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February 99
Issue 2
RF_DIS_9_A_SUDHA
san8ha mitra
2
From the Editor
Contents
From the Editor
2
We are late. Seven months late, but here we are - two steps ahead. The
Letters to the Editor
3
second issue of a proud movement. LesBiGay lifestyles supported and
Resources for LesBiGay people
3
Homosexuality & the Law in India
4
Safer Sex
5
and women who are beginning to understand the meaning of their
Zen & the Art of Being Gay
6
identity. Understand that it is now in their hands to liberate themselves.
My saga as a Bi...
6
To choose for themselves the path that will lead to their happiness. And
Mask
6
Dear Darling
7
"Fire" - the burning issue
8
He blew into my life
8
And isn't this the best thing to happen ?
Autumn Muse
8
And yet...there are many in our community who look inside themselves
News Briefs
9
and only see pain. Pain they cannot tolerate, cannot face, cannot
Letter for my mother
10
overcome. So many of them slip into that terrible delusion of suicide.
Why ?
10
Of learned lessons
11
Patra Mitra
11
voiced through these pages. Personal stories, fiction, poetry, strongly
worded articles and more. Offering a medium for every voice. A voice for
every problem faced. And so much more. These are the voices of men
it makes me so proud to read these stories, these poems, this prose.
They stand up and indicate the start of something big. An explosion of
sorts. Of a people who look inside themselves and are comfortable with
the idea of their sexuality. And not only comfortable, but proud of it.
We have heard of 3 suicides recently. Of men who slipped away from life
because they could not, did not want to, handle it. Death wins so easily.
And how many more of our friends should we see dying or dead around
us, before we wake and fight this irrational fear of ourselves - and
others ? This irrational dilemma of mankind - where love is abhorred in
Editorial Team
Sakha & Vinay
Do not...presume the sexuality of anyone writing in this newsletter, or
of anyone, ever !
any form but the "standard". Where life must follow a certain set of
norms set by other people for all to follow. Where the law will not
protect a man who loves another man, or a woman who loves another
woman...? And how many more years should the youth of today wait,
Disclaimer
before they can find their solace in the arms of whoever they choose ?
Views expressed in this newsletter are the individual authors' and do
not necessarily reflect those of Sangha Mitra.
A future where they can fall in love with anyone without having to
LesBiGay
In this term we include people who are not exclusively heterosexually
inclined: gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans-sexuals, transvestites, hijras,
asexuals etc.
Address for Correspondence/ Subscriptions
worry about whether society approves.
Bangalore, meanwhile, has been taking firm steps towards that future.
A future for its LesBiGay community.
A public lecture on "Emerging Gay spaces in Bangalore", presented jointb
by Sabrang and Good As You with complete write-ups of this lecture in
major newspapers including the ones in Kannada. An extensive coverage
Post Box # 7859, Bangalore - 560 078, Karnataka, India.
of the gay lifestyles in the city and the people living them, in the
Please superscribe "SM" on the top left hand corner of the envelope.
"Bangalore Monthly" magazine in a cover story titled "Gay in the Garden
City". An earnest interest shown by the media on these issues. And
'
“Good As You” Meetings
much more.
Each of these events is working towards a building of courage, confidence,
"Good As You" meets every Thursday evening from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30
p.m. All LesBiGay people are welcome. If you wish to attend the meetings,
please call us at (080) 2238297 between those times.
support and awareness. In the LesBiGay community and the general
public. And among these, this, our second issue makes its stand.
Our Gratitude
Supporting so many voices in society. Voices waiting for some opportunity
Thanks to all our supporters and well-wishers who have helped make
Sangha Mitra possible. Thanks also to Samraksha for their support of
Good As You.
you will be heard. Your voice is a part of our own. We fight together for
Contributions
Suggested contribution is Rs.10/-. Greater generosity will be more
than welcome.
We welcome suggestions, reactions, news items, articles,
researched features/ information from our readers.
© Copyright 1999 Sangha Mitra, Bangalore
- for someone to listen. And now, we stand up to call you and tell you,
our rights. And what you have to say now, in this newsletter, is important
itjlthe rest of us. To all of us.
'Sp read these voices. And recognise your own.
3
sangha mitra
Letters to the Editor
Bombay Dost : 105A, Veena Beena Shopping Centre, opposite Bandra Station,
Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400 050. A magazine for gay men and lesbians.
Dear Friends in Sangha Mitra,
I'm writing on behalf of everyone
Humsafar Trust: P.B.No. 6913, Santa Cruz (W), Mumbai - 400 054. Runs helpline
"Humsafar Ki Awaz" - 972 6913 (voice mail service) and "Humsafar Drop-in
Centre" for gay men.
in Counsel Club to wish you the very
best for your venture...We have
distributed all the copies you had
sent us and managed to raise some
money. A few more copies are with us which are also likely to go out
soon. People are indeed excited to see something coming out of
Bangalore! To my mind, Bangalore had always a lot going for it. The
only thing missing was Sangha Mitra!
And now since we've had the first issue, how about the second ? No I'm
not pressuring you all to give up all your other work to bring out the
magazine. I know better thai*i that, having mothered (or is it fathered?)
a dozen issues of Pravartak (along with other mothers and fathers, of
course). But what I am trying to do is to encourage you to go on, to
keep up with the initiative. Take your time, but don't give up...A lot
must have happened in Bangalore which needs to be documented. And
Sangha Mitra should be the best place to do so....The magazine looks
neat and easy to read. On the whole, a welcome read!
Yours in solidarity
Books every gay man should read
1. Becoming a Man - Paul Monette
2. Dancer from the Dance - Andrew Holleran
3. Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman
4. Maurice - E.M.Forster
5. Remembrance of Things Past - Marcel Proust
Books every lesbian should read
1. Herotica - Edited by Susie Bright
2. Possessing the Secret of Joy - Alice Walker
3. Loving in the War Years - Cherrie Moraga
5. Jungalee Girl - Ginu Kamani
Some Gay sites on the net
• www.planetout.com
• khush-list-subscribe@egroups.com
• khushindia-subscribe@egroups.com
• www.trikone.org
Gay Positive Films
6. Therese and Isabelle
Counsel Club : c/o Pawan, Post Bag 10237, Calcutta 700 019. Annual membership
of Rs.200 includes Naya Pravartak subscription, penpal listing. For gay men,
lesbians and bisexuals.
Saathi: c/o P.O.Box No. 571, Putlibowli P.O, Hyderabad - 500 095. A gay support
group in Hyderabad.
Humrahi : meetings 1st and 3'd Satrudays, 7-8 pm at Naz, C-l/E Green Park
Extension, off Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi. Helpline #685-9113. Mon. & Thurs.
7 - 9 pm. Publishes Darpan, a newsletter.
Women's Network : P.O.Box 142, G.P.O., New Delhi - 110 001. For lesbians.
Sakhi : P.O.Box 3526, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi 110 024. For lesbians.
Expression : P.O.Box 5, Bolarum, Secunderabad 500 010. For gay men.
Trikone : P.O.Box 21354, San Jose, CA 95151-1354, U.S.A. Publishers of Trikone
magazine for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trikone@rahul.net
ABVA (AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan) : Post Box No. 5308, New Delhi 110
053. Community work in issues of education, health, law, women, gay people,
professional blood donors and drug abuse. Member meet Wednesdays, 6.30 to
9pm at Indian Coffee House, Connaught Place.
Arambh Support Group : P.O.Box 9522, Delhi 110 095. Ph : 011 227 0071
(10am - 12 noon daily). Runds walk-in centre for LesBiGay people; publishes
newsletter "Arambh"
Sangini : New Delhi based helpline for lesbians and bisexual women on 011 685
1970 / 71 - Tuesdays, 6-8 pm.
Friends India : A group to promote amity and love, for all those men who love
men. Annual Membership Fee : Rs. 150/- in favour of Friends India, Lucknow.
Members will get group's magazine free of cost. Write to Post Box No. 366,
G.P.O., Lucknow - 1.
Sneha Sangama : P.O.Box 3250, R.T.Nagar, Bagnalore - 560 032. Group for gay
men.
4. Paradise - Toni Morrison
5. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Stree Sangam : P.O.Box 16613, Matunga, Mumbai - 400 019. E-mail :
inforum@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in. A collective of lesbian and bisexual women.
Aasra : P.O.Box 68, G.P.O, Patna - 800 001. Gay men's support group; publishes
newletter "Timeshare".
Pavan (Member, Counsel Club)
1. Maurice
2. My Beautiful Laundrette
3. Oranges are not the only fruit
4. My Own Private Idaho
Resources for LesBiGay people
Bharosa (The Trust) : An HIV/AIDS and sexual health counselling and drop-in
centre for males who have sex with males, operated by Friends India at 21/6/5,
Peerpur House, 8-Tilak marg, Lucknow - 226 001. Timings: 4 pm to 8 pm. Weekly
holiday : Thursdays.
Sahayta : A Friends India Helpline on issues related to HIV/AIDS, sexual health
and sexuality. Call 0522 -275905 between 4 pm to 8 pm. Except Thursdays.
Sacred Love : A bimonthly magazine for men who love men. Single copy :
Rs. 30/- Annual subcription : Rs. 175/- Send bank drafts in favour of FRIENDS
India, Lucknow at Post Box No. 59, Mahanagar, Lucknow - 226 006.
Sabrang : A collective comprising of individuals of different sexualities working
on issues of sexual orientation and sexuality. P.O.Box 7625. Bangalore - 560
076.
Samraksha : HIV/AIDS Counselling Centre, #402 Ground Floor, Block 4 Ranka
Park Apartments 4,5 & 6 Lalbagh Road Bangalore - 560 027. Ph: 2238297.
4
sangha mitra
Homosexuality and the Law in India
SECTION 377 :
given by the judge is that when the male organ was inserted between
In India, Homosexual acts are prosecuted under Section 377 of the
the thighs kept tightly together there was penetration sufficient to
Indian Penal Code. Section 377 reads,
constitute the unnatural offence.
"Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature
Though convicting a person under Section 377 is a reasonably difficult
with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment
proposition, harassment of LesBiGay people in public spaces such as
for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which
parks, especially by the police, is a reality and therefore it is important
may extend to ten years, and shall be liable to fine.
to look into (i)what the powers of the police might be and (ii)the rights
Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse
of persons who have been subjected to police harassment.
necessary to the offence described in this section"
POWERS OF THE POLICE :
What follows from this section are:-
The powers of the police are spelt out in the Criminal Procedure Code,
1.
Homosexuality per seis not criminalized. What is punishable is carnal
1973. Under Section 41 of this code "Any police officer may without an
intercourse 'against the order of nature'. This implies that both
order from a magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person who
homosexual and heterosexual acts 'against the order of nature' are
has been concerned in any way in any cognizable offence, or against
punishable. Within the framework of the current criminal legislation
whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information
in the country, instances of sexual acts with children are also brought
had been received or a reasonable suspicion exists of his having been
under the ambit of this section.
concerned". The offence under Section 377 is a cognizable offence
2. Through decisions by judges since the formulation of the Indian
(serious offence).
Penal Code in 1872, a judicial understanding of what "carnal
The police also have the power to arrest under Section 151 of the Code
intercourse against the order of nature" is, has emerged. The judges
of Criminal Procedure which states that "A police officer knowing of a
repeatedly stressed that "the natural object of carnal intercourse is
design to commit any cognizable offence may arrest, without orders
that there should be the possibility of conception of human beings"1
from a magistrate and without a warrant, the person so designing it, if
If carnal intercourse takes place without possibility of conception
it appears to the officer that the commission of the offence cannot be
of human beings, then such carnal intercourse would be 'against
otherwise prevented".
the order of nature'. This means that other sexual acts like anal sex
This seems to indicate that the police have very wide powers of arrest
and oral sex would also be against the order of nature regardless of
and, in a homophobic society, even kissing can be seen to constitute a
whether the act takes place between a man and a woman or a man
reasonable suspicion that an offence has been or will be committed.
and a man etc.
DEFINITION OF "CARNAL INTERCOURSE" :
However since there is no case law on this point it is also equally possible
that the judges may decide that kissing and holding hands in public
Carnal Intercourse has been defined by English judges with typical
places does not amount to suspicion and is not reasonable suspicion
prudishness as "the temporary visitation of one organism by a member
that an offence under Section 377 will be committed.
of another organism for clearly defined and limited objectives. The
RIGHTS OF AN ARRESTED PERSON :
primary object of the visiting organism is to obtain euphoria by means
Noting that the powers of the police to arrest are reasonably broad, it is
of a detente of the nerves consequent on the sexual crisis. But there is
important to look at what the rights of an arrested person might be.
no intercourse unless the visiting member is enveloped atleast partially
Arrest gives the police powers to use all means necessary to make the
by the visited organism, for intercourse connotes reciprocity".2 If
arrest if the person to be arrested attempts to evade the arrest. However
translated into plain English, what the judges mean is that anal sex and
the power to use necessary force for making the arrest shall not extend
oral sex amounts to penetrative intercourse. Since these acts are not
to restraint beyond what is necessary to prevent the escape of the
connected with the process of human reproduction they are also against
arrested person. Arrest also requires that the police officer must actually
the order of nature.
touch or confine the body of the person to be arrested unless there is
The judges have also broadened the scope of the term carnal intercourse
submission to custody by word or action.
to inlcude "manipulation and movement of the penis of the petitioner
On arrest, the arrested person has certain rights that have been laid out
whilst being held by the victim's legs in such a way as to create an
in the Code of Criminal Procedure, Case Law and in the Constitution.
orifice like thing, for making the manipulated movement of insertion
Broadly these rights are:-
and withdrawal up to the point of ejaculation of semen"3. What the
1.
judge seems to be saying here is that even manual & mutual masturbation
Right to be informed on the grounds of his arrest: In every case
of arrest the person arresting shall communicate to the arrested
falls within Section 377.
person without delay the grounds of arrest. This is a precious right
In a Kerala High court case it has been held that "Committing the act of
recognised in the constitution.6 Timely information as to the grounds
intercourse by inserting the male organ between the thighs of another
of arrest gives the arrested person the opportunity to remove any
male is an unnatural offence punishable under Section 377" The reasoning
mistake, misapprehension or misunderstanding in the minds of the
5
sangha mitra
Safer Sex
arresting authority. It also enables him/her to apply for bail or a
writ of Habeas Corpus or to make other arrangements for his defence.
2.
Right to be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of
arrest: It has been categorically held by the courts that all arrested
persons shall, not later than 24 hours after arrest, be produced
before a magistrate, excluding the time of travel from the place of
3.
arrest to the magistrates court.7
Right to consult a legal practitioner of the arrested persons
choice: This right begins from the moment of arrest.8
4.
Right to free legal aid and to be informed about legal aid: Under
the Constitution and through its interpretation, the state is under a
constitutional mandate to provide free legal aid to a poor, accused
person. Further the Supreme Court has cast a duty on all magistrates
and courts to inform the indigent accused about his/her right to
5.
get free legal aid.
Right to be examined by a medical practitioner: If an arrested
person alleges, when produced before a magistrate, that an
In the age of AIDS, everyone should know about safer sex. HIV can
infect anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, sex, age, race or economic
class. It is not who you are that can give you AIDS, it is what you do.
Only you can decide what kind of sex is right for you and what risks you
In Conclusion :
will take.
Sexual activities fall on a continuum from high risk to risk-free. Activities
at the top carry a high risk of transmission (especially for the receptive
partner). Upper middle range carry a minimal or indeterminate risk.
Lower middle range activities carry a theoretical risk. Activities at the
A. LesBiGay people need to be clear that to commit an offence under
bottom are completely safe.
examination of his body will afford evidence that will disprove the
commission of any offence, then the magistrate is required to direct
the examination of his body by a registered medical practitioner.
Continued on page 7
HIGH RISK
A
Unprotected Anal Intercourse
Unprotected Vaginal Intercourse
Sharing needles (for drugs, piercing)
Sharing implements that draw blood (Whips, knives)
Unprotected oral sex on a menstruating woman
Unprotected oral sex on a man, with ejaculation
Unprotected oral-anal contact
Getting urine or faeces in mouth, vagina, ass
Unprotected fisting or finger fucking
Unprotected oral sex on a man without ejaculation
Unprotected oral sex on a non-menstruating woman
Sharing uncovered sex toys
Anal intercourse with a condom
Vaginal intercourse with a condom
Oral sex on a man using a condom
Oral sex on a woman using a latex barrier
Oral-anal contact using a latex barrier
Fisting or finger fucking using a glove
Petting manual-genital contact
Deep (French) kissing
Spanking, whipping that does not break the skin
Bondage and discipline play
Masturbation (alone or with no partner)
Hugging touching
«v Massage
▼
Talking dirty, phone or net sex, fantasy
NO RISK
Source - Safer Sex by Liz A. Highleyman
6
sangha mitra
Zen & the Art of being Gay
1.
