AEGiS-14IAC: Community based service approach In HIV/AIDS prevention.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Community based service approach In HIV/AIDS prevention.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. D11157)

Ode OD
ANARDE Foundation, Surat - 395 001, India

ISSUE: While dealing with migrant industrial workers at Hazira, Gujarat (India), we approached them as"vulnerable" population generalized. We found that response was not homogeneous but linked to community/occupational group identity. This led us to treat them differently and exclusively. This yielded better and faster results.

DESCRIPTION: In Hazira industrial complex workers there are 45,000 workers, 85% of them single men. Some women have also migrated with their men or singly. We found that men were visiting commercial sex or home based sex workers. We found them indifferent to our behavior change communication. Based on our experience and intuition we decided to treat the different communities groups differently and exclusively. We have attempted to treat different community - groups exclusively with special focus on their culture, work situation, sex behavior, beliefs around sex and such matters. Thus we were able to treat differently and exclusively the Bilaspuri and Udia communities and industrial security staff and truck drivers. Their responses became positive and quick.

LESSON LEARNED: Unless we take into consideration differences in terms of culture, language, history, behavior habits that develop out of certain occupation, compulsions developed out of work situation and differences of gender, we cannot structure, stagger and pass on behavior change message to group effectively."All migrant workers" and" vulnerable population" are on paper, may be a statistical category, but in real life situation, it is"different folks -different strokes"

RECOMMENDATIONS: Workers not only remit money from the industrial areas but also transmit diseases to their home villages. So, our concern was to imprint strong and long lasting message for safe sex behavior and also create institutional arrangement for the same. We are working on a software - Long lasting message and a hardware - a Institutional framework to carry out this work in a case of our withdrawal.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Prostitution, HIV Seropositivity, Safe Sex, Sex Behavior, Culture, Transients and Migrants, Occupations, India, Human, Male, FemaleKWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivinfections,prostitution,hivseropositivity,safesex,sexbehavior,culture,transientsandmigrants,occupations,india,human,male,female

020707
D11157

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.