National Coalition in support of the HIV/AIDS Bill

What is the Coalition in Support of the HIV/AIDS Bill? Several positive people’s networks and civil society organisations working with women, children and vulnerable communities from across the country have come together as the National Coalition in support of the HIV/AIDS Bill, working towards the collective goal of making the long-pending bill an Act. Any organization working on related issues is welcome to join the coalition or support the advocacy efforts undertaken by it. For details, please contact any of the members listed below. What is at stake? An estimated 2.6 million people live with HIV/AIDS in India. Despite the fact that the epidemic has been with us for more than two decades, incidents of discrimination against HIV positive people and their families are frequently reported from every part of the country. Many communities that are highly vulnerable to HIV, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), and drug users, live in the shadow of society because of the stigma around sexuality/drug use and the great impact that HIV has had on these communities. It has rightly been observed that a rights-based approach helps to prevent the transmission of HIV whereas the denial of rights furthers its transmission. Though the National AIDS Prevention & Control Policy of India is rights-based, it lacks the force of law and therefore rights of HIV positive people are often breached despite the existence of a good rights-based policy. Thus, there is a clear and urgent need for coherent and comprehensive rights-based legislation on HIV/AIDS. What is the HIV/AIDS Bill? The HIV/AIDS Bill was drafted by LCHAU, at the behest of the government, after extensive research and nationwide consultations with several stake-holders. The legislation has been drafted with two main objectives: a) To protect the rights of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS b) To prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS The Bill has been pending with the government for the past two years. This is despite the repeated promises made by the Health Minister to table the Bill in Parliament. However, it has been stalled with the Law Minister since August 2007. There is thus an urgent need for the community and the civil society to build momentum and support for the immediate passing of the HIV/AIDS law. To learn more about the HIV/AIDS Bill, please go to http://www.lawyerscollective.org/hiv-aids/draft-law What does the Coalition do? The first meeting of the National Coalition was held in New Delhi on 17 May 2008. Hosted by Indian Network for People Living with HIV (INP+) and Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit (LCHAU), with the support of ActionAid India, APCASO, VSO and World Vision, civil society groups extended their support for the HIV/AIDS Bill and formed a national coalition working towards passage of the bill. Many issues were discussed, including advocacy measures for putting pressure on the government to speed up the passage process of the HIV/AIDS Bill. These include: a) Media Sensitization: Building momentum for the HIV/AIDS Bill by providing information to the electronic and print media; b) Lobbying with Members of Parliament: Creating awareness, providing information and generating support for the HIV/AIDS Bill at the National, State and Local level. Initiative also to be taken by the various PLHA networks and civil society organizations to lobby with the Members of Parliament; c) Community Mobilization: Training PLHIV networks and empowering them to create awareness at the grassroots level. Encouraging new ideas and developing materials, in various regional languages, that provide information about the HIV/AIDS Bill. The networks would prioritize the HIV/AIDS Bill and generate support for the same. Since then, the National Coalition has been campaigning for the passing of the Bill, through civil society mobilization and extensive advocacy with policy -makers, media and other stake holders . Members of the Coalition