Women bikers end their week-long HIV/AIDS road campaign

Mumbai, Dec 1 (UNI) In a bid to tackle the menace of HIV/AIDS and spread awareness, 10 women educators on five bikes from Pune, Ahmednagar, Usmanabad, Parbani and Solapur ended their week-long rally here at Dadar in Central Mumbai a while ago, coinciding with the World Aids Day celebration.

The women, all of whom are peer educators with ActionAid, a Non Government Organisation (NGO) imparting HIV/AIDS awareness, were provided training to prevent infection of the deadly virus by the Centre for Youth Development before embarking on the journey.

Sporting red ribbons on their jackets to signify solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS, the bikers are clad in a range of outfits from the traditional chudidaar-kameez to short tops and jeans.

ActionAid Programme Officer Sayni Pan told UNI that this is the first time that such an attempt was made to educate people about the importance to prevent HIV/AIDS entering their lives.

She added that it is important for children and youngsters to realise and take precautions. There is no remedy once the virus enters inside the person. Hence, a bike rally of such a nature was important.

Shabana Abdul Rezzak Sheikh (19) from Solapur and a second-year student of BA, was one of the particpant. Shabana is pleased to have the support of her family in embarking on the trip.

''Both my parents understand the importance of this message and were more than happy to let me go,'' she said, adding, ''among our supporters, we find as many men as women.'' According to National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), at least 5.1 million people in India are HIV positive.

Statistics reveal that about 80 per cent of HIV+ Indian women are infected by their husbands. The confidence to say no to unwanted sex and negotiate safe sex with their chosen partners is crucial to reverse the rising rate of infection amongst women.

Maharashtra is particularly hard hit by the epidemic, with around 6.5 lakh people living with HIV/AIDS across the state.

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