Look before you leap.
makes the experience enjoyable and is rewarded.
2.
You are always alone... even in a crowd.
I do not know if there are other people out there who are balancing
3.
Never look back.
such lives like I am. And no one in the world except the honest and
4.
Life is transitory.
committed guys who have had a relationship with me (one during my
Take refuge in the small pleasures of life.
teens and the other now, my student) know about this.
6.
Don't forget to smell the flowers.
I write this to make those who have experienced a somewhat similar
7.
Take one day at a time.
kind of life to be bold enough to enjoy and experience life as they want.
8.
Here and now - no yesterdays or tomorrow.
Every person has a right to live the way he/she wants it.
9.
Life is too short to complain.
5.
Good As You is place where people like us can get strengthened, meet
others like us, talk about our lives and maybe get into a meaningful
10. Break ups, changes are a part of life - move on.
- Anonymous
relationship.
I too am waiting for someone. Someone younger than I (below 30) who
can be compatible with me, enjoy my company and is honest and
My saga as a Bi...
committed. Not only in bed but social life too, as a good, reliable and
trustworthy friend and partner.
When I was fifteen, I happened to stay in my cousin's place for my
vacations. He was 22. Every night he would feel me down there and
Did someone say "Me?"
- Anonymous
make me touch him. We had sex till he came. This continued for the
fifteen nights that I was in his house. The experience never made me
feel bad or disgusted, but the next day there was always guilt on both
Mask
our faces. As days passed, this turned out into a regular affair. And
every time we met, it never ended without it! It became so serious, I
almost took it as a way of life. Though I did look at girls and dream
How easy is it to put on a mask;
to act out a part;
to pretend to be what one is not.
about them, what I felt for them was nothing compared to the time and
experience I had with my cousin. And I found myself becoming more
comfortable with men. Especially, good looking ones.
I felt very uncomfortable when I had to be away from my cousin. For
obvious reasons. Time passed, I fell in love with many girls, slept with
a few even, but it was nothing like enjoying a guy. Though the girls
How easy is it to hide behind a facade;
to smile and to laugh;
to joke and to talk.
When all the while I see you both together;
I die a little death.
enjoyed and credited me for the experience I gave them, mentally I
- Sakha
never used to be with them even when I made love.
Then came D-day. I was forced to marry. That too to a professional who
Some Books & Films...
I did not think was good looking. I was blind to beauty, my blindness
made me go haywire. And I now go through the agony of being a husband
to a woman who I do not find attractive. Then came the typical Indian
advice to give her a chance as a mother. Which turned things from bad
to worse. I am now a father of two beautiful children. But chaos reigns.
In this confusion, with several separations from my wife due to fights,
I started to look out and luckily found one of my old students whom I
had tipped about my experience a long time back. He has been my
companion and a solace - to meet my sexual needs at least. Of course,
for a cost.
It is sad though. Sometimes we get into trouble in our eagerness to
enjoy ecstasy and romance, or the thrill and the madness of sex. In my
BOOKS:
1. Less than Gay : A citizens report on the status of
Homosexuality in India - Aids Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (1991)
2. Sakhiyani : Lesbian desire in Ancient and Modern India
3. Lihaf (The Quilt)
- Giti Thadani (1996)
- Ismat Chugtai
4. Narman
- Ifti Naseem (1995)
5. Funny Boy
- Shyam Selvadurai
FILMS :
case, I have been faithful in my duties and obligations as a husband
1. Adhura - Directed by Ashish Nagpal, 1995 (Hindi)
and a father and committed as a bisexual to my student. The only contrast
2. Fire - Directed by Deepa Mehta, 1996
is that my student is neither gay nor bisexual. He respects me and
3. BomGay - Directed by Riyad Wadia, 1996
knows all my problems. He does not sleep with me out of sympathy. He
4. Bombay Boys - Directed by Kaizad Gustad, 1998
sangha mitra
7
Dear Darling
Homosexuality and the Law...
Continued from page 5
Dear Darling,
I am a gay man and have been living with my male lover for 2 years.
Recently, however, I slept with my best friend, a woman, and realised
Section 377
that I'm not gay! To make things worse, I love my boyfriend as well as
i.) They need to engage in carnal intercourse against the order of
my best friend (who is now my girlfriend) but they expect me to choose
between them. Help!
nature.
ii) Such intercourse must be voluntary
iii) Intercourse must be accompanied by penetration as defined in
Yours, NG, Bangalore.
Dearest NG,
the broad terms already outlined.
Unless all the criteria are satisfied , all persons are free from successful
It is not unusual for bisexuals to live either a gay or a straight life
prosecution and conviction. Further, for a successful prosecution and
before discovering their true sexuality and the dawning of awareness is
understandably accompanied by feelings of confusion. Interacting with
conviction, the levels of proof required are also very high, requiring eye
bisexuals at groups for sexuality minorities like GAY and SABRANG is
helpful in alleviating the initial shock and confusion. South Asian
Transsexuals, bisexuals and lesbians often allege that sexuality minority
groups have a male homosexual agenda which does not adequately
B. The police have wide powers of arrest and can pick up LesBiGay
witness accounts or medical evidence.
people if reasonable suspicion that an offence under section 377
has been committed or is going to be committed.
C. If LesBiGay people are arrested they have certain rights guaranteed
address their concerns. While largely and unfortunately true, this
allegation underlines the urgent and felt need for bisexuals and others
to articulate their concerns at GAY and other such fora. "We will call out
to each other in the darkness of the great forest, so that we not be lost
to one another."
by the constitution and the Code of Criminal Procedure and those
rights should be demanded before the police.
The police in India function through creation of persuasive fear among
sectors of the oppressed population. There is thus need to combat that
fear and confidently assert ones rights.
Whew! I got a bit carried away there, but about the other little problem,
may the god of bisexuals grant you the courage to change the things
you can, the perseverance to accept the things you can't and the wisdom
- Arvind
to know the difference. Your idea of bliss is obviously different from
that of your lovers, both of whom seem very much inclined to a
monogamous relationship. Hopefully their perceptions can change, with
the assistance of a cousellor or mutual friends and above all the object
of their desire, you. If things do change, you have a good thing going.
However, should either of them retain their perceptions of what a
relationship should be, there is this nasty proverb my gramma taught
ne about wishes and horses, but never mind.
Love, Darling.
Dear Darling,
I am a gay man, but have no access to gay material or photographs in
Hubli. I would like to receive catalogues or photo albums from groups
like GAY and from individuals. But I risk being exposed if my family
opens my mail. What should I do ?
1 Khanu v. Emperor AIR1925Sindh286.
Yours, SP, Hubli
Dearest SP,
The solution is in your nearest post-office where for a sum of around Rs.
150/- a year, you or a couple of gay friends together, could rent a post
box or a post bag, from where you could collect mail a couple of times
a week.
Love, Darling.
2 Ibid.
3 Brother John Anthony v. State CriLJ1352. This is a position of the Madras high court and
is one that has been given in the context of child sexual abuse; there is a possibility that
a Karnataka high court decision could read such that manual & mutual masturbation does
not amount to carnal intercourse.
4 Stote of Kerala v. K. Govindan 1969CriU818. To state again the Karnataka High court
could differ on this opinion.
5 Sections 46(2), 46(3) and 49 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
6 Sections 50, 55, 75 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Article 22(1) of the
Constitution of India.
' Sections 56 & 57 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
8 Sections 57 and proviso to Section 76 read with Article 22(2) of the Constitution.
’ Section. 303 of the Code and Article 22(1) of the Constitution.
sangha mitra
8
“Fire” - The burning issue
“Fire”...
The main issue raised by the film, "Fire", is whether the women fall "in
surface very quickly in our relationship. The little girl in the flashbacks
love" and have a sexual relationship as the result of having no other
was searching for the ocean despite being in a field hundreds of
choices or specifically because they made a choice. One could argue
kilometres away from the ocean. It was not until this woman found
that given their unfulfilled marriages to men in the emotional, spiritual
another woman to fulfill her emotionally, spiritually and sexually did
and sexual aspects they had no other choice but to seek one anothers
she find the ocean that she had been seeking for so long.
companionship. Does this situation suggest that gay men and lesbian
women in Indian culture and in other cultures only occur because
something is wrong in their environment ? I do not believe the film
The film provides an excellent opportunity for Indian society to have an
open-minded dialogue about homosexuality. Will Indian society make
the choice to have such a dialogue ?
conveyed such a negative message about homosexuality for several
reasons.
First, we all have choices to make us human beings. Even within
Celebrations & Congratulations
traditional Indian society where people feel that they are bound by
customs to live their lives, each person makes a choice whether to live
by these values. The film indicated that Indians do have a choice to
make their lives fulfilling and meaningful rather than just existing in a
relationship filled with duty and obligation. We all have a choice.
Second, the film identified a Hindu belief that if someone would walk
through fire but remain unharmed it meant they were "pure". There was
Good As You, the support group for LesBiGay and sexual minorities in
Bangalore, celebrates its 5th Anniversary in February 1999.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS also to SABRANG which was registered
as a society in January 1999. Our best wishes to them.
a scene towards the end of the film that reflected this belief. It occured
He blew into my life
when the older woman confronts her husband about her relationship
with the other woman and her saree catches fire. She escapes unharmed
and therefore is able to join her female lover. She remains "pure" despite
some people's belief that homosexuality is wrong and immoral. She
remains "pure" because she truly loves this other woman and their sexual
He blew into my life
intimacy is a beautiful reflection of this love for one another.
softly - scented -
Third, the film continues to flash back to childhood scenes from one of
cool as a summer wind;
the women. When we truly fall in love with someone it brings out the
caressed my heated body
inner child in us. Any unresolved issues we had from our childhood
gently;
Continued in the next column
blew across my sweaty brow
and soothed my burning fever
Autumn Muse
lovingly;
held me close and the scent -
oh so sweet and overpowering.
Autumn rains and funny skies
Stories of love, hate and lies
A strange unnerving primal call
The years like leaves about to fall
Melted in my arms -
lips sweet as honey
their taste as nectar from the Gods
lingered all night long
The aching need to follow on
The evening sun, the indifferent morn
The memories of a different time
A chant with a familiar rhyme
over my body.
Tickled, loved, kissed and explored
leaving trails of moisture
The priests at the altar of God
The heavy yoke upon the sod
that cooled with his breath.
The heedless early Yuletide thrill
The desolation upon the hill
Captured all my senses
The succour of angels and of men
The questions - how and why and when
The melody of an autumn song
A different muse - its been so long.
and left me aching for more.
enslaved my mind
He left as softly as he had come.
Never to be seen again.
- P.P.Paikaray
- Anonymous
sangha mitra
9
News Briefs
SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN : The Signature Campaign, to repeal Section
support structures that were trying to bring into public focus, issues on
377 of the IPC, conducted all over India following the conference on
sexuality and sexuality identities. The article proved a harbinger to many
''Strategies for furthering Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay rights in India"
Bangaloreans and brought more members to the GOOD AS YOU meetings
was taken up by the members of the SABRANG group in Bangalore,
and also pushed the gay lifestyles of Bangalore into the public eye. We
collecting over 1000 signatures in the city. SABRANG, as some of you
at SANGHA MITRA and members of GOOD AS YOU congratulate Ms.Radha
may already know, is a collective comprising people from various walks
Thomas on a job well done and wish her all the best. We hope many
of life, working together to document, publish and disseminate
more journalists will follow her lead and write about these issues in an
information on sexuality, promote dialogue among people through
unbiased manner as she has.
lectures, workshops etc. and thereby help them understand and be
comfortable with their sexuality. Members from GOOD AS YOU, the
LesBiGay group, also participated and helped collect signatures for the
campaign.
EMERGING GAY SPACES IN BANGALORE : For several weeks in September,
a public lecture given by Dr. Balachandran on 28th August 1998, was
the talk of the town. Almost every major newspaper, including those in
regional languages, wrote about the lecture on the "Emerging Gay Spaces
WORKSHOPS AND PUBLIC LECTURES : Continuing their work on trying
to bring issues about sexuality into the public forum, SABRANG helped
organise two more events.
One, a workshop on SEX AND SEXUALITY IN THE TIME OF AIDS was
presented by Ms. Anjali Gopalan, Executive Director, The Naz Foundation
(India) Trust, New Delhi, on two consecutive days - October 2nd and
3rd.
in Bangalore" that was organised by SABRANG and GOOD AS YOU. Four
The second was a public lecture on LANGUAGE, GENDER AND SEXUALITY
broad points emerged from the lecture :
by Ms. Sandhya Rao, Director, Hengasara Hakkina Sangha (HHS).
1) Heterosexuality is more commonly visible, hence more common
2) Homosexuality also exists widely, but is less visible 3) There is a gay
life in Bangalore which is increasingly gaining visibility 4) The
acknowledgment of this population's existence and engagement in a
healthy dialogue with it can benefit the cultural landscape of Bangalore
because individual lives can be improved.
The lecture was stimulating and raised a number of questions from the
audience, which numbered over a 100. The lecture received wide coverage
in the print media and extensive reports appeared both in the Times of
India and The Asian Age. It was a proud achievement for both SABRANG
ind GOOD AS YOU. Primarily because it was the first lecture of its kind
and also the first in a series of lectures being conducted by SABRANG.
Secondly, because it brought into public focus an issue that always
existed and was not talked about. Finally, it was an achievement because
it brought in new members to both the groups. It was also a giant step
forward for the LesBiGay movement in Bangalore.
The workshop by Ms.Gopalan brought into focus all the questions about
AIDS and the different means of transmission of the disease. A detailed
7 hour workshop followed, where a lot of questions were answered. All
credit to Ms.Anjali Gopalan, who did a brilliant job of putting everyone
at ease while they were expressing their views about sex and sexuality.
The public lecture by Ms. Sandhya Rao, second in the SABRANG's lecture
series, was attended by more than 50 people and touched upon the
aspects of Language and Gender issues in Sexuality. The broad points
covered in the lecture were : While there was increasing tolerance to
the discussion of sexuality, there was still very little physical space for
these discussions. Many obstacles stood in the path of such a public
discussion, viz., in religious texts, sex was mentioned as a means to
procreation only, therefore any other aspect of sexuality was not to be
discussed in public. The accepted norm among the general public seems
to be "Participate, but do not explore". There is very little vocabulary in
regional languages for people to discuss their sexuality and whatever
vocuabulary exists is in the form of curses or demeaning words.
"GAY IN THE GARDEN CITY" : On 29th August 1998, a day after the
Throughout the lecture, another point that Ms.Sandhya Rao made was,
lecture by Dr. Balachandran on the emerging gay spaces in Bangalore, a
that in each of these areas, gender seemed to play a more specific role,
local magazine, the "Bangalore Monthly" brought out a cover page story
in that, men had it a lot more easy than women. Even in terms of
on the Gay life in Bangalore. An extremely sensitive article, it was written
vocabulary, while men had a huge collection of terms for their own
by Ms.Radha Thomas and was well received in the city. According to
sexual acts and desires, women had either very few or none at all. This
some sources, the issue, which was lapped up by the public, ran out of
was ironical, as Ms. Rao pointed out, considering that most curses in a
print! A couple of interviews of Gay men in Bangalore by Ms.Thomas
language, regional or otherwise, had some reference to women in them
was the chief attraction of the article. And the fact that the article
- viz., son of a bitch, motherfucker etc. The same cannot be extrapolated
carried no stereotypes nor asserted any of the popular myths held by
in a woman's case, Ms. Rao said.
the public about gay men, made it even more attractive. One true story
of a gay man's life and how he had to undergo treatment at the hands of
a doctor who claimed he could cure gayness(I) was extremely touching.
GOOD AS YOU and SABRANG were mentioned in the article as groups and
This lecture also saw the enthusiastic public coming up with many
questions regarding sexuality itself and an elaborate discussion took
place.
sangha mitra
10
Letter for my mother
I'm gay, mama.
