Despite grievances redressal mechanism, PLHIV community in Manipur are still lacking empowerment of their rights and access to necessary legal support, Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) president RK Nalinikanta informed on Friday.
“An awareness session revealed many individuals living with HIV conceal their issues due to limited information about legal services”, Nalinikanta said during an advocacy workshop on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017 held on Friday at Hotel Imolesh.
The advocacy workshop was organised by CoNE in collaboration with Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) and Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA).
Nalinikanta, while addressing the objective of the advocacy workshop, said that the advocacy workshop is based on finding the community-led monitoring project, which we currently are conducting with support from TREAT Asia/amfAR.
The finding indicated that in 2023, 95 percent of people with HIV (PLHIV) accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) from government hospitals in Manipur were unaware of HIV/AIDS Act, 2017.
In 2024, this figure decreased to 89 percent revealing an overall 92 percent over the last two years of data, PLHIV remaining unaware and uninformed about the important Act, he informed.
He mentioned that in the past three months, CONE with the support from the SASEA platform, conducted awareness sessions to improve legal knowledge among the PLHIV community regarding the HIV/AIDS Act. These sessions revealed that many individuals living with HIV conceal their issues due to limited information about legal services.
Additionally, there is a clear need for increased awareness and sensitization within educational institutions in the state. Consequently, the number of cases reported to the Ombudsman has risen, Nalinikanta said.
It should be mentioned that the HIV/AIDS Act, 2017, was the result of 15 years of efforts by the government of India to support the rights and well-being of those affected by HIV and healthcare workers.
Its primary objectives include preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, protecting the rights of affected individuals, and prohibiting discrimination against those living with the virus. The development of the HIV Bill began in 2002, with the first draft finalized in 2006. After receiving feedback from various stakeholders, it was sent to the Law Ministry in 2007.
Following years of deliberation, it was tabled in the Rajya Sabha in February 2014 and subsequently reviewed by the standing committee for Health and Family Welfare. After further revisions and approvals, the Bill became law on April 21, 2017, and officially came into force on September 10, 2018. Manipur published state-specific rules for the Act in the state gazette on January 12, 2021, leading to appointment of Dr Sasheekumar Mangang as Ombudsman on November 18, 2021.
Recognizing the importance of empowering those living with HIV, CONE facilitated a collaboration among stakeholders, including MSACS and MASLSA to organize a workshop aimed at enhancing collaboration and improving the implementation of existing legislation for greater impact, Nalinikanta said.
In the advocacy workshop session, Dr Kh Sasheekumar Mangang, State Ombudsman, discussed the “Achievements, Limitations, and Paths for Improvement of the State Ombudsman.”
S Jupiter, deputy director of the CST Division at MSACS, spoke on “Strengthening Community Engagement and Rights Awareness Under the HIV/AIDS Act 2017.”
Ch Momon Singh, advocate and MASLSA panel member, addressed “Accessing Justice: The Provision of Free Legal Aid Services for PLHIV Under the MASLSA Scheme,” while Basanta Wareppa, Law Officer at MHRC, covered the “Roles of MHRC in Ensuring the Right to Health.”
The presentations were followed by a discussion session moderated by Dr Kh Lokeshwar Singh, Medical Superintendent at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS).
