When will our government speed up action to save lives?" said Dr. Priya Ranjan of the Association for India's Development, Maryland. The full article can also be found at New America Media.
Approximately 2000 protesters descended on the UN missions of India, Nigeria, Uganda, and the U.S. in New York City last week to criticize, what they call, inadequate governmental responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. People living with HIV, civil-society delegates, and AIDS activists from India were among those that participated in the march.
The day also marked the beginning of the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, in which world leaders audited progress toward the goals set forth in the 2001 Declaration of Commitment.
Many observers, including those at the New York City protests, agreed that the goals set forth by the Declaration of Commitment have not been met. "In 2001, the Indian government committed to reducing HIV prevalence by 2005. Instead, there has been a 32 percent increase in AIDS cases and an additional 1.3 million people infected with HIV," said Dr. Vineeta Gupta, director of the Stop HIV/AIDS in India Initiative, at a rally outside the Indian mission to the UN. "Lack of effective action by the Indian government is costing lives every day," she added.
She demanded of the Indian government a two-pronged approach to fighting AIDS-first, the issuance of pediatric guidelines for Indian children living with HIV/AIDS, and second, the provision of affordable basic heath care systems for the poor.
"With 70,000 children in dire need of antiretroviral treatment, only 1,048 are currently receiving such treatment. When will our government speed up action to save lives?" said Dr. Priya Ranjan of the Association for India's Development, Maryland.
Gupta added that India's large generic pharmaceutical industry-a source of affordable HIV/AIDS medicines for as many as half of all people with HIV/AIDS in poor countries-is under severe threat from powerful multinational pharmaceutical companies.
In addition to Gupta, speakers at the rally and march included: actress and director Rosie Perez; Sipho Mthathi of Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa; Violetta Ross of the Bolivian Network of People Living with AIDS; Beatrice Were of Action Aid, Uganda; Raminta Stuikyte of the Central and Eastern Europe Harm Reduction Network; and Waheeda Shabazz of ACTUP Philadelphia. They repeatedly demanded political accountability for the 15 million AIDS deaths and 25 million new HIV infections since 2001.
India has not met the UNGASS goal of providing 20 percent of HIV-positive mothers with antiretroviral prophylaxis by the end of 2005. Less than 3 percent of HIV-positive mothers are receiving ARV prophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission to their infants. Additionally, less than 4 percent of HIV-positive mothers are receiving testing and counseling services. Meanwhile, the Indian government has not disbursed a $37 million grant from the Global Fund to scale up treatment programs that could potentially save over 45,000 lives, according to SHAII.
The rally and march, which were organized by a coalition of HIV/AIDS activism groups, were met by resounding silence from the UN Indian mission. "The goal was to give them a wake-up call," said Gupta of SHAII. "We wanted them to know that the international community is watching and that they need to do something. But nobody came out. I feel that Indian bureaucrats are so inaccessible-I wonder why they don't want to have a discussion."
photo courtesy of en/2006/06/70873.shtml>NYC indymedia |