Yes, I know you did your best
I'm a queer woman
to bring me up, & yes, I know
whose lovers are women,
you went sleepless the days on end when I was sick...
have been, all my life.
but you know, too, mama, I tried my best:
You gotta see it, mama :
to be the ideal daughter, but not
I'm no man's woman, mama
to get a boyfriend, date,
& you better be proud,
get pregnant & get married...
proud of your daughter, mama.
Mama, it never happened as you wanted
Remember, mama, when I was small
Sorry, mama, but I'm a dyke.
I had a friend who stayed nights over
I'm a queer woman, mama
through all the weekdays & weekends too ?
& you gotta understand it :
Remember, mama, when you saw us once
we all live once & make the best
you gave me hell & more for our kissing ?
of what we can,
"You gals : gals are not supposed to kiss..."
and, oh, mama, it's not your fault
Remember, mama, how you told me
that your baby is a dyke
All about Buddhist scripts, the sins, et cetera,
& stop your stupid guilt-trip...
& I just sat silent... Remember, mama ?
I'm gay, mama.
I'm queer, mama,
I'm queer woman
you gotta see it, mama :
whose lovers are women,
Your daughter digs women.
have been all my life
So, what's wrong with this, mama ?
you gotta accept, mama :
When I ran away
I wanted things to change
You cried, you cussed, but never understood :
I'm no man's woman, mama
& you better be proud,
proud of your daughter, mama.
- Anaraa
I wanted to be free of your indifference for me
& father's tyranny (thank God, he's dead now, in my mind)
Why?...
Mama, but it never happened,
& all I did was wrong,
& then I gave up :
stopped talking.
going to college,
seeing anyone...
I must have been 8 or 9 years then and was playing cricket. I was a
fielder. When the ball came towards me, I caught it and threw it to the
stumps. After a while, when the game was done, a few boys told me
that I threw the ball like a girl. Shit!! I cursed myself but didn't know
how to respond to that.
And you still wanted to know
I grew very conscious about my throwing-the-ball style and though I
What was the meaning of my life.
found no problem with myself, I was repeatedly being branded a sissy.
True, mama, there was no meaning to my life
It grew to a point where I decided to quit playing cricket. To this day, I
just then : I woke up in the mornings
decline playing the game for the simple reason that I did not want
bursting from a thought of another day in the cage
someone to notice this "camp" style of mine.
which was your home, never mine.
The same thing happened a few years later when I started playing
Sometimes, I wandered 'lone thru' the suburbs
badminton. My father commented on the way I held the racket and
Till the night & never wished to go back...
But I did, I always did go back,
to your husband's house, never mine...
played the shots. He said it was tOQ effeminate. My normal mannerisms
are not effeminate, but the small gestures which I made were unavoidable
and ultimately made me nervous. Thereafter my interest in outdoor sports
subsided and I started to become more of an introvert.
your daughter's queer, mama,
you gotta see it, & that's all, mama.
Continued on page 11
sangha mitra
11
.
Patra Mitra
Of learned lessons
dark shadows under a moonless night
To respond to a Patra Mitra : Please put your letter in an adequately
long and lean in the neon light
stamped envelope and seal it. Write only the listing number on this
riding the whirly white waves
envelope. Put this envelope inside another adequately stamped envelope,
creamy at the edges
and mail it to P.O.Box 7859, Bangalore - 560 078. Superscribe "SM"
like the pages in some god forsaken book
on the envelope. All responses will be forwarded UNOPENED.
recollections of a dream
PM001 : 23 yrs old. Hobbies collecting autographs, reading books.
these sombre shadows
Seeking, fair and charming person of same age.
so long, so long
so horribly long
PM002 : My Hobbies are reading novels and listening to music. I prefer
their legs and hands hobbling across seas
age group 23-30, fair, athletic build, tall, good-looking and emotionally
through childhood streets
compatible.
where men walked on stilts advertising tea and cigarettes
in a land of milk and honey
PM003 : Hi! I'm 30, sensitive, quiet, hairy, sexually active. Looking for
a handsome, less hair, smart guy as a pen pal.
hookah pani
PM004 : I am a tall, dark, good looking guy. Look forward to have pen
of festival and celebrations
now selling fun in fairy stories
pals with tall, fair, good looking guys. Hobbies can be anything other
at conference sites
than sports.
beaches and fairs
men still stalk on stilts
Continued from page 10
Why?
in copy dinsey lands
the foaming ocean cupped in the footprinted shore
Meanwhile, I was getting more interested in boys. I must have been
twice lined
about 10 years old then. I would love to touch a boy and whenever a
one ahead and the other following
boy brushed himself against me, or touched me, my whole body would
as if beseeching
quiver for no reason. I did not know what was happening to me. Neither
the man and the woman
had I any knowledge of sex then. It was not an age of contemplation,
yoked together
so I thoroughly enjoyed myself. In sports session, I enjoyed sitting
as the only natural way of being.
back, watching boys struggle with each other, pushing each other in
One over the other
football, or falling on each other wrestling. For no reason, I wanted to
the commander and the commanded
be there with them, touch them, get touched and felt.
all levelled and laid bare
I also had a fetish for armpits. I could stare at a boy's armpits and my
in the twinkling of a wave
head would get dizzy. I was young, and hadn't realised that as boys
on the shores of a sand smooth beginning
grow older, they would grow hair in their armpits. The small golden
desires bred in a colonial port city
brown stubs that would shine with sweat when a boy lifted his hand up
shake out like grains of sand
made me crazy. I would control my urge to go and bury my face under
pricking in green old boots, under a moonless feet
his arms, smell the sweetness of his sweat and lick his armpits.
I craft a path down an Ancient Knowing
I didn't know why I got these thoughts. I could not relate myself to
coming home to a different choice
anything. My classmates, the boys, would incessantly talk about girls. I
under dark, shadowy skies
was never interested. I was not into sports. Or girls. Only books. I would
I am born again.
ask myself questions every day. Why was I not normal like any other
- Maya Sharma
boy? Why don't I get the urge to run, go out with the boys, imitate
Azharuddin, after he hit a century in the previous day's match? Why
don't I feel the compulsion to enact Amitabh Bachchan after seeing the
film "Mard"? Why did I feel like crying, seeing a woman die in that film
- when all my friends were laughing at her plight ?
why... ?
- Sakha
For Private Circulation only
Patron : Good As You, Bangalore
.’vS
Population
SX’X conditions forrespons.ble reproduce™ choices by i„provi„ssvomens
reproductive health and promoting shared responsrbity between men an
women for sexual behavior, childbearing, and childrearing.
a?.?;1
Three basic principles guide the selection of population activities to be fimded:
that participation from developing countries and countries in transltl™ 15
essential in decision making at all levels of population policy and act on hat
population activities must include a focus on the population implications
of culturally specific systems of gender relationships; and that population activitie
g research, advocacy, and
must consider and encourage the interactions among
leadership development.
Strategies
G™l”upZ”'°°”^S»d7ob°y
th“ ’ddress culruml value. wh.cb
support or threaten reproductive health and rights, and collaborative efforts that
monitor the implementation of international agreements on population and
women’s rights.
Conducting activities in selected countries
Support for population activities is concentrated in four countries selected
for their political and demographic importance - Brazil, India, Mexico,
and Nigeria Two mutually reinforcing strategies are pursued: strengthening o
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and leadership development tor
‘J
creative individuals with extraordinary potential.
Grants are made at the national and international levels to help cml society
organizations concerned with reproductive health and rights to engage
in cooperative partnerships with governments and the business sector Grants
also support policy-relevant research in three areas where new knowledge:
is needed to guide social change: empowerment of women, male responsibility
for sexual behavior and reproductive decisions, and the implications of
fundamentalisms for women’s reproductive health and rights. The Foundation
supports exchange among NGOs from the U.S. and southern countries that
are developing new ways of dealing with adolescent health and sexuality.
Program on
.Global Security
and Sustainability
Pre-Publication Draft
Page 2 of 4
■ COUNSELLING: Wise choices are made not on information alone. And when it
comes to sexual and/or reproductive choices one's values, feelings, and
concerns about possible effects on significant others, and perceptions of
oneself as an autonomous agent, all come into play, often creating a
conflictual situation. TARSHI provides a safe, non-judgmental, and
confidential atmosphere within which such decision-making is facilitated.
We help people help themselves in ways which feel right to them, ways
that "fit" their lives.
REFERRALS: To carry out decisions made, people need to act. We refer
people to relevant medical, psychological and/or social services, with
information that will make it easier for them to use these services information on costs, time required, etc.
■ DOCUMENTATION AND RESEARCH: We are in the process of documenting our
experiences with a view to making available to a larger group our learning
in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
■ LIAISON: We liaise with individuals and organisations whose work has
to do either directly or indirectly with sexuality and reproductive
health. We are constantly on the lookout for service providers who are
sensitive, caring, and respectful of women and men's dignity in the context
of sexuality. We network with mental health professionals, gynaecologists,
legal aid professionals, family planning clinics, HIV/AIDS prevention
and care workers, and those whose work requires them to address issues of
sexuality, gender-inequality and gender-based violence.
We look forward to meeting you and sharing our work and concerns with you.
Radhika Chandiramani
-
From: tarshi@vsnl.com <tarshi@vsnl.com>
chandana@hivos-india.org <chandana@hivos-india.org>
To:
25 March 1999 14:50
Date:
Subject: Re: Fwd: reg. GL Study Team visiting Delhi
Dear Chandana,
Thanks for your interest in visiting various groups that are associated
with the Campaign for Lesbian Rights. TARSHI would be happy to meet you and
discuss the issues that your Study Team is looking into.
I believe that you are meeting the CLR on April 6th in the morning. You
could come to TARSHI in the afternoon of the 6th, say at about 2:00 pm, if
that is convenient. Once you are in Delhi you could call the admin number
(4610711) and confirm the meeting with either Radhika or Prabha.
Visiting the Psychological Foundations (of which I am a Trustee) might not
be very useful from your point of view as the PF is a group of practising
mental health professionals whose aim in setting up the PF is to relieve
the stresses of mental health practitioners. As Pramada has told you, there
are many who support the CLR on the basis of opposing discrimination and
are not directly involved in its activities.
Below you will find a brief note on what we do at TARSHI and the vision
that informs our work. It might be useful if you circulate this to the
members of the team so they have a sense of TARSHI.
TARSHI - Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues.
TARSHI is an effort towards enabling women and men enjoy lives of dignity
and freedom from fear, infection, and, reproductive and sexual ill-health.
TARSHI works to provide women and men choices in their sexual and
reproductive lives - choices about health services, contraception, actions,
and so on. Our programme is addressed to people of all classes,
communities, ages, and sexual preferences.
We recognise that reproductive choices cannot be isolated from sexuality
and that sexual and reproductive behaviours emerge from and have an impact
upon life contexts. TARSHI offers a variety of services to help individuals
choose wisely.- —
• HELPLINE: TARSHI runs two telephone helplines on 462 2221 and 462 4441
from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, providing individuals easy access to
information, counselling, and referrals on reproductive and sexual health
issues. Helpline services are free, are available in Hindi and English,
and are confidential and preserve the anonymity of the caller. The
helpline is operated by a team of trained counsellors and is directed by a
qualified clinical psychologist. On the TARSHI referral panel are
specialists from areas related to reproductive and sexual health.
■ INFORMATION: We make available accurate information through the
helplines, publications, and outreach programmes in a simple,
comprehensible manner on sexual and reproductive issues, sexual
anatomy, sexual processes, reproduction, safer sexual pleasure
enhancement, family planning, contraception, STDs, HIV/AIDS, safer sexual
practices, and so on.
zo/uj/yy
-
THE CAMPAIGN FOR LESBIAN RIGHTS
Following the violent demonstrations
orchestrated by the Shiv Sena in eariy
December against the screening of Deepa
Mehta's film Fire, a number of organisations
and individuals in Delhi have been meeting
to discuss the issues that have surfaced.
Democratic rights and freedom of
expression are issues that constantly arise
in India and these are central here also. At
the same time, the attacks on the film, the
responses to the film and to the protests
have pushed women's groups, human rights
groups and secular organisations to address
the lesbo-phobia which prevails within large
sections of Indian society.
This country has a long history of
discrimination—be it against Muslims, Dalits,
Christians, women, tribals etc. However,
people from these oppressed groups have
been permitted a sense of public identity
and can therefore try to seek recognition of
their oppression. In the case of lesbians,
their isolation and invisibility has meant the
absence of collective identity. In the public
domain there is no space for discussion of
sexuality, leave alone women's sexuality.
Culture, tradition, values and morals have
consistently been used as tools of
oppression and discrimination. Within this
framework, one is marginalised as a woman
and doubly so as a lesbian. Intolerance and
fear of anything different from the so-called
'norm' results in the forced invisibility of
minority groups. Is it any wonder then that
there are not many 'out7 lesbians in India?
The Campaign for Lesbian Rights is a group
of individuals—lesbian, gay and straight—
and organisations who feel strongly that
discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation/preference is a violation of basic
human rights. The Campaign seeks
• to make lesbianism visible and dispel
the myth that there are no lesbians in
India
•
•
to create awareness about lesbian
issues and concerns
to develop public and state recognition
of the rights of al lesbians to a life of
dignity, acceptance, equality and safety
Over the next year, the Campaign for
Lesbian Rights (CLR) will engage in the
dissemination of information, public debates
and protest actions.
We seek the support of all those who hope
for a world free of discrimination,
intolerance and hatred.
PO Box 3526, Lajpat Nagar,
New Delhi 110024. (until March 31,1999.)
Email: caleri@hotmail.com
Organisations supporting the mandate of
The Campaign for Lesbian Rights
1. Aarambh, New Delhi
2. Aids Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan, New
Delhi
3. Ankur Jan Shikshan, New Delhi
4. Bombay Dost
5. CEHAT, Mumbai
6. Counsel Club, Calcutta
7. DARE, New Delhi
8. Dastkar, New Delhi
9. Fellowship of Blood Donors, New Delhi
10. IFSHA, New Delhi
11. Magic Lantern, New Delhi
12. MASUM, Pune
13. National Democratic People's Front, New
Delhi
14. Naz Foundation, New Delhi
15. Nirantar, New Delhi
16. North East Network, Shillong
17. Psychological Foundations, New Delhi
18. Sabrang, Bangalore
19. Saheli, New Delhi
20. Sakshi, New Delhi
21. Shodhini Network
22. Stree Sangam, Mumbai
23. TARSKI, New Delhi
24. The Humsafar Trust, Mumbai
25. The Lawyer's Collective, New Delhi
r
*
HIVOS
«I
HIVOS and population - a survey
1.
Introduction
The threatening imbalance between the size of the world population and available resources is affecting
the possibilities for development and change. The call for a global policy aimed at curbing population
growth is becoming ever louder and has been heard for many years in development cooperation circles.
Every year the Dutch government devotes considerable sums to birth control programmes. The
discussion about whether a population policy needs to be developed and the consequences thereof for
development programmes has of course implications for HIVOS s activities.
So HIVOS has cause to reflect on the population issue. Various considerations come into the picture
here.
First of all, there is concern about population growth in both absolute and relative terms. According
to forecasts, world population growth will outstrip the long-term availability of resources, even if a
fairer distribution of resources and income is achieved within the North and the South and between the
North and the South. In various parts of the North and the South, population pressure is having a
severe impact on the environment. That applies to the western countries, which are making the heaviest
demands on available resources and contributing in large measure to global environmental degradation,
but is true as well for Third World countries. Local population pressure in the South can have farreaching effects on the environment, employment, distribution of land and water, social sendees, etc.
Second, HIVOS is concerned about the one-sided focus on population growth in the South. As Els
Postel has fittingly observed, the daily traffic jams on Holland’s roads do not immediately turn one’s
thoughts to contraceptives in the way pictures of stan ing African people often do. Yet it would be
quite logical to argue that the earth can support only a very limited number of people who travel by
motor car over a vast network of paved roads, as compared to people who normally travel on foot.
In the third place, there is concern about the way some countries act in either curbing or stimulating
population growth. This is often at variance with the fundamental right of people to determine
themselves how many children they’ll have. There is a strong tendency to translate population policy
exclusively into family-planning targeted mainly at -married- women. This focus on contraception
means that other factors of influence to a birth rate decline are left out, like better education and
employment for women. The lob-sided attention on contraceptives for female users, denies men’s role
and responsibility in the reproduction process. Furthermore, these contraceptives do not guarantee any
protection against AIDS, a subject highly neglected in the discussions on population policy. Women
run a high risk of HIV-infection because of their weak bargaining power in sexual matters. Moreover,
the chances of virus-transmission to unborn children by pregnant HIV-infected women are high.
