Trade union representatives vow to fight against HIV/AIDS

Panaji, Mar 12 (UNI) More than 200 representatives from different trade unions, both organised and unorganised sectors, have vowed to join the fight against the deadly HIV/AIDS scourge that is impacting on the country's production and productivity.

''We have decided not only to fight for world peace and nuclear free society, but join the movement against the scourge of HIV/AIDS as responsible work force,'' the participants resolved in the meting yesterday.

Thanks to the Goa State Aids Control Society (GSACS) that took the initiative to ''sensitise'' the workforce, which is considered the most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection for which there is no cure.

''A study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) found that 26 million people out 40.3 million afflicted with HIV/AIDS constitute the workforce in the world. They include 5.1 million in India,'' the ILO's representative in GSACS Ms Manorama Bakshi told UNI.

The malaise not only affects production and productivity, but hits socio-economic life of the workforce which invariably lacks awareness of HIV/AIDS and its impact.

This in turn leads to child labour and orphans among the affected families. There are more than 2 million such orphans, most of them in south African countries where the scourge was sweeping the humanity, she observed.

''I am glad that I have achieved the mission. The mission of bringing about awareness among the workforce in Goa and the commitment of the trade unions on and off the worksite. They have a bigger role to play in combating AIDS and taking care of the affected,'' Ms Bakshi said.

Goa is one of the top ten international tourist destinations.

It had reported more than 10,000 cases, a majority of them from South Goa's Salcete and Mormugao and North Goa's Tiswadi and Bardez taluks.

It has more than five lakh workforce, both organised and unorganised, engaged in odd jobs including scores of migrants from neighbouring Karnataka, Maharashtra and even Bihar working as construction labourers with Goa witnessing construction boom of late.

''Permissive lifestyle and risky behaviour without resorting to safe sex measures is a major cause of infection among our youth in Goa and outside,'' said assistant professor of preventive medicine, Goa Medical College and Hospital, Dr Jaydev Kakodkar.

''Forty per cent of youth in the USA have premarital sex but they do observe safe sex and get protected without allowing the killer disease to creep into the body'' he said.

With the HIV virus replicating six billion times per day in the inflicted human beings and costing USD 4,400 million to take care of the victims, the trade unions have to play a pivotal role in combating this menace, he opined.

''Prevention is the only cure,'' Dr Kakodkar added, asking the trade unions to undertake preventive educative campaigns including promotion of use of condoms and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases besides taking care of the infected and affected and supporting the HIV/AIDS policy.

UNI BM MJ PV RN1420