World AIDS Day 2004

From Secretary General, ICYO.

 

Every one blame Youth

Youth: A soft target?

 

The face of HIV/AIDS is primarily young, and all too often female. Almost 12 million young people (aged 15-24) and 3 million children live with HIV or AIDS worldwide. The majority of new infections are among the young - 6,000 young people and almost 2,000 children become HIV-positive every day.

 

For every person living with HIV/AIDS, a family and a community is affected. As the disease start killing, parents and caregivers, it fuels poverty and despair among children and adolescents and stretches family resources to untenable limits.

 

In India, more than 5 million people living with HIV virus, second highest number of infections per country and 62% among are young women or girls.

 

Where we are?

 

The government of India investing million of rupee in prevention programmes but epidemic is spreading by breaking of all barriers. India currently has an overall adult infection rate is little less than one per cent but some states prevalence rate among pregnant women have crossed the one percent threshold and in Gujarat and Goa prevalence among populations with high-risk behaviour is above 5%.  The other state which are not mention in government or agencies record but infection is visual are Bihar, Tamil Nadu and in sex workers of Delhi.

 

Now India is stand on cross road. Mr Peter Piot recently express his views in World Bank Institute’s newly published magazine Development Outreach by saying Asia should ‘act now or pay later’. He clearly wrote ‘Africa learned this lesson the hard way; denial and ignorance do not reverse this epidemic. It is a lesson that the countries of Asia and Pacific must immediately take to heart’.

.

Every one blame Youth

 

According to UNAIDS the latest figure show that HIV infection rate is growing fastest amongst people aged between 15-29 year, irrespective of their profile as migrant laboures, street children, prostitutes, or young mothers. So much so, that it’s report of 2003, the UN Called HIV/AIDS “the disease of young people” (Regional Human Development Report, UNDP, 2003).

 

Ms. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA wrote a letter in August ’04 to Secretary General, ICYO, also turn the table on youth side for not doing youth themselves to prevent. Mrs Obaid wrote “Let me turn to the HIV/AIDS issue, Global efforts against HIV/AIDS prevention have focused on youth, not to blame them as you mentioned in your statement – but because it is in this group, your group of young people, where our biggest hope for a better future lies. Globally, over half of all new HIV infections are in young people, with an estimated 5,000-6000 young people a day becoming infected – and over 60% of these are young women.’

 

On other side Mr Annan, Secretary General of United Nations already accepted that the youth have no information and or incomplete information or no information about HIV/AIDS.

 

Need of cooperation

 

Its look like that youth are most victim of the epidemic but effective programmes for young people still not on card, youth programmes are centred to classroom students, but most vulnerable youth group ’non-students’ including minority groups, are not covered properly. Most of the programmes for these section are executive by the agencies or organizations have no experience to work with urban youth.

 

Youth are a positive force for change. Healthy, educated, engaged, and productive youth can break the cycle of spreading the HIV virus. There is need to make them Healthy, educated and informed. Than they will slow the AIDS epidemic.

 

Here the role Youth Organization, those has experience to work with youth and ensuring the continuation of activities in energetic manner, can play vital and crucial to cater the non-student youth, rural youth. But lack of resources, capacity these are not in forefront in fighting against HIV/AIDS.

 

The institutions, agencies, governments must also take the responsibility to keep informed the youth, youth NGOs can share the responsibilities subjected to provided resource allocation.

 

The World Bank, working and investing on HIV/AIDS programmes including India, realized the importance of Youth Organizations and its capacities and capabilities. They organized the World conferences in Paris and Sarajevo and discuss the progammes and action, with youth organizations, the last one ended in Sarajevo, BiH on 7 September 2004. In closing session, Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, President of World Bank made commitment from WB to “Empower and strengthen Youth Organizations; to facilitate joint work on selected issues; and to find solutions to operate at national/local.

 

He again focused at youth concern on HIV/AIDS while he invited the ICYO delegation of youth leaders 17 November 2004 during his Delhi visit.

 

The other agencies working on HIV/AIDS prevention should take lesson from World Bank and use the ‘Youth Organizations’ in India to reach-out youth; empower them with information, knowledge and skill.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>^^^^^^^^>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

                 

                  Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

                  194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave

New Delhi 110029 INDIA
Phone:  91 9811729093 / 91 11 26183978
Email: icyo@... / icyo@... / secretarygeneral@...

 

                                               

			Affiliation: Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations; Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development; Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC); Youth for Habitat International Network; CRIN, South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN), ATSECE-Delhi, Affiliate group of ECPAT Int., Thailand. Working relation World Youth Foundation, Malaysia.
	ICYO is a non - governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth orgs. and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India.  It’s functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. ICYO family consists of 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.