In African countries AIDS already has led to the elimination of large proportions of the productive and
reproductive active people.
2.
HTVOS and population.
In HIVOS’s view, there are clear interactions between population growth, local population pressure
and development. The population issue is a global problem that cannot be reduced to a simple question
of distribution of resources between North and South, or translated one-sidedly into family-planning.
HIVOS view on population matters is determined by its integral development approach, in which an
active global environmental policy, pursuit of fair trade relations, poverty alleviation and empowerment
of poor people^gG' hand in hand with strengthening the position and self-determination of women and
changing the unequal power relations between men and women.
1
.
As a humanistic development organization, HIVOS wishes to contribute to the emancipation and
autonomy of poor people. The right to regulate one’s own fertility - without any pression either by
government, partner or family - is part of this process. The underlying idea is that responsible and
independent individuals are quite capable of determining themselves how many children they want, on
the basis of their economic situation, cultural values and wishes for the future. Yet this presupposes
that:
♦
women and men have access to safe and reliable contraception, abortion and help with
undesired infertility
women can decide themselves whether or not to bear children
• >men have some prospect of a better life.
It is well enough known that in practice shortcomings in these areas exist. Furthermore, there are
certain tensions between women’s self-determination over their own bodies and lives, cultural and
religious values and the unequal power relation between men and women. This is one of the reasons
why Hl VOS stresses the importance of a gender-aware policy aimed at the empowerment and selfdetermination of women and the emancipation of men.
We could stop here and leave it at this. However, the question is whether it’s desirable - if not
necessary -for a development organization as HiyOS to formulate a population policy in order to
overcome the dilemma of short-term/long-term solutions for population problems. If so, how do
individual rights to self-determination relate to collective survival interests? Does HIVOS humanist
vision leads to a different position in the population debate in comparison to religious development
organizations? If so, what are the implications for HIVOS’ policy?
Before dealing these questions, it is necessary to pay attention to Hl VOS’ partner organizations’ view
on population issues.
2.1
Population and reproductive rights in HIVOS’s programme.
For many intermediary NGOs supported by HIVOS, population policy and local population pressure
are sensitive issues. Discussions related to these matters are immediately associated with Northern
hypocrisy. While the North refuses to tackle its own pollution and over-consumption or take serious
steps to bring about fair trading relations, it’s pointing an accusing finger at population growth in the
South. Besides, the history of family planning in developing countries (in many cases financed by
western governments) is loaded and programmes involving social coercion or financial incentives are
still being implemented. Because of the large-scale approach, many family-planning programmes are
not tailored to the needs of the user. Nor do they link up w'ith existing ideasjiand beliefs on
reproduction and sexuality. Where male resistance to, say, the use of condoms or vasectomy, can
always count on comprehension and caution, female aversion or fears regarding certain contraceptive
methods is seldom dealt with.
Partner organizations argue that population growth does not cause poverty but rather that population
growth is stimulated by poverty. Children are needed as help in the home and on the land, as a source
of income (child labour) and as old age insurance. Infant mortality rates and the fact that in different
societies a large number of children (preferably sons) gives women and men status, are also to be taken
into account.
Furthermore, subjects related to sexuality and sexual options, gender, shared parenthood and birth
control are often regarded as private family affairs and as such out of the scope of development
programmes. One of the reasons is that local development organizations are mainly directed by men,
who have difficulties themselves in discussing sexuality or recognizing the reproductive rights of
women and the importance of responsible parenthood. Those subjects are often considered to be the
exclusive domain of either specialized (medical) institutes or specific women’s organizations,'which
furthermore have to be very sure of their ground to promote the self-determination of women (and
men), rejecting the ideal images of the family and motherhood propagated by the church and the media.
2
Women’s organizations supported by HIVOS are stressing the importance of delinking population
policy and family planning. They prefer to situate birth control within the broader framework of an
integral approach of reproducti- • rights, embracing information, education, women’s health care and
the provision of safe and reliable contraceptives in accordance vith the wishes of women and men.
Talks with the target group of rural development organizations with which HIVOS cooperates have
shown time and again that there is a great need for information about sexuality and parenthood, for
knowledge of the human body and for services in the area of contraception and women’s health care.
Although children are regarded as a gift of God in many societies, experience has shown that many
women would consider it an even greater gift if conception could be deferred.
HIVOS therefore dares to question the prevailing view of many NGOs that poor people need to have
many children for economic reasons. Quite apart from the fact that this presupposes some form of birth
control, it is at variance with the wish expressed by millions of women to bear fewer children. Large
families confront breadwinners and carers with enormous problems, and it is largely women who have
to provide the solutions. Successive pregnancies limit women’s room for personal development and
leaves them physically exhausted. Furthermore, experience shows that women derive little joy from
a pregnancy if they are already at a loss as to how to feed and care for the children and relatives
they’re responsible for. And if they succeed in keeping their children alive, there is still the problem
of the future. The realization that there is no money to give all their children a decent education and
not enough land to be divided later is a heavy mental burden for parents. The argument that children
can help to increase the family income is only partially valid. Although calculations in India have
shown that children (can) contribute more to the family income than it costs to feed and clothe them,
one may ask oneself whetherflparents really deliberately choose to supplement the family income in this
way. We are left with the argument that children are needed as carers for their parents in their old age.
Children do often fulfil this role in countries where there are no old-age pensions or other welfare
services for the old. Here the dilemma arises that poor parents might be better off financially if they
had only a few children but with an education and prospects of reasonably paid work, whereas as
regards physical care, they would derive more benefit from children who have no other option but to
remain living at home or in the neighbourhood.
‘
3.
HTVOS and population policy
The concern about population growth in relation to available resources and the problems indicated
above in the area of reproductive rights cannot but have implications for HIVOS policy. This does not
mean that HIVOS should develop a separate population policy, complete with target figures. But
neither does HIVOS wish to ignore the population problem. Between the two extremes a whole range
of possibilities are to be explored. Starting point is HIVOS' integral approach which embraces poverty
alleviation, environmental policy and emancipation.
An immediate clue for a more active line is the paradox of population policy, to which experts such
as Els Postel have drawn attention. On the one hand, family-planning programmes put women under
pressure to restrict the number of children they have, but on the other hand there are countless women
who would do this voluntarily if only they had access to the means. It is particularly in this area of
tension between demand and supply that HIVOS likes to contribute.
The reasons to do so can be summarized as follows:
In the groups supported (directly or indirectly) by HIVOS there is an expressed need to be
able to control one’s own fertility.
♦
At the same time, there is a great lack of information and services in the areas of sexual
education, safe contraception, fertility problems and women’s health care.
The demand side is not homogeneous. Women and men have different needs with respect to
3
information and means according to their age, background and sex. This should be kept in mind when providing these kind of services.
*
The attitude of the Catholic church and fundamentalist religious groups and their extensive
interference with the legalization and realization of reproductive rights constitute a major
obstacle for people’s right to control their own fertility, which HI VOS regards as fundamental.
Education and information concerning sexuality, reproductive and sexual options and opening
up public debate on these issues are important weapons in the battle against AIDS.
If« women have more control over their own fertility, this has a positive effect on her
possibilities for personal development. On the other hand, if women have a better access to
education and better paid jobs, fertility rates will tend to decline.
*
♦
Also the number of maternal deaths and infant mortality will decrease, if women have access
to safe and reliable contraception.
Reduction of (local) population pressure will in the long term help to slow down
environmental degradation and improve the (local) food supply situation and employment.
What are the implications for HI VOS’ activities and how can HI VOS respond to its concern regarding
population issues and reproductive rights? In the next paragraph a few ideas are presented.
4.
Proposals
4.1. Implementation of gender-conscious policy
There are close links between, on the one hand, the level of education/training, employment and
adequate health care for women and, on the other hand, the number of children women have. If women
and girls are better educated and are able to earn an income of their own, this has a positive effect on
their "bargaining-power" vis-fc-vis men.
The memo on HIVOS’s policy on women and development indicates how HIVOS thinks it can
contribute to a structural improvement in the position of women. One of the points of departure for
this policy is the right of women to control their own lives and bodies. This right is not endorsed with
the same enthusiasm by all partner organizations.
In the discussions with partner organizations engaged in a broad range of development activities,
HIVOS should pay more attention to reproductive rights and physical autonomy of women and urge
that these matters, along with sexuality and shared parenthood, be given greater prominence in these
organizations* programmes and no longer be regarded as the exclusive domain of women’s
organizations. Partner organizations must become n^ore aware of the fact that the democratization of
society does not stop at the threshold of people’s homes. Changes in relations between men and women
and sexual behaviour are not after all a task solely for women. Men will have to become more involved
in information and services in the area of sexuality and family planning and realize that their role in
reproduction is not limited to procreation.
The raising of subjects such as reproductive rights in conjunction with population issues is certainly
not an easy task, and HIVOS must prevent this from being seen as the latest donor fashion, fixed on
the agenda next to environment and AIDS. Furthermore, the subject is not equally relevant to all the
programmes supported by HIVOS.
4
'>■
4.2.
Strategic choices
Support of NGOs that operate in the tension-area between supply and demand for save and reliable
contraceptives, information on sexual matters and reproductive rights, women’s health etc. is one to
respond to our concern regarding reproductive rights and population matters. We have in mind here
NGOs that provide services as mentioned above as well tackle ideological and legal issues, undertake
steps to overturn the ideal images of the family and motherhood propagated by the church and the
media, and make a stand in favour of the legalization of abortion, etc. Research on ideas concerning
reproduction, sexuality and people’s aversion to, or problems with, certain methods of contraception
should form part of such pi ogrammes. It would be desirable to make use of the WGNRR network in
searching for NGOs that are operating as above indicated.
However, most of the NGOs engaged in programmes on reproductive rights are (urban) women’s
organizations, with a limited access to rural areas. They could be encouraged, perhaps, to spread their
wings and cover rural areas and/or advise partner organizations already active there. At the same time
HIVOS should encourage partner organizations to a closer cooperation with them.
3.
Inventory.
HIVOS already supports some NGOs concerned w'ith reproductive rights in Asia, Latin America and
Africa. In order to get a picture of what is being achieved in education, services and campaigning in
this area -as far as HIVOS-partners are concerned- an inventory will be made in 1993 with the aim of
collecting and exchanging successful experiences and detecting bottlenecks.
4.
Innovation.
On the basis of this inventory, which will be completed in the second half of 1993, recommendations
will be formulated for research, for promoting the exchange of information, for supporting innovative
projects in the area of reproduceve rights and for overturning traditional images on motherhood and
the family. Three countries will be selected from three continents. It’s obvious that (modest) funds will
be made available for these activities and the support of innovative projects.
23/12/92/CS
5
Cover story ■■■■■■■■
joke,
grumbl
victims
meat h
Sekar
tion, k
possibl
so ope
homos
The i
rooted
whate'
feels b
prever
the lik
If his
every
saved
7 ...1^^
"^vvW H
V;
V-. V.-’-*
IS®A ■<.'
SB'S
OS
■
G‘
Mg ’’.fc i
«
I
<
Confessions of an AIDS Victim
■
of the worst ordeals, cursed upon human
T ife is stranger than fiction, they say. Strange indeed, through one
Luwhere on the one hand bright shines the sun the
This 32-year-old graduate from Madras is an HIVroses flit across the cool breeze and the birds sing love positive case, and has fallen victimt^the fatal disease,
notes to the clear blue sky. All reflected and imprinted acquired immuno-deficiency sytidrome, AIDS to you
on the innocent smile of a child. As if to balance the and me. So what's new, especially in a aty which is
mirth of this merry, is the cloud of sorrow hovering second only to Bombay in the high number of AIDS
over some unfortunate lot. Those who have none to patients in the country. Nothing, except that this one is
share their miseries and sorrows with. No caring also a homosexual. But to come out of closet and shout
shoulders for them to support their weary heads on. I across such a fatality to the world outside is no easy I
Those like B Sekar in Madras who has perhaps gone
-----------------------------------------------------------
6
ASIDE
fills .t
cheris
life..."
"I con
fa mil;
is w<
ways,
tion e
Whih
have
famil
be m
My
in a
put
not j
stud
well
was
and
and
and
At
all
was
Froi
nigl
in a
peri
of
Is
and
clos
anc
to c
for
off
a
hoi
30co-
L—_
ASH
joke. What with frowning faces , gossiping, and
grumbling voices waiting to humiliate and ostracise the
victims. "A homosexual after all deserves it," is the com
ment typical of the Indian society.
Sekar has gone through it all — anger, disgust, frustra
tion, leaving a deep, nagging depression. And he is
possibly the first person in these parts to have come out
so openly to say that he is an AIDS victim, and a
homosexual at that.
The reason for which, he says, is a by now deeprooted desire to serve the society at this late^hour in
whatever little capacity, educate it and caution it. Sekar
feels he could contribute to the AIDS awareness and
prevention programme by narrating his story, and in
the like manner requesting the rest to practise safe sex.
If his message could get across to even a single person
every day, he would have the satisfaction of having
saved a life. Which view, as he reasons out, none else
human
n HIVlisease,
to you
rhich is
f AIDS i
5 one is
I shout
10 easy
od, why... Oh why, me? His
vjcries rend across the room and
fills .the air. "I too had a home,
cherished a dream to lead a normal
life..." The inconsolable sobs again.
"I come from an upper middle-class
family," starts off Sekar. "My father
is working in the Southern Rail
ways, and my mother, a Corpora
tion school teacher, both in Madras.
While my elder brother and sister
have settled down with their own
families, my younger sister is yet to
be married.
My siblings did well in studies and
in a 'convent school'. 1 alone was
put in a Corporation school. I did
not mind this as I wanted them to
study well, and also settle down
well. Though, I never realised that.I
was jeopardising my own future
and life. But I was good in sports,
and used to go for regular practices
and work-outs.
At home too, I was the one to do
all the household chores, from
washing to cleaning, everything.
From 4.30 in the morning till late at
night, it was the same routine, day
in and day out, until that fatal ex
perience which changed the course
of my life.
I still remember the day. I was 16,
and in my 11th standard. I had three
close friends, slightly older to me,
and quite often, our small talks used
to drag towards sex. That was only
for starters. And what then started
off as a playful game, soon became
a
habit,
pushing me
into
homosexuality soon. What with a
30-year-old bachelor-stranger of a
co-passenger in the vendors' comASIDE
ASIDE
i
among the 2000-odd HIV-infected people has taken.
Fearing the society's wrath, which has not left Sekar
alone.
An unsympathetic attitude from his family and
society apart, Sekar faces a lot* of criticism from other
quarters too. Especially the homosexual community,
and sonel voluntary organisations which feel that
Sekar's disclosure, instead of "exposing" the "gay clubs"
in town to contempt and ridicule apart from criminal
prosecuting and helping out the AIDS prevention
programme, could lead to a social backlash on both sec
tions, depriving them of any sympathy from the society,
whose creations they are.
It is with immense courage and will power that Sekar
has prepared himself to face the misery and death in
solitude. But touch upon his story, and he breaks down
very often, as he did in his four-hour exclusive and ex
haustive narration to L R Jagadheesan:
partment of the city's electric train home late, and even started spend
tempting me next year with a till- ing the night outside. That was
then-inexperienced joy-ride in his when my family too started suspect
scooter. He was a doctor and what ing — that I might be visiting
mattered most at the end of the day , prostitutes. But not in the wildest
for the impressionable 12th stand of their dreams did they suspect that
ard student, that was me, was his I could be a homosexual. They
loving care and soothing words, wanted me to get married, and-I
unlike my parents' constant harp on promised do so after I settled down
my poor showing in education. It with a job.
I got selected for a constable's
was this 'friend' who introduced me
to the world of homosexuals. He post under the sports quota in 1986
took me to all the hofhosexual cruise but could not join, for other
and joints and got me introduced reasons. Then I got a khalasi job in
to all his 'friends.' Soon I became the Railways but gave it up, think
quite popular in that circle and was ing it was not up to my status,
especially when my brother and
the most-sought after partner.
elder sister were
I joined college
both well-placed. .1
and took up politi
explored a
few
cal science in my
business
pos
degree course. An
sibilities, but finally
active participant
ended up with the
in sports and the
family's
'goldNational
Cadet
covering' business.
