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Aids: Groping In The Dark

Women, in fact, are doubly vulnerable. Studies reveal that the ratio of women between the ages of 18 and 30 who run the risk of contracting AIDs is 2:1 compared to their male counterparts. And, they are not only commercial sex workers. Ignorance continues to be a major factor contributing to thespread of this infection among women.

A significant 54 per cent of the 750 middle-class women interviewed from 11 states and four Union territories for the NORAD-sponsored AIWC report ' Women in AIDS ' said they did not know what caused AIDS. And 62 per cent were confi-dent that AIDS was curable. Fourteen per cent had never even heard of the disease.

"The ignorance is mind-boggling. Remember, we only reached semi-literate women through our questionnaires," observes Dr Bhashini Rao, project coordi -nator for the survey. "The lack of awareness among illiterate women, who are the larger part of the female population, is actually much more alarming."

The AIWC-NORAD programme, which was launched in 1992, aimed at training literate, semi-urban women such as social workers, teachers and housewives, to spread AIDS awareness—the essential pre-requisite for combating the impending epidemic.

According to the report, counsellors initially encountered mental inertia from participants at these sessions. But as the ramifications of HIV/AIDs were unravelled, they became very keen to learn how to deal with the problem. Project officials found a similar initial hesitation to discuss sexuality. Eventually, however, they began to openly discuss sexual behaviour patterns and experiences. These discussions resulted in a dramatic change of attitudes with regard to the use of condoms, for instance. Participants recognised the importance of safe sex in combating AIDS.

The ' Women in AIDs ' project may have helped identify problem areas and underlined the importance of training women from within the local community to take the lead in spreading awareness. However, without appropriate follow-up measures by the Government and women's organisations, the report will not be an aid in combating AIDS.

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