, and sought commitment from them for safe choices and mutual education.

If the vulnerability of India8217;s young population to the pandemic is the anxiety of the day, it is equally true that it is the youth alone who are the hope with their potential to protect themselves and others. India8217;s comparative advantage to all nations including China is said to be in its youth power that is converting itself by the day to the most formidable knowledge society. It is the responsibility of one and all not to allow this demographic bonus to be consigned to a killer virus.

It is for these young Indians to choose between a future with the HIV virus, or a country free from AIDS. As a broader development issue, HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts would require long-term support at political, administrative, financial and programmatical levels. The real battle is to be fought at the district level in the states that already show poor health indicators, and here the mobilisation of the youth is a non-negotiable requirement. Without this happening, the Declaration of Commitment in the UN General Assembly Special Session in June 2001 and all the promises made in the National AIDS Control Policy will sound empty. Keeping the Promise 8212; the theme of World AIDS Day, 2006 8212; needs to relate to the Youth.

The writer is former secretary, youth 038; sports and director general, National AIDS Control Organisation