Corps,I won many
It was then that an
an award
and
issue-less
grand
shield for state
$ aunt who
had
level
marathon
always had a softcompetitions. But I
comer
for
me
realised that my
bequethed me with
concentration was
two houses. With
gradually drifting
my financial posi
away from studies
tion and social
and sports to this
status
more or less
'new-found
comfortable,
I
decided to get mar
of girls never in
ried. A decision,
terested me, and
which
was
devious
doubts
motivated more so
pushed me further
by my homosexual
into my 'other
friends. 'Get mar
activity'. At times
ried, for loneliness
I used to return
■
I
^8
so
■■■
'
;
7~
..../
.......
-
......... —
Abnormality or Disease?
Homosexuality is a difficult thing for many people to un
derstand, leave alone accepting it and dealing with it.
Homosexuals are feared, ridiculed, ostracised, despised. But
you cannot pretend they do not exist. If in ancient Egypt
those who lost a battle were forced into such acts, in Greece
it was acceptable and proper. Hearer home, both Kama Sutra
and the Khajuraho sculptures are proof enough. Yet in
India where sex itself is considered a taboo, homosexuality
is the least discussed subject. What is the scientific explanation for this kind of human behaviour? Is it an abnormality
to be rectified, or a disease to be cured? Dr D Narayana
Reddy, Madras-based sexologist, clears the doubts and mis
conceptions that plague the layman. Excerpts from an
interview:
Is homosexuality the one main reason for AIDS?
AIDS was originally labelled as a homosexual dis
ease, but now it has been proved wrong. However,
homosexuals do run a higher risk than most others
excluding intravenous drug addicts. They also run the
same risks of acquiring sexually-transmitted diseases
ike gonorrhea, herpes and syphillis, as heterosexuals
do. Being careful in the choice of sexual partners or
having protective sex ma;ty help prevent the infection,
Why a homosexual?
No one can choose to be homosexual or heterosexual.
A homosexual orientation is a natural part of
someone's personality just as the heterosexual orien
tation is. And there is this difference between a true
homosexual and a person who has undergone a
homosexual experience. There are five different scales
between a true heterosexual and a true homosexual as
American researcher Kinsey points out.
Is the incidence of homosexuality on the rise?
No. By and large it has been at the same level. What
is on the increase is the awareness about this sexual
orientation, not the orientation per se. If studies put
37 per cent of all men and 13 per cent of women in
the US, and five per cent of the adult population in
is the worst thing that could overke you,' they would say. Life was
.king its own course, smoothly,
and I was happy for myself and for
everyone. But not for long.
Senthilvel, a friend of mine and
a volunteer in CAN (Community
Action Network, a social service or
ganisation) who knew about my
homosexual activities advised me to
get my blood tested for HlV-infection. I was so sure that I could never
contract AIDS that I never took him
seriously. 'AIDS is a foreigner's dis
ease, and only prostitutes could get
infected,' I would often dismiss his
suggestion.
Even seven months back when I
developed boils on the left side of
8
J
ft
the UK as homosexuals, Ashok
Row Kavi, of Bombay puts
the figure at 10 million in the
country, with another 40 millions having undergone some
sort of a homosexual experience. And ini a recent survey, I found that 2.61 per cent of the 8116 males
interviewed were homosexuals. But few among the
2157 females admitted to it.
What make them behave this way?
To be honest, nobody knows the answer. There are
many theories but none has been proved. And that
includes Kailman's genetic theory,
the hormone
theory, the psychoanalytic theory attributing it to
things like unhappy childhood, and the peer influence
theory. Only that in some cases people are deliberately
trying to give a genetic or hormonal tilt to claim
minority status and rights in countries like the US. The
issue is* more political than medical.
Can homosexuality be cured?
It is not a disease. Nor is it an aberration to be rec
tified. It is a sexual preference. Hence the question of
curing it does not arise. Nor can you convert a
true homosexual into an exclusive heterosexual.
’ ! or she may be made a bisexual. Anyway,
Maybe he
treatments like hormone replacement, psychoanalysis,
electric shocks and biofeedback have not helped
much.
What is 'gay' culture?
Gay culture is a sub-culture built around a homosexual.
If a person indulges in homosexual activities not just
for sexual release, but for emotional fulfilment as
well, he or she can be called a 'gay'.
Is homosexuality an obsession?
No. A normal homosexual can abstain from sex for
days together as a normal heterosexual can. But in
general homosexuals tend to have more sexual
partners than heterosexuals.
my abdomen, I never suspected
anything. I got myself checked with
a couple of skin specialists, who dis
missed them as herpes. 'Nothing to
worry,' they assured me. But wor
ried I was, for the boils spread on
to my hands, and I got myself ad
mitted in a private nursing home. A
young doctor there enquired about
my habits, and when I confessed to
everything, he asked me to go in
for a blood test.
By this time I had shifted to my
grandma's house nearby since my
parents didn't want the 'herpes
infection', as we were all still con
vinced about it, to spread. And at
the insistence of my doctor and also
my social worker-friend, I went to a
big hospital in the city for an Elisa
test, the preliminary blood-test for
HIV infection.
When I went to collect the report
after three days, I was told that the
doctor had gone abroad and would
return only after a week. That week
was one of the worst periods in my
life. I used to feel restless and lone
ly, and my only diversions were
music and books. By this time the
boils had disappeared, but the
anxiety and suspense over the blood
test result was too much.
When I went to meet the doctor after
the week was out, this time again with
the cousin who had accompanied me
for the blood test, he pronounced that
i had "tested HIV-positive, and
ASIDE
L
you wc
years'. I
Unable
doctor's
report t
reading
myself
tears. 'I
console
Westerr
prove i
Elisa is
Westen
for HIV
But nc
Everyth
my wor
ture. De
arms w
that too
ing
t
couldn'
came oi
didn't
How tc
the soci
to tell ’
tracted
'shamef
would
Everyth
swirled
dramat
fainted.
When
manage
grandn
my coi
help. K
ing abo
father t
blood t
someth
the for
forehea
('What
hold it
closed
broke ii
to trus
crying
The n
the wt
about
sorry
touch r
of infee
room i
came t
dow. Z
enough
away v
ASIDE
I
you would live for two to three too wanted to follow suit. When I and also the world. I did come
realised that I was the cause for this across some friends from my dark
years'. It was as simple as that.
Unable to react, I came out of the disintegration of the family, I past, and they too showed the same
doctor's room, andjianded over my decided to stay at the place my affection and love they had shown
report to the cousin. He was still grandmother had given me. From me earlier. It was also CAN that
whenever I feel like, I suggested I come out of my closet,
reading it, but I couldn't
hold then on,
myself any longer, and burst into visit my parents, but speak to them and serve the society instead, by nar
rating my tale, and by rendering
tears. 'Do not worry,' he tried to only from a distance.
It used to be terribly painful in the counselling service to the ignorant lot.
console me. 'We'll go in for the
Initially I was
reluctant for
Western Blot test wherein you may initial stages, but I couldn't help
various
reasons.
Well-wishers
dis
otherwise.
All
the
while,
it
has
been
prove negative.' And you know,
of mine, a suaded me from it, arguing that I
Elisa is only a preliminary test, and a close friend
Western Blot alone is confirmative businessman who had also been my would only end up making my life
'partner', who has stood by me, and more miserable than ever, having to
for HIV infection.
But nothing would console me. showered so much love, much more face antagonism from the society as
Everything was shattered, my life, than what my parents had given me well. I thought over it. After a
my world, and my dream for the fu all my lifetime. And in one of my period of mental agony and dilem
ture. Death was gaping at me, its desperate moments when I at ma I finally arrived at the decision
he who — that I should do something con
arms wide open. At the age of 32, tempted suicide, it was
dissuaded
me
against
it:
'You're structive before dying young, and
that too when everything was start
ing
to work out fine. I
couldn't digest the shock. I j
came out of the hospital, but
’
'' "1
didn't know where to go.
How to face my family and
t? • ’^7“?
the society, I wondered. How
to tell them that I had contracted the deadly and O
disease,
and H’
'shameful'
r-/
would die any moment.
r./. M ? I■ before
me |... .
Everything
swirled, call it cinematic, | 'i".'
dramatic or what, and I
fainted.
ucobsyou
I. recovered, I
I
When
managed to stagger to my
J [
1
•'
grandmother's house with
my cousin Sundaramurthy's
help. My family knew noth
ing about it, and my cousin told my going to die anyway. Why advance that I should dedicate my life to the
father that I was worried over some it? You can still live and do a lot of cause of AIDS patients.
I know what turmoil an AIDS victim
blood test report. My father smelt good for the society, and contribute
something fishy, and came in on in your own way to the AIDS goes through. I-have faced it myself.
the fourth day and caressing my awareness programme/ I must I also wanted the society to get to
forehead, asked me 'Ennada aachhu?' admit that it is his solace and con know his feelings, the miseries that
('What is the matter?'). I couldn't solation that has sustained me, and he has to face. And most importantly
hold myself any further, and dis restored my confidence in me, then I want people to know that AIDS
could spread through homosexuality
closed everything to him,
and and now.
It was also at this point of time that ’too, as in my case.
broke into inconsolable sobs. Unable
Four months back when CAN or
to trust his ears, he too started I came to be associated with the
an
AIDS
awareness
CAN organisation in Virugambak- ganised
crying and cursed the dieties.
The news spread within hours and kam, Madras. Senthilvel who had programme, 'Temple of Love', at
the whole family came to know known about my HIV condition got Marina beach, Madras, I publicly
about it. Every one was obviously me introduced to Dr Usha in CAN, confessed that I was an HIV-positive
sorry for me, but wouldn't dare who started off with counselling victim, dying young, and narrated
touch me, or come near me. For fear sessions, for both me and my family my story. Since then I have been
of infection, I was given a separate members. But for the moral support giving interviews and speeches, in
room in my own house, and food of these people, 1 would have per college seminars, to the rural masses,
came to be served through the win haps been dead long back. It was and general public, wherever pos
dow. As if this
isolation was not the CAN people who fished me out sible.
And in doing so I have incurred
enough, my elder brother moved of my depression. I gradually
away with his family, and my sister gained confidence to face myself. the wrath of a good number of
suriales
the
are
that
tone
t to
ence
ately
laim
The
rec
in of
ert a
xual.
way,
ggK/'.
ysis,
•Sped
h
xual.
just
nt as
x for
ut in
axual
i Elisa
ist for
report
lat the
would
week
in my
lone; were
ne the
it the
blood
?r after
in with
ied me
ed that
, and
ASIDE
' Sill
■
f
r-
>
ASIDE
—a
A
HSWsffii^ -wws
’
•
qfli
9
propaganda. *A second's careless
ness could ruin your life/ I tell my
audience. And it is no. use crying
over spilt milk, for it is known that
at a time when the victim is in ut
most need of love and affection,
everybody including his mother,
deserts him. I will be attending a
course in counselling in Vellore, and
also plan to visit Japan to attend
an AIDS awareness programme.
And in the near future, I would also
be going to the US to attend a semi
nar, to assess how they have
I am not dettered by all this, and successfully introduced safe sex in
am determined to go about with my the 'gay circuit' in California. And
people. My relatives hate me, and
treat me like dirt, claiming that I've
spoilt their name and honour. The
public refuses to even talk to me
when they come to know about my
condition. I have also been beaten up
by some of my sexual partners who
cry out that I might have in
fected them. I tty to reason out
even if I had, it was not done
with my knowledge. And the day I
came to know that I had AIDS, I have
abstained from sex altogether.
thus would my crusade against
AIDS continue.
I have nothing more to lose, nor
gain. I have already willed the
bequethed property
to the
children of my brother and sister,
and have asked my father to dispose off my share of the family
inheritance the same way. And I
would like to emphasise that I am
not lecturing at seminars and
giving interviews for publicity. I
want the message to get across,
and I will fight for the cause till
my last breath — now and
forever."
F
A
in
or£
An
pre
me
All
cor
. cas
un
sta
to
of
If
is
ho
se>
blc
trv
pe
se?
T
po
dif
me
so:
i.
Whither Help?
A cry perhaps typical to the Indian homosexual. For, outwardly he — Indian
homosexuals are mostly men — may appear to lead a life like anyone else
with his wife and kids but actually he is spending a lot of his time, cruising. The
mental turmoil in this apart, he is now threatened by another fear: AIDS.
them are homosexuals, and they
HP he invitation reads simple: majority of them tend to have mul seek clarifications later in private."
1 "The Community Action Net tiple partners. "We have worked
Kalaiarasan,
a commercial sex
work (CAN) invites you to the among them as part of our AIDS worker in Madras, concedes as
awareness
programme,"
says
Dr
S
launch of the HRSB intervention
the AIDS much. "It is true a homosexual has
and the positive people." Apart Sundararaman of
better
acceptance
in
'our
from the date, time, and place, and, Reserach Foundation of India community'. But if a heterosexual
(ARFty
who
has
been
into
social
intimating the invitee about an
makes a sincere attempt he too can
entertainment programme, there is work for over seven years. "We dis work among us on AIDS awareness.
also a one-liner: "Use condoms, stop tributed nearly 50,000 condoms," he It is his patience, sincerity and
AIDS." It doesn't convey anything adds, recalling how difficult it was dedication that matter, not his
much. A mere glance at the card, to establish a rapport with the
sexuality."
At
present
the
and "just another voluntary group 'pleasure circuit', who prefer to homosexual community lacks any
remain
unnoticed.
"They
don't
trust
to fight AIDS", you dismiss it.
such person to work among them.
That is what the media perhaps a heterosexual." and ARFI had to For a heterosexual to gain their con
did over the launch of a forum for recruit volunteers from within the fidence, understand their feelings,
HIV-positive people in Madras closed community to spread AIDS
he needs a lot of courage and will
recently. The forum is the first of awareness among them. And CAN s
five power — which very few possess.
its kind in the country, and the in Pradeep says he has
Going by American researcher Kin
homosexual-volunteers
working
vitees to the inaugural were either
sey
that "five per cent of all sexually
homosexuals or hijras. That the oc among this community in Madras.
active males are permanently - prac
Sundararaman
feels
there
is
need
casion provided the opportunity for
tising homosexuals," . you have
them all to exchange pleasantries to device a separate awareness around 10 million homosexuals and
apart it "was basically aimed at programme for the homosexuals. another 30-million bisexuals in India,
providing the homosexuals with all But says another researcher-cum-so- where 60 per cent of the 35-milthe support, and at imparting AIDS cial worker Dr Sunithi Solomon: lion male population is sexually
awareness among them", says K "Instead of segregating them, I
think, we can give the message to active. Applying the same scale to
Pradeep, CAN director.
Tamil Nadu, for instance, you
The homosexuals are more prone all. Wherever 1 address , people
have 8.5 lakh homosexuals in a
I
have
all
kinds
of
doubts.
Some
of
to AIDS than heterosexuals as a
pop
sus)
Inci
Asb
jour
Am
Eng
cop
by f
the
(ma
wit
■
■
WOT
4
300
ing
die
TI
sou
but
awi
ere;
con
rea.
Ind
hor
pra
cor
cul
Pra
soc
-
I cial
ASIDE
ASIC
10
1
,■
Jl
z
gainst
Figure it Out
nor
the
the
sister,
o disamily
And I
11 am
; and
city. I
across-,
use till
r and
AIDS. The word has no doubt generated a big noise
in all quarters, doctors, scientists and social welfare
organisations, voluntary and government-oriented.
And in spite of their anti-AIDS drive and prevention
programmes, neither the Centre nor the state govern
ments have fool-proof statistics on the prevalence of
AIDS. The available data is only of those people who
come in for blood tests, or those who are full-blown
. cases. That for each AIDS case reported, 10 others go
unreported or undetected is another matter. For in
stance, in deaths due to diarrhoea, no attempt is made
to find out if AIDS was the cause. The same is true
of other AIDS-related diseases.
If this is the case with statistics on AIDS patients, it
is worse when it comes to HIV-infection among
homosexuals. Detecting one is a herculean task, for the
sexual orientation of a person is not recorded when a
- ;HIV-infection.
— ’’ ' “
blood sample is tested2 for
The same is
cases of
true even in
i---------- voluntary
v bloodtests. Only
" a low
.
percentage of homosexuals are known
1~to
— admit
----- their
sexual behaviour,
aviuui, ItdlIllg
fearing DUViui
social condemnation.
