on 7-8 January a regional consultative meeting was held in CYSD on Migration & HIV, this meeting was facilitated by SPYM a organization from New Delhi and financed and supported by UNDP, the suggestions and findings from this workshop would feed into the National level consultative meet on Migration & HIV in New Delhi. Plans are to conduct four such meeting, two have already been conducted and two more will be conducted shortly in other states. The recommendations and findings of these workshop will feed into the national level workshop and a strategy will be developed by Government of India to address Migration and HIV. A good initiative and it is needed, as migration especially distress migration needs to be addressed at all levels.
Heights of insensitivity in the workshop:
A high ranking gentleman of Government of Orissa invited to be the chief speaker on Day II spoke of the following:
a. Educated men going to foreign shores and no statistics on the number of them leaving our shores.
b. People forge data on distress migration and inflate it. As a result this is questioned in the assembly and departments have trouble answering it.
A professional Lady who is currently working in the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS unit, Government of Orissa spoke of how mainstreaming does not only address migration and mainstreaming is not the answer for all problems related to migration and she was there in the workshop because she was working in mainstreaming unit and was asked to participate in the process.
what was good about the workshop:
1. People are taking distress migration seriously and actually thinking of ways to address issues related to distress migration.
2. This was a forum where NGOs /CBOs were actually asked for their opinion and what they feel can be done.
what should raise our concern:
1. Poverty and livelihood are still major concerns and this needs to be addressed on a priority basis
2. People working with the Government or people closely allied to it still feel that everything cannot be addressed, and they are not responsible for addressing migration and issues related to it.
3. NGOs data on migration is still not recognized, neither is there any effort by Government to collect data on migration.
Heights of insensitivity in the workshop:
A high ranking gentleman of Government of Orissa invited to be the chief speaker on Day II spoke of the following:
a. Educated men going to foreign shores and no statistics on the number of them leaving our shores.
b. People forge data on distress migration and inflate it. As a result this is questioned in the assembly and departments have trouble answering it.
A professional Lady who is currently working in the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS unit, Government of Orissa spoke of how mainstreaming does not only address migration and mainstreaming is not the answer for all problems related to migration and she was there in the workshop because she was working in mainstreaming unit and was asked to participate in the process.
what was good about the workshop:
1. People are taking distress migration seriously and actually thinking of ways to address issues related to distress migration.
2. This was a forum where NGOs /CBOs were actually asked for their opinion and what they feel can be done.
what should raise our concern:
1. Poverty and livelihood are still major concerns and this needs to be addressed on a priority basis
2. People working with the Government or people closely allied to it still feel that everything cannot be addressed, and they are not responsible for addressing migration and issues related to it.
3. NGOs data on migration is still not recognized, neither is there any effort by Government to collect data on migration.
4. The needs of the migrants are not taken as a issue either at the destination(place of work) or at the source(home). As a result you will find a increase in the number of cases reported in the media on sexual & physical abuse, increase of HIV/AIDS, other diseases like RTIs/STIs, suicides, exploitations, physical abuse, killings etc.
Attending workshops like this show us how inadequate our work is and how chaotic our world is.
Attending workshops like this show us how inadequate our work is and how chaotic our world is.
1 comment:
I was there at the same w/shop on Day 1. In the first hour, the issue of migration came up once ! The rest of the time was spent on rambling reminiscing by the guests of honour. Eventually, unable to bear the acute distress of listening to nothing in particular, I migrated. I understand migration as a automatic by-product of poverty, lack of opportunity, marginalisation, and of course, discrimination. These words are all associated with the issue of HIV/AIDS now, irrevocably. But they have their place in all our lives, to some extent, as when we have to leave the known, the safe and the comfortable, for not-always greener pastures. Who likes change? Yet change is the forced option for the majority of Indians who enjoy no priveleges of living and working in their own communities. They migrate because they have to do so to survive. So, they migrate. Because of floods, terrorist attacks, HIV-positive status,attacks from other castes, Raj Thackeray, the hope that means Bombay/Delhi, a stepmother's beatings, earthquakes, a need to eat at least once a day..... you tell me. I have migrated recently, because I wanted to leave my troubles behind. Existential angst, you now. I am afford to feel the angst. I have food, shelter, status, money, security. I am one of the privileged, and I am constantly remeinded of that fact by those millions and millions who are not.
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