[Youthsurvival-network] Regional meeting on HIV/AIDS of NUS, Commonwealth, PWN + India & MYC, Malaysia, in Dhaka

[NUS <afrojnus@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Press release:  Regional Meeting to Reduce Stigma on HIV+ People

Nari Unnayan Shakti, NUS (Women's Power for Development) a national NGO
in Bangladesh organized a ?Regional Advocacy Meeting to Reduce Stigma
& Discrimination on HIV+ People? in Bangladesh jointly with
Commonwealth Asia Center, Malaysian AIDS Council and Positive Women
Network, India. The venue of the program was NUS Training Center,
Banashree, Rampura, Dhaka on July 12 2005. 

The Honorable special guest of the event was Mr. Mr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed,
Director General Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) Bangladesh. The
Special Guests were Ms. Raka Rashid, Regional Director, Commonwealth Asia
Center, A. Rajaretnam, Malaysian AIDS Council, Malaysia, Mr. Hassan
Mahmud, Program Manager, National AIDS HIV Program, GOB, P. Kouselya,
Positive Women Network, India. The meeting was presided over by Afroja
Parvin, Executive Director, Nari Unnayan
Shakti.       

Speakers of event mentioned again and again, ?The HIV positive people are
not harmful to any body of the society. The HIV is only spreading through
unsafe sexual contact, blood transfusion and organ transplantation.
Therefore, the cause behind stigmatizing HIV+ People is ignorance
at  the mass level. To reduce stigma there is no alternative of
media campaign to aware and educate the people.  Mr. Mr. Kamal Uddin
Ahmed, DG, DNC requested to the journalists for introducing a separate
and regular column of the Daily News Papers on HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Raka Rashid, Regional Director, Commonwealth Asia Center call for the
Celebrities of the country to contribute to reduce stigma on HIV+ people
from their respective field. P. Kouselya, Chairperson of Positive Women
Network, India said, since 10 years I am HIV+ and leading a normal life
and till to date I am an active contributor to the national economy. If
we discriminate the Positive People, the problem will be worsen and the
family, society as well as the country will loose their contribution in
development sector. 

Afroja Parvin,  Executive Director, Nari Unnayan Shakti and the
chair of the event gave importance to the Governments role to combat
stigma on the issue. She said, to face the emergency of the positive
stigmatized people a special support service should be ensured by the
government.           
                                           
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" NUS has been running HIV Prevention and STI
Treatment program since 1993 in Bangladesh and at present providing
services for 1500000 families. Recently we have started human rights and
other supports for the stigmatized and poor HIV + Women of
Bangladesh.  

If there is such women in vulnerable situation, Please contact
"

Nari Unnayan Shakti (NUS)
(Women's Power for Development)
823/A, Khilgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh 
Phone: 880 2 7216270
Fax: 880 2 7217033
Email: NUS <afrojnus@xxxxxxxxxx>

Regional meeting on HIV/AIDS of NUS, Commonwealth, PWN + India & MYC,
Malaysia, in Dhaka