......------ Thus an
—------positive patients among homosexuals is extremely
difficult to acquire. But a humble begining has been
made by Dr Suniti Solomon, formerly associate profes
sor in charge of the AIDS cell at the Madras Medical
nn
se
The
nd they
private."
cial sex
edes as
>xual has
zour
?rosexual
e too can
vareness.
irity <
not his
nt
the
acks any
•ng them,
their confeelings,
and will
possess.
rcher Kin11 sexually
itly- pracyou have
?xuals and
Is in India,
he 35-mil5 sexually
ie scale to
nee, you
uals in a
ASIDE
1
I
1
■I
College. Having started the Y R G Centre for AIDS
Research and Education after taking voluntary retire
ment, she has recorded the sexual history and
orientation of those who come for voluntary HTVtests, as seen from the table.
Homosexuals
Total
Year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
(till April)
Tested
HIV+
Tested
HIV+
224
236
560
1307
438
2
20
107
34
2
11
21
31
16
1
2
2
So far, 712 full-blown AIDS cases; have been
which three are
reported in India, of
which
homosexuals.
• Of
the 14,807 HIV-positive cases, 41 are
homosexuals (0.28 per cent).
• Among heterosexual men in the promiscuous
category 6,37/7 are HIV-positive (43.07 per cent).
Suniti Sploman feels among these, a sizable number
may be homosexuals leading a bisexual lifestyle. And
Tamil Nadu comes second after Maharashtra in the
•
1
•
hon.os.xu.1 in
Tamil Nadu.
Of the 5,65,126 blood samples screened, 2,766 are
confirmed HIV-positive.
with the same partner for three
population of 5.56 crores (1991 cen homosexuals are happy as they are, years
now. "I think the relation
sus), 60000 of them in Madras city. and don't want to come out," adds ship will last," he says adding.
Sundararaman.
Incidentally, a high figure, says
How does the. circuit operate? "There are 10 other couples like us
Ashok Row Kavi, the Bombay-based
Madras".
journalist-activist of the community. "Just as how the drug-peddlars or inCrimes,
black-mailing and suicides
the
prostitutes
operate,"
answers
And his magazine Bombay Dost in
may
all
be
incidental, but the per
English reportedly sells about 10,000 Sundararaman. "They have their petual problem of a homosexual is
copies in Madras. A WHO report own code words which they alone gaining social acceptance. "We are
by social worker Sunil Menon puts understand. They are familiar with ridiculed, abused, called names,
all the cruising areas
the number of MSM
from
parks
to and at times, beaten up. The same
(man having sex K
beaches,
from
rail
society which glorifies the likes of
with
man) sex g
way platforms
to 'Auto' Shankar and Phoolan Devi
workers in Madras at
public toilets." They treats us worse than criminals,"
3000, each attend- M
also have their own says Ganesh, a businessman, bitterly.
ing to one or two
' It is rather surprising that such a
pick-up points.
clients a day.
"It is in the way you community which has chosen to
The figures may |
communicate
with remain unnoticed and isolated so
sound
incredible, 1
far is waking up to form a forum of
the
other
person,"
but
very
little g
their own, even if only the HTVsays
Kalaiarasan.
awareness has been K
positive among them are its
And
in
the
commer
created about this g
members now. A factor basically
cial
'
circuit,
each
"The
community,
motivated by the fear of AIDS. The
person
is
alloted
an
reason is that in
forum could perhaps give them an
area
of
operation,
have
India
we
and there are brokers opportunity to gain sympathy, if not
homosexuality as a
respect, and give them a chance to
too.
practice,
or as a
interact and impart the message of
But
there
are
those
concept, but not as a
like Raghu, a 24- AIDS prevention. Which is only the
says
culture,"
year-old
student latest and the most significant of all
"Our
Pradeep.
their struggles.
working
’
part-time,
society is homo-so- |
Reported by L ^Jagadfieesan, Madras
who
has
been
living
ciable.
The
—
I
ASIDE.
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MYTHS AND REALITY - LESBIANISM
After the screening of the film Fire, there has been a lot of debate and discussion around the issue of lesbianism.
Some of us - groups and individuals- have been meeting to discuss our concerns and we would like to share our
views with you.
Lesbianism (or "samyonikta" or "stree-samlaingikta" in Hindi) is a sexual relationship between two women. Sexuality
has always been a difficult subject to discuss in our society, therefore, till very recently the discussions around lesbianism
in India have consisted of speculative and sensational articles in the media. Moreover, because of fear and prejudice,
lesbians themselves have not spoken of their own lives. This silence and secrecy has resulted in a lot of misrepresentation
and perpetuation of myths around lesbians and lesbian lives.
Some of the common myths are:
MYTH: Lesbianism is an import from the West.
REALITY: The invisibility of lesbians in India has led to the belief that lesbianism is a western phenomenon. During
the last 35 - 40 years there have been numerous movements, studies, and research that has built up around Gay
and Lesbian issues in a number of Western countries. Various colleges and universities offer courses in Gay and
Lesbian Studies and the movement has been able to create a public space for discussion. Gay and Lesbian lifestyk
are now very visible in the West because of a strong human rights movement. More and more countries ha\^
decriminalised homosexuality. For example, in South Africa the constitution has made discrimination against lesbian
and gays illegal.
An archaic law formulated by the government under Queen Victoria, which criminalised homosexuality in the British
Empire, has now been scrapped in England whereas in India these laws are still in force. It is in fact the criminalisation
of homosexuality that is a western import.
MYTH: Lesbianism is a psychological problem.
REALITY: Mental health professionals no longer consider lesbianism an illness or a problem. Most unfortunately,
some ill-informed psychiatrists lead their clients to believe that sexual orientation can be "cured" and have experimented
with aversion therapy etc. This is a dangerous trend and goes against human rights, and medical studies, ethics
and opinion that clearly state the opposite.
MYTH: Women become lesbians because they have had bad experiences with men.
REALITY: If all women who have had bad experiences with men become lesbians, then there would be more lesbians
than heterosexual women. Bad experiences with men do not "make" heterosexual women lesbians. In the same
way, a lesbian's bad experience with a woman does not "make" her heterosexual.
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SHAME, GUILT AND SECRECY AROUND LESBIANISM?
•
A discussion around sexuality, especially women's sexuality, has always been difficult in our society. This has
reinforced the silence and invisibility around lesbianism. When a woman feels "differently", sexually and emotionally,
she is questioning the norms of a society that views only heterosexuality as "normal". The media and other institutions
project only heterosexual lifestyles and role models. This "compulsory heterosexuality" makes it very painful for
lesbians to accept their own sexuality. Is it any surprise that there is so much guilt and shame associated with
something that so fundamentally challenges one's social conditioning?
•
Women are seen as the upholders of family and traditional values. When one identifies as a lesbian, one challenges
patriarchal structures. Within families, lesbians come under tremendous pressure to conform and are often forced
into marriages. Lesbians who have managed to opt out of marriages choose to keep silent about their relationships.
•
Anyone who looks, behaves or lives "differently" from the norms laid down by a traditional, patriarchal structure
is made to feel shame.
This note has been issuedin the puttie interest by The Campaign for Lesbian Rights - a group of individuals
and organisations who feel strongly that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation/ preference is a violation
of basic human rights. For further information you may contact us at: caleri@hotmail.com. or at P.O. Box 3526;
Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi - 110024 until March 31, 1999.
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i Piikaar
the newsletter of
Naz Foundation International
ISSUE 25
APRIL 1999
South Asia, many NGOs, donor agencies and
government institutions working in the field of SID/
HI V7AIDS prevention and control speak of''gender ",
’'empowerment’',and "women taking control of their
sexual health''. In this context, gender, of course,
means women.
But this "gender" exists in a polarised, hierarchical,
and dichotomised world, where masculine power is
thecontrolling framework. Nor does this gender take
into account other alternate genders in the region,
such as hijras and kotkis. Even adolescent males can
at times he gendered as a sexual object of "masculine"
males. South Asia is a midtEgendered region!
For women's empowerment to he truly developed
and effective there is a need to take into account the
socio-cultural-religious power of "masculine men".
The phallic man’s existence and power should he
strenuously challenged and addressed for any STI)/
HIV7AIDS prevention and control strategies to he
effective and sustained.
An
H I V / A I DS
Journal
With
International
News
And
Features
The Naz Foundation is an international development agency
specialising in the sexual and reproductive health of males
who have sex with males in South Asia
Mission Statement
We will work in the Asia region to ensure that issues of
sexualities and all types of sexual practices, with the HIV/
AIDS and human rights concerns that arise from them, are
appropriately and adequately addressed in the provision of
HIV/AIDS and sexual health services
Wherever possible we will provide technical assistance,
capacity building and support to local sexual networks, groups
and organisations for the development of community-based
and beneficiary-led HIV/AIDS and sexual health services and
advocate on their behalf.
We believe in the innate capacity of local peoples to develop
their own appropriate sexual health services, where the
beneficiaries of a service are also the providers of that service.
We will always support such initiatives.
Naz Foundation’s Ethical Policy
Naz Foundation is an international development agency focusing on male
to male sexualities and sexual health concerns in South Asia. In its work
Naz Foundation will fully consider the implications of males who have sex
with males, for themselves, for any male or female sexual partners such
males may have, and for any clients of those males who do sex work.
In this work Naz Foundation will be guided by the folowing principles:
1. promoting the reproductive and sexual health of males who have sex
with males by encouraging sexual responsibility and safer sexual
practices
2. encouraging males who have sex with males to access STD treatment
whenever necessary
3. respecting confidentiality in the relationship between males and their
sexual partners and/or clients
4. promoting the protection of children and non-consenting adults from
abusive sexual relationships
5. promoting the reproductive and sexual health of any female partners
of males who have sex with males by encouraging greater sexual
responsibility of their male partners
6. encouraging communication of sexual health information between
sexual partners and promoting partner notification of STD/HIV
infection, irrespective of the gender of the partner
7. working with female reproductive and sexual health services in order
to facilitate appropriate access to infected female partners of males
who have sex with males.
Naz Foundation
Bharosa Project
Naz Foundation of Canada
technical assistance
resource development
training
behavioural research
Executive Director: Shivananda Khan
Tel:
+44(0) 181 563 0191
Fax:
+44(0) 181 741 9841
email: Nazfounduk@compuserve.com
Palingswick House, 241 King Street,
London W6 9LP, UK
Lucknow, India
providing
providing
providing
Partner Agencies
Naz Project London
male sexual health services
female sexual health services
client support services
community education
Director:
Krishna Maharaj
Tel:
0181 741 1879
Fax:
0181 741 9609
email.nazlon@dircon.co.uk
Palingswick House, 241 King Street,
London W6 9LP, UK
providing
Naz Foundation India Trust
Sahodaran Project
technical assistance
resource development
training
behavioural research
Director:
Al-Qamar Sangha
Tel:
+1 604 528 9275
Fax:
+1 604 528 ^275
Address: Box 345-1027 Davies Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 4L2
Tamil Nadu, India
providing
Naz Foundation in Germany
male sexual health services
community education
Project Coordinator: Arif Jafar
tel:
+91 522 208689
Address: 21/6/5 Peerpur House, 8 Tilak Marg
Lucknow, 226 001, India
male sexual health services
community education
Executive Director: Lalita Kumaramangalam
Project Coordinator: Sunil Menon
Tel:
+91 44 825 2869
Fax:
+91 44 825 2859
email:
sahodara@md3.vsnl.net.in
Address: 1st Floor, 127 Sterling Road,
Chennai, 600034, India
SHRAMA
Cochin, India
providing
male sexual health services
Project Coordinator: Shikand Rajan
tel:
+91 484 354549
Address: Kolangat House, Pullepady Road
Cochin 682 016, India
New Delhi, India
providing
male sexual health services
female sexual health services
client support services
community education/training
Executive Director: Anjali Gopalan
Tel:
+91 11 685 9113/1970/1971
Fax:
+91 11J585 9113
emailail: info@N’az.unv.emet.in
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 3910, Andrews Gunj,
New Delhi 110 049, India
Office address:
D-45 Gulmohar Park
New Delhi 110049, India
Praajak
Calcutta, India
providing
male sexual health services
community education
Project Coordinaor: Deep Purkayastha
Tel:
+91 33 400 0455
Fax:
+91 33 400 0592
Address: 468A Block K, New Alipore,
Calcutta 700 053, India
Bandhu Social Welfare Society
Dhaka, Bangladesh
providing
mate sexual health services
community education
Project Coordinator: Shale Ahmed
Tel:
+880 2 933 9898
Fax:
+880 2 835224
email:
bandhu@bdmail.net
Address: 106/2 Kakarail,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Naz Foundation is a Charitable Company
Limited by Guarantee (England).
Registration No. 3236205
Registered Charity No. 1057778,
Registered Office
Palingswick House, 241 King Street, London W6
9LP, UK
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 2
Representative:
Ali Firat
Tel:
+49 30 32 60 82 31
Fax:
+ 49 30 32 60 82 31
Address: c/o BGTM, Oranienstr. 34
Berlin 10999, Germany
Change of Address?
Please make sure that if you are
changing your address/telephone
number, that you inform Naz Ki
Pukaar in order that we can send our
newsletter to the right address and
keep our records up to date. All Naz
information is strictly confidential.
Naz Ki Pukaar is produced and
published by:
Naz Foundation
Palingswick House, 241 King Street
London W6 9LP, UK
Printed and distributed by:
Shivlok Enterprises
A/15 2nd Floor, Krishna Park,
Devli Road, New Delhi 110062, India
The Naz Foundation
Comment
Conspicuous by their absence?
Men who have sex with men in developing countries - implications for HIV prevention
The text below is drawn from the concluding statement of a paper
written by Richard Parker, Shivananda Khan and Peter Aggieton,
with the above title andpublished in Critical Public Health, September
1998
Ultimately, the kinds of prevention programmes that have been
implemented for men who have sex with men in the different
countries and regions of the developing world are a testament to the
perseverance and courage of community activists and community
based organisations that have confronted ongoing stigma,
discrimination, and in some cases, outright violence yet have persisted,
often with impressive success, in the face of such difficult conditions.
These programmes have demonstrated the fundamental importance
of recognising the diversity of men who have sex with men, as well
as of the HIV prevention and broader sexual health needs that these
men have. Precisely because in so many contexts outside of the
industrialised Western world, concepts such as ‘homosexuality’,
‘bisexuality’ and ‘gayness’ have little meaning, prevention
programmes have necessarily drawn upon a range of local vocabularies
and conceptual frameworks in order to develop messages and to
create culturally appropriate contexts for risk reduction and safer sex.
Yet they have also recognised the fundamental changes that are
taking place in cultures and communities around the globe at the end
of the twentieth century, as processes of globalisation, late-industrial
capitalism, and HIV/AIDS itself have influenced the gradual
emergence of gay and other alternative subcultures even in settings
that until quite recently had organised same-sex experience in quite
different ways and HIV prevention has itself become an important
motor of change in building and mobilising such communities as part
of a broader process of political awareness and mobilisation.
Yet if subh experiences have highlighted the degree to which HIV
prevention is more dependant upon a transformation of consciousness
on the part of vulnerable communities than on the technocratic
delivery of large-scale education programmes, the sad history of
denial and neglect that has so clearly characterised the international
response to the needs of men who have sex with men reveals
something ofthe moral bankruptcy with which we have addressed the
male sex workers in Calcutta
.J
—
I
■
two young men in a park in Bangladesh
global pandemic. Responding to HIV and AIDS has been acceptable
only to the extent that vulnerability can be packaged in politically
acceptable or appealing ways, and the long history of blame that has
so often characterised the social response to AIDS in the AngloEuropean world has sadly been reproduced and extended in other
parts of the world. The assertion, heard repeatedly in countries like
the United States, that HIV infection has moved from socially
privileged groups such as gay men into marginalised communities of
colour (wh'ch may represent epidemiological fact, but at best a
questionable sociological formulation), seems to have been reproduced
internationally in the perverse assertion that only those perceived to
be innocent victims of HIV infection merit official attention and that
to expose the HIV-related vulnerability of undesirable groups such as
sex workers, injecting drug users, and, above all, men engaging in
same-sex relations, is somehow to question the nobleness of the
cause.
The notion that gay men in the industrialised West are somehow
a privileged population must of course come as a surprise to anyone
who has suffered (as virtually all gay men in the Anglo-European
world surely have) discrimination in employment opportunities,
denial of immigration and inheritance rights, the threat and often the
reality of both verbal and physical violence and abuse, and the almost
constant experience of stigma and difference in everyday life. The
notion that men who have sex with men in the countries of the
developing world, who live with almost intolerable levels of
discrimination and violence on a daily basis (and who at least thus far
have rarely benefited from the kinds of civil rights protections that
have gradually been put into effect in at least a few settings in the
industrialised West), are somehow less worthy of their status as
especially vulnerable to HIV infection is, if anything, even more
perverse and unjust. Conspicuous by their absence, the widespread
denial of the needs of men who have sex with men in the developing
world is another example of the long record of neglect that should
bring shame not only to government agencies and international
donors, but to all of us who work not only for an end to the epidemic,
but also for a more just and tolerant world.
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 3
Naz Foundation
Naz Foundation Training Manuals
male to male sexualities and sexual behaviours
Male to male sexualities and sexual behaviours in South
Asia
A 127 page training
manual for developing
sexual
and
reproductive health
programmes.
For policy makers,
management
and
programme
staff
working in the field of
HIV/AIDS prevention
and control
male to male sexualities and sexual
behaviours In South Asia
The training manual
a training manual for developing
details a 3 day
sexual and reproductive health programmes
for poOcy makare, managamant, and program™ itatt
intensive workshop
working In ttw fteM of MV/AIDS pravondon and coMrof
towards enabling
Shivananda Khan
Naz Foundation
participants
to
understand the context
of male to male sexual
behaviours and develop frameworks of addressings issues and and
sexual health needs
Project Development: Volume I
sexual health promotion for males who have sex with males
A 221 page training
manual
for
peer
intervention projects.
The training manual
details a 6 day intensive
workshop for males who
have sex with males who
are developing a sexual
health
promotion
service.
It explores:
the
socio-cultural
context of male to male
sexualities and sexual
health concerns in South
Asia
sexual behaviours
stereotypes
cultural and social ______
expectations
the body
local structures of male to male sex
mapping the area
sexual health
STDs/HIV/AIDS
prevention
sharing information
Project Development: Volume II
developing sexual health promotion projectsfor males who have sex
with males
A 125 page training
manual on capacity
■■■■ v <
SL
building for developing a
sexual health promotion
project. The training
manual details a 5 day
intensive workshop for
males who have sex with
males
on
project
development
and
management.
It contains:
developing project goals
and purposes
project development: volume II
promoting behaviour
a training manual
kx
artd
wortawa wwktn® in paw tafcwvwMkjn
change
programs prwidfcvg
Maltb pwotioo
I wlM htov» MX tri*. RUUM to
A»ia
developing appropriate
services
Mat FoUftdHIMlt
approaches to education
and prevention
resource development
project implementation
organisational structures
project management
developing policies
monitoring and evaluation
Also includes 20 overhead transparencies.
im m
Male sexual behaviours and STD/HIV prevention
a peer educators training manual
A183 page training manual
for peer educators. The
training manual details a 5
day intensive workshop.
’
• r -••••■
•
' :
It explores:
the socio-cultural context
of male sexualities and
sexual health concerns in
South Asia
sexual behaviours
...
stereotypes
male
sexual behaviours
social
cultural and
and STD/HIV prevention
expectations
the body
a training manual for peer educators
local structures of male to
male sex
6N vanaruia Khan
Foundation
mapping the area
sexual health
STDs/HIV/AIDS
prevention
sharing information
It also includes 54 overhead transparencies which are a part of the
training programme.
11
project development: volume I
NmFmnmM*''
Also includes 61 overhead transparencies pack which are a part of the
training programme, and a 62 page booklet on ’’setting the context"
for the workshop, consisting of a range of reading material for the
facilitator.
Project Workbook
for sexual health projects for males who have sex with males
Consists of a range of documents to assist new and emergent sexual
health promotion projects, including sample monitoring forms, job
descriptions, policies and guidelines. This resource book is a valuable
guide and assistance tool for developing new projects.
Naz Ki PUkaar Page 4
News
AIDS and Men: Taking Risks or Taking Responsibility?
A new book - “AIDS and Men: Taking Risks or Taking
Responsibility” published in December 1998 and edited by Martin
Foreman of Panos Institute, brings to the fore the concept that men
are the driving factor behind AIDS pandemic.
In every country, the behaviour of men drives the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. Men tend to have more sexual partners than women and therefore more opportunity to contract and transmit the virus.
Men generally decide the frequency and form of intercourse - and
many men refuse to use condoms or to have fewer sexual partners.
Men are more likely than women to inject drugs - and sharing
needles allows the virus to pass quickly from one person to
another. Some men have sex with other men - and in some
societies the authorities refuse to acknowledge such behaviour
exists.
Men’s behaviour is frequently determined by social concepts
which identify masculinity with sexual prowess - in many cultures
to “be a man” is to have frequent sexual intercourse, often with
more than one partner - and with risk, such as using drugs or
refusing condoms.
Men’s actions make women vulnerable. Not only do many men
prevent women from protecting themselves, but women are
physiologically more susceptible to HIV than men. Worldwide,
the number of women with the virus is growing at a faster rate than
the number of men; sometime in the next decade there may be
more women than men living with HIV.
Programmes devised to persuade men to change their sexual
behaviour have not always been successful. It may be that deep-
rooted changes in society’s concepts of masculinity are needed
before the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be contained.
AIDS and Men illustrates the above points with reports from
eleven countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Eastern Europe.
These include
- domestic violence in Mexico
- changing attitudes towards sexual behaviour in Tanzania
- men, religion and HIV in Ghana,
- male adolescence and sex education in Uganda
- men who have sex with men in Kenya
- drug injection in Russia
- men in prison in Brazil
- men in the military in Malawi,
- men living with HIV in Thailand
- men as fathers in the Ivory Coast
- HIV prevention programmes directed at men in Bangladesh
This book challenges many concepts in the way HIV prevention
programmes have been developed, how women have been
victimised as the “carriers of AIDS”, and how reliance has often
been put upon women to change men’s behaviours. It is time to
recognise the urgent need to teach men sexual responsibility.
For a copy of the book, price £15.95 (sterling) contact AIDS
Programme, Panos Institute, 9 White Lion Street, London N1
9PD, UK, fax: +44 171 278 1111,
email: aids@panoslondon.org.uk. or from Zed Books, 7 Cynthia
Street, London N1 9JFfax: +44 171 833 3960
Email: sales @ zedbooks. demon, co. uk
Family disowns HIV patient
“China Faces Increased Spread of HIV”
Two years ago, Paul, an assistant accounts manager in an international
pharmaceutical company at Chandigarh, was thrown out of his job
when a routine blood test, done as a part of his company’s policy,
showed he was HIV positive. Paul, who is in his forties, belongs to
one of the most prestigious families of Bangalore. When they learned
of his HIV status, they threw him out too.
Today he stays at Snehsadan, a shelter for HIV/AIDS victims in
the city and works as a bartender in a hotel. Paul’s story dates back
to a cylinder explosion in 1995 at Chandigarh in which he lost both
his wife and 16-year-old daughter and was severely burnt himself.
Admitted to a Bangalore nursing home, he was given 15 bottles of
blood. It wasn’t until he went through a blood test one-and-a-half
years later that he learned of his HIV status.
Paul, who thinks he was infected with the disease after the blood
transfusion he was given following the cylinder burst, says, “I was
devastated when I came to know that I was HIV positive. All my life
I have been a one-woman man. I don’t know if my relatives,
especially my brother, donated contaminated blood since I am
involved in a property litigation with him.” When his company,
which had earlier offered to take him back after his accident, learned
that he was HIV positive, it lost no time in firing him.
“When I was burnt in the cylinder explosion, the company asked
me to resign, saying that once I was okay I could re-join them. But
when I went back and the fitness test showed I was HIV positive, they
threw me out. I was wrecked. By the tragedy of losing my family and
of seeing myself on the streets with a disease for which I was not
responsible.”
Paul returned to Bangalore, expecting to be welcomed by his
family. His father was a former general manager in the railways, and
his mother is a prominent social worker in the city. “I thought they
would accept me, especially as my mother does a lot of social work,
helping a great many people. But to my distress, I was told to leave
and never to come back. I became a vagabond.” Years ago, Paul’s
grandfather had started the Malleswaran Cooperative Society.
Asian Age 03/12/1998.
While China has downplayed the incidence and prevalence of sexually
transmitted diseases and factors leading to STDs in the country for a
number of years, the government seems to be making more of an
effort to be open about the subject in order to address and prevent the
spread of HIV. Some public health experts fear that high HIV levels
exist in China and that the country may have a problem similar to that
in Africa. China has taken steps to try and prevent further spread, by
banning the sale ofblood for transfusion as of October 1; approximately
17 percent of HIV cases in China were the result of tainted blood
products. At a recent meeting in Geneva, the Chinese vice minister of
public health, Dakui Yin, said that of the more than 10 million
Chinese who had been tested for HIV antibodies through March
1998, nearly 10,000 were positive. Yin noted that two-thirds of the
infections were the result of injection drug use. The government’s
goal is to keep the number of infected people under 1.5 million by
2010, Yin said. However, Dr. David Ho, director of research at the
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre in New York, asserts that
there may already be as many as 400,000 HIV Infections in China, as
estimated by the World Health Organisation. Ho, who has travelled
to China every year for the past five or six years, adds that the virus
has spread to other provinces besides Yunnan, which has the highest
number of infections in China.
Nature Medicine (11/98) Vol. 4, No. 11, P. 1216; Watanabe, Myrna
PM reassures women over law
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has dismissed suggestions
that his proposed Islamic Shariah law would shackle women to the
home.
He promised that women would have a greater role in society if the
reluctant Senate pass his constitutional amendment to adopt it. Many
ordinary women fear that Pakistan's more liberal attitude to women
will harden and perhaps become similar to the radical policies of the
Islamic Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, which has banned
women from most work and schooling outside the home.
Eastern Eye, 27/1/98
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 5
News
Archbishop urges dream of world without war
A score of 90 wives at 74, but he remains insatiated
(excerpt)
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, News Staff Writer
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu danced in the streets of
Denver on Saturday.
The ebullient 67-year-old Nobel laureate grinned and swayed
with nearly 300 high school students at a street party downtown. Then
he got down and watched some break dancers spin.
All in the name of peace.
Tutu told the teens who are participating in a Peace Jam Youth
Conference this weekend at Regis University to dream of a world
without war and to make peace in their own communities.
“Your dreams are really God’s dreams. Do what you can now,”
Tutu said.
During a session at Regis, Tutu talked about what his priorities are
now that South Africans are beginning to heal from apartheid.
When a student asked Tutu what injustice he would most want to
reverse, he gave a surprising answer.
“Will you give me two?” he said with a grin.
First, Tutu called on world leaders to forgive the mounting debts
owed by developing nations. Then he said the persecution of
homosexuals is as unjust as apartheid.
Sexual orientation is just like race. Tutu said. People do not decide
to be gay any more than they decide to be black or white, he said.
Tutu condemned the killing of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming last
month.
“For me it’s a matter of human rights and a deeply theological
issue,” Tutu said. “I believe they are as much God’s children as
anyone.... I can’t be part of a scheme for clobbering them.” ....
excerpt from Rocky Mountain News, 15/11/98
If marriages are really made in heaven, then the Almighty surely must
have spent a long while working on this man’s marital fate. The man
is only ten short of a century. With 90 wives in tow, 74-year-old
Udayanath Dakhin Ray has only one ambition left. “I must have 100
wives before I die. In fact, I know I will, he says determinedly.
It is difficult to believe that this man who compares his wives to
his shoes, was once a staunch believer in monogamy. His Msadventure, however, began when his first wife Sibapriya was taken
away from him by his in-laws. In a bid to get her back, Udayanath
filed a suit against them which got him only a liability of Rs 3 lakh.
And thus began his tale of revenge.
Bom in 1924 in Keonjhar district’s Orali village, Udaynath got his
B.Sc. degree from City College, Calcutta. He married Sibapriya, the
daughter of an influential man of Dhenkanal. Polygamy, however,
was not new ground for Udaynath. His father had two wives. His first
father-in-law, too, had an extramarital relationship. Within 14 days
of his marriage, he swore to have as many as 100 wives and “set an
example”.
“I am not proud of my record. But it is something that I will do,”
Udaynath says. Strangely, one of his daughters, Mitarani, a Plus-Ill
student at Bhadrak College, supports his view. “It’s a glorious thing
that he wants to do. In olden days, many kings had more than one
wife,” she says. Money was never an obstacle in Udaynath’s path. His
family received nakhraji rights from the king of Keonjhar for looking
after famine victims for an entire year. Being the eldest son, Udaynath
had exclusive rights over the family’s properties. Added to this, he
received 420 acres of land from his childless uncle. He now has seven
sons and five daughters from his 90 wives. Although 24 of his wives
are already dead, Udaynath still desires to add another 10 to his “bevy
of maharanis.” Asian Age 17/11/98
AIDS in India - invisible no longer
(from UNAIDS update, 31 December 1999)
By the end of 1998, according to new estimates from the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health
Organisation (WHO), the number of people living with HIV will
have grown to 33.4 million -10% more than just one year ago. The
epidemic has not been overcome anywhere. Virtually every country
in the world has seen new infections in 1998 and the epidemic is out
of control in India.
Until recently, it was commonly assumed that HIV infection in the
worlds second most populous country was concentrated in urban sex
workers and their clients and also among IVDUs living in the
Northeastern states. The last round of sentinel surveillance in antenatal
clinics show that in at least five states more than 1% of pregnant
women in urban areas are now infected.
India’s rural areas, home to 73% of the country’s 930 million,
were thought to be relatively spared from the epidemic. However,
new studies have shown that in some areas, HIV infection has
become increasingly common in villages as well as in the cities. A
recent survey of randomly selected households in Tamil Nadu found
that 2.1 % of the adult population living in the countryside were HIV
infected, as compared with 0.7% of the urban population. For this
small state with a population of 25 million, the study’s findings
suggest that there are close to half a million people already infected
with HIV in Tamil Nadu. Considering that nearly 10% of the people
surveyed had gonorrhoea, syphilis or another sexually transmitted
disease, HIV clearly has fertile ground for further transmission.
The virus is firmly embedded in the general population, found
among women whose only risk behaviour is having sexual relations
with their own husbands. In a study of nearly 400 women visiting
STD clinics in Pune, 93% were married and 91% had never had sex
with anyone except their husband. All of these women were infected
with a sexually transmitted disease, and a shocking 13.6% of them
tested positive for HIV.
Internet posting from Global Health Council
300000 Bangladeshi children sold to Indian
brothels
India has become a major hub in the illegal trafficking of people in
Asia, with thousands of women and children sold into prostitution
either arriving in India, transiting or being shipped out every year.
According to the details of a UN report published in December in
New Delhi, some 200,000 Nepalese women and girls, together with
around 300,000 Bangladeshi children have been sold to Indian
brothels in recent years.
India also serves as the main transit point for Bangladesha and
Nepalese women being smuggled to the Middle-East.
“Estimates put the figures at more than two million women in
commercial sex work in India, of which 25 per cent are below 18
years, said the ‘trade in human misery’ report compiled by the UN
Development Fund for Women.
“More than 90 per cent of theme are of Indian origin and about 5
per cent from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Whilst prostitution remains the main purpose of illegal traffficking,
other areas where women and children get trapped include the carpet,
garment, fishing and brick industries.
The UN report said more than two million children were abused
and trafficked globally every year with Southeast and Sbuth Asia
taking the lead. The Daily Star, Dhaka, 15/12/98
18-year-old girl forced to marry 8-year-old boy
An 19-year-old girl was forced ipto marrying the eight-year-old
brother of her husband who was massacred in a caste conflict so that
the compensation money would stay within the family, a newsweekly
reported in Delhi.
Punia Devi told the Week magazine that her in-laws foced her into
marrying Dhaman Chaudry in November 1998 so that they did not
have to part the 200,000 rupees (US dollars 4,700) she got from the
government for the deaths of her husband and two children.
The Independent, Dhaka, 13/12/98
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 6
News
Vietnam Will Require 180 Million Condoms by
Early 2000s
Vietnam will need almost 180 million condoms a year early next
century to help prevent the spread of HIV, according to a study by the
National AIDS Committee. The committee also reported that the
annual expenditure for condoms could double over the next five
years, with $2 million being spent next year. The study was presented
Thursday at a meeting on contraceptive requirements in Hanoi that
focused on ways to address the $55 million in funding needed for
contraceptives through the year 2007 in Vietnam.
Contraceptive use has increased by 2 percent annually over the
last eight years, according to the report, a sea-aids posting, 26/11/98
US, Kazkhstan, South Asia top list of worst child
abuse in labour report
In 1997 a group of children was arrested in Jeddah. Their crime? The
children were allegedly concealing heroin on their bodies. Accused
of drug trafficking, the group, comprising infants, has since been tried
and sentenced to death.
In February, last year, a 14-year-old boy testified that he was
stripped and given electric shocks by policemen in Turkey. Though
a member of the Turkish Parliament made a statement that he saw the
boys blindfolded and naked, the 10 accused police officers were let
off.
Many such incidents scarred the record books last year as the
treatment of children plummeted from bad to worse. South Asia,
Kazkhstan, the US, and West Asia topped the list of offenders as far
as mistreatment of children was concerned in a year in which ill
treatment and torture of children were a major issue. As governments
around the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the attention in the field of children’s
rights seems to be shifting from stories of young children sewing
Nike soccer balls in Pakistan sweatshops or child labourers in India’s
carpet sector to torture, disappearance and killings of children
according to a report released here on Monday by Child Labour
Action Network.
A new trend of intense violence against children was noted around
the world.
According to the UN human development report at least 1.3 billion
people live on an income of less than $ 1 a day. Feedback received by
the Child Labour Action Network suggests that 117 governments
torture their citizens; at least 55 governments unlawfully kill their
citizens; at least 40 governments jail prisoners of conscience; at least
31 governments make their citizens disappear and at least 40
governments execute their citizens.
The report points out that while the issue of torturing children in
Congo, Venezuela, India and Bahrain were taken up by NGOs, the
disappearance of children made headlines in Argentina and Australia.
The disappearance of hundreds of children took place years earlier
but the cases were reopened in 1998 and created quite a stir in
Argentina and Australia. In Pakistan the year spelled gloom for
children. Seven children were sentenced to death for drug trafficking
by Saudi Arabia. Many others were taken from madrasas and sent to
Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were not far behind in child torture. In
Sri Lanka children suffered not only at the hands of government
forces but the LTTE also killed seven children. The Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Elam was also investigated by the UN special rapporteur for
using children as soldiers.
Sexual abuse of children formed a major form of torturing
children. In April, last year, women and children in Manipur and
Assam were subjected to abuse at the hands of Indian security forces.
The National Human Rights Commission took up cases only to be
told that the behaviour of the Army was outside its jurisdiction.
The case of illegal detention of a schoolboy by the 17th Rajputana
NonoxynoI-9 “an HIV threat” by Roger Goode
Gay men are being urged to stop using any products containing the
spermicide nonoxynol-9 after tests on mice revealed it could be
helping to spread HIV when used during anal sex.
Nonoxynol-9 is found in a wide range of lubricants, including
those put directly on to many condoms by their manufacturers. It is
used to kill sperm and to help prevent the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases such as hepatitis and herpes. Many gay men also
use nonoxynol-9 lubricants to provide an additional barrier to HIV.
But research by scientists at New York’s Population Council
research laboratories now suggests the chemical may attack rectal
linings, creating hundreds of tiny lesions which could dramatically
increase the chances of infection taking place. The chemical is
thought to do far less damage in the vagina.
In experiments, hundreds of mice had nonoxynol-9 put into their
rectums before being inoculated rectally with HSV-2, the herpes
simplex virus. Astonishingly, in a group of 40 mice given high doses
of nonoxynol-9, all but three later developed herpes. None of the mice
in a control group receiving a saline lubricant became infected.
“We are advising that until tests are completed on humans, gay
men should not use any products with nonoxynol-9 in them, including
condoms,” said leader of the research team Dr David Phillips.
“Surveys in the United States have shown that many gay men use
nonoxynol-9 lubricants as an additional precaution. It is quite possible
that HIV may have been transmitted this way along with many other
diseases. It will be a year before the effects on humans can be
established.”
The London International Group, manufacturer of the Durex
range, does not put nonoxynol-9 on its Ultra Strong condom, the only
one ofits brands suggested, unofficially, for gay sex, nor its Gossamer
or Select ranges. But it is used with the Elite, Featherlite. Extra Safe
and Safeplay Durex brands. The latter two are sometimes used by gay
men through preference or because of confusion over their names.
Mates Super Strong, also indirectly recommended for gay sex,
does not have nonoxynol-9, though other Mates brands do.
A Mates spokeswoman said: “Since 14 June we have been subject
to an EU directive which requires nonoxynol-9 to be indicated on
condom packs but not on the foil wrappings. Older ones may not carry
this advice.”
Stephen Speight, deputy director ofThe Metro centre in Greenwich,
one of many organisations around the country working directly with
gay men in bars and clubs, said they had always offered a choice of
strong condoms because of the problems nonoxynol-9 caused.
“This research does not exactly surprise us and in future we may
have to replace choice with a recommendation,” he said. “Our policy
is to make sure gay men are fully informed of all the options.”
Positive Nation, October 98
Rifles in Manipur caused an international uproar and Amnesty
International made an appeal for his release. The boy never returned.
“The situation in the Northeast is prevailing in contravention of
the Child Right’s Convention, to which India is a signatory. Similar
trends were noticed in other parts of the world including Argentina
and Bahrain,” the report added.
Releasing the report, chairman of the Child Labour Action Network
J. Gathia said: “Despite the bleak scenario there are few signs of
hope.”
“Launching of campaigns against child soldiers and initiatives on
many education worldwide by the international NGOs and UN
specialised agencies are positive a development.”
But the most significant development is the decision to set up an
international criminal court which will make it possible to prosecute
the perpetrators and bring them to book. Voluntary organisations and
human rights groups in South Asia face a big challenge as 40 per cent
of the region’s population are children, the report said.
Asian Age 5/1/99.
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 7
News
Angry spirits make healer work hard
The forgotten people
For a living saint Mian Shamshuddin looked tired. He smoothed out
his white beard, rubbed his eyes and rearranged his white robes. It had
been a tough week, he explained apologetically There had been a lot
of work to do - a lot of people had been possessed by djinns or spirits
and it had been draining to exorcise them all.
Mian Shamshuddin is a pir - a religious healer, a spiritual leader
and, by virtue of a distant ancestor, a living saint. For tens of millions
of poor, uneducated Pakistanis their pir is their doctor’s surgery,
stress counselling service and citizens’ advice bureau rolled into one.
If your neighbours have cast a spell on you, your husband beats you
or there is just a pain in your right molar the pir, who holds the
accumulated wisdom of generations of holy men, will sort it out.
Every day from 11am until 1pm Mr Shamshuddin dispenses
charms, verses, medicine and advice in about equal proportions,
sitting on a bed in his home in a run-down area in the centre of the
eastern Pakistani city of Lahore. The room is bare, with white
washed walls, straw matting on the floor and a single, fan and a clock.
Mr Shamshuddin sits with a green chest full of potions, herbs, bits of
paper and rupees open in front of him.
On Thursday he spent two hours conducting a mass exorcism.
With those possessed sitting in front of him with saffron garlands
round their necks he chanted verses - some from the Koran, some his
own - and blew gently on them all. Then he tapped them with a metal
spatula before slapping it hard on the ground “to show the spirits what
they would get if they didn’t go away immediately”. The threat of
violence seemed to work, as it so often does in Pakistan. The spirits
appeared to make a speedy exit and the pir’s patients filed out, all
smiles and salaams.
Wednesday’s audience had been different A dozen men and
women sat on the mats before Mr Shamshuddin and told him their
problems. A woman was troubled by visions of dead children,
another’s cloth business was failing because envious relatives had
cast a spell on it, a third was treated badly by her husband. One man
had travelled 100 miles because “once he had been a good worker but
now felt lazy all the time”.
To each the pir listened and nodded sagely before chanting over
them and tapping them with his metal spatula. For some he prescribed
medicine - concoctions of herbs and oil he dispensed personally. For ■
others he wrote out charms on bits of paper - to be burnt and then
eaten. Quite how effective the ingested ashes would be against
serious physical conditions Mr Shamshuddin did not say.
Firs are an important part of the Sufi tradition of Islam - a mystical,
devotional strand of the faith that emphasises a personal, emotional
and often unorthodox style of worship. But, though millions believe
deeply in their holiness, Pakistan’ spirs are increasingly the target of
criticism.
Human rights activists say that many pirs abuse their authority to
sexually and physically abuse women placed in their care. A series of
books, one by the wife of a well-known pir, has revealed a seedy
vicious and venal side that has provoked widespread controversy
Many of the pirs have enormous followings and, as such, huge
political power. A number ofpirs, who are often big landowners too,
sit in provincial and national parliaments in Pakistan and lead secular
lifestyles. Others have become rich on the gifts of their followers.
And some, in this deeply conservative country, cause outrage. One
pir believes everything can be cured by watching girls dance.
Mr Shamshuddin, who is 62 and has been apir since his father died
40 years ago, says there are many frauds who give all pirs a bad name.
“I am not interested in politics and never ask for money I learnt my
knowledge from my father who learnt from his father and so on back
four hundred years,” he said. Next to Mr Shamshuddin’s house is a
shrine to the 17th-century ancestor who started the family business.
Yesterday, Mr Shamshuddin said, he had his toughest case for
months. It required all the knowledge gained by his forefathers over
generations. A man came to him who had recently been to India
where he had been possessed by an Indian spirit.
Spit, leer, jeer, push and shove. It’s Tuesday afternoon on the
crowded streets ofGulistan, Dhaka, where only men seem to roam the
streets. ‘Pathetic joke’ says a passer by, ‘hijra’ sniggers another.
Confused and ashamed they recoil from the outside world and take
solace in their own kind. They are the forgotten people. They are the
eunuchs, the hermaphrodites who have no place in a society where
ignorance rules.
A welfare worker belonging to the Bandhu Social Welfare Society
threads his way through a slum of Mirpur, inhabited by eunuchs,
rickshaw drivers and stone-cutters. It’s hot and humid. Eventually he
enters the room of 24-year-old Dila, a male hijrah, clad in a green sari
and bright red lipstick. “ They are a very sensitive group and do not
like to mix with others so when we deal with them we have to call
them guru - master. It’s like an ego boost,” says the NGO member.
Perhaps it is the us against them mentality that makes anyone daring
to break conformity outcasts.
Meanwhile 24-year-old Dila explains how he left home when he
was 6 years old and has been living in Dhaka ever since. “Making a
living here is very difficult. There is no way people are going to give
us jobs. Maybe a few taka from shop owners around this area if they
have any sympathy for us. Otherwise we sing and entertain people in
their houses in groups - roughly 300 taka (about $6) between the four
of us.” According to sources, hijras are also known to solicit other
services in the evenings to make ends meet. Their clients are males
aged 16 years and upwards.
Today at age 30, Sharmi who has been a hijra since age 10 is very
bitter. “Tell me how we are supposed to survive. It is our fate to live
this way and for people to treat us differently. I got kicked out of my
parents home when I was eight.” They say being victimised and
abused has become a way of life. “It is mainly women who snigger
and jeer at us. They make offensive comments. People think we are
freaks and most of the time it is better just to keep quiet,” explains
Sharmi. His face looks wrinkled beyond his years perhaps resigned
to his fate of segregation from mainstream society. “ All we want is
equal rights, we want to be able to gather in public without being
vilified. We need help.”
An organisation that deals with groups like the hijras is the
Bandhu Social Welfare Society. It is an NGO that develops and
provide educational programmes on STD/AIDS in Dhaka for males.
“We have 14 full-time health workers operating in the Dhaka region.
Most of the time we go out on the field visiting bus stands, railway
stations, taking to people about the danger of AIDS and how to
prevent it,” says Anisul Islam Hero, chairperson of the organisation.
He also added that hijras and some other males consume birth control
pills like Ovacon to maintain female hormone levels, whatever the
cost. Many are isolated and abused by their own families at an early
age due to a lack of education. It is a clash between the rigid dictates
of religion and the individual desire for personal expression. As a
result the so called outcasts tend to abandon the rest of society and
interact only with their own kind. Sohel Arafat, a doctor with the
organisation says: “It is up to the rest of society to show a little
compassion and understanding. Aren’t we all human beings?”
(Note: Bandhu Social Welfare Society is one of Naz Foundation
International's partner agencies.)
Weekend Independent, Dhaka, 18/9/98
“He was staring and rolling his eyes. I knew he was about to attack
me so I started reciting verses. He started shivering and the spirit was
getting very angry. I had to beat him hard. Finally I told him to go back
to India and not to attack Pakistan and Muslims and, thanks be to God,
he went.”
But, said Mr Shamshuddin, now he was exhausted.
“These Indian djinns really take it out of you. I hope I don’t get any
more like that for a while. I don’t know why they are so strong. It must
be all those lentils.”
The Independent 5/12/98.
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 8
News
Army puts out golden rules on sex
The Army has a new mantra for its commanders to prevent the spread
of AIDS among its troops — divert attention to sports, reading and
God, and encourage masturbation to satisfy the sexual urge. According
to a Commander’s Handbook on AIDS brought out by the Army’s
directorate-general of medical services, 85 per cent of HIV mfections
in the force have been “acquired due to sex with prostitutes,” and
masturbation is one of “five golden rules” to stop the spread of the
killer disease.
The handbook, in addition to providing information on the
transmission of the AIDS virus, asks commanders to drive home the
message that “sleeping around” is “neither a sign of manliness nor a
soldierly attribute.”
It also asks them to remove misconceptions about sex, such as
“having sexual intercourse with various women is a sign of virility.”
In absolute numbers, however, the number of HIV infections in
the Army is relatively low when compared to national figures. The
handbook says epidemiological estimates have indicated “there are
likely to be at least 6,000 HIV positive persons in our services,” of
whom 1,432 have been detected till July 1997. And the Army is
determined to ensure that the disease does not spread too rapidly
within the force as it considers AIDS “more than a nuclear threat.”
The director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Lt.
Gen. R. Jayaswal, said on Monday a survey was being conducted to
determine the exact number of HIV positive cases in the forces.
The AFMS will also take a decision soon on the status of personnel
who test HIV positive. At present, all HIV positive cases are kept
under “immune surveillance” and placed in a lower medical category.
“Health education and attitudinal changes are the main factors In
combating AIDS,” said Gen. Jayaswal. The handbook emphasises
that the troops, who are subjected to enormous physical and mental
stress, are a high risk group, and personnel below the age of 35 were
in the “main risk group.”
The Army, which has its own AIDS Control Organisation, has
received Rs 13 lakhs from the National AIDS Control Organisation
for surveillance programmes. It has also produced films and booklets
to awareness about the disease among the troops.
Asian Age 20/12/98
The campaign for lesbian rights
Children among top earners in flesh trade
Following the violent demonstrations orchestrated by the Shiv Sena
in early December against the screening of Deepa Mehta’s film Fire,
a number of organisations and individuals in Delhi have been
meeting to discuss the issues that have surfaced. Democratic rights
and freedom ofexpression are issues that constantly arise in India and
these are central here also. At the same time, the attacks on the film,
the responses to the film, and to the protests have pushed women’s
groups, human rights groups and secular organisations to address the
lesbo-phobia which prevails within large sections of Indian society.
This country has a long history of discrimination-be it against
Muslims, Dalits, Christians, women, tribals etc. However, people
from these oppressed groups have been permitted a sense of public
identity and can therefore try to seek recognition of their oppression.
In the case of lesbians, their isolation and invisibility has meant the
absence of collective identity. In the public domain there is no space
for discussion of sexuality, leave alone women’s sexuality. Culture,
tradition, values and morals have consistently been used as tools of
oppression and discrimination. Within this framework, one is
marginalised as a woman and doubly so as a lesbian. Intolerance and
fear of anything different from the so-called ‘norm’ results in the
forced invisibility of minority groups. Is it any wonder then that there
are not many ‘out’ lesbians in India?
The Campaign for Lesbian Rights is a group of individualslesbian, gay and straight-and organisations who feel strongly that
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation/preference is a
violation of basic human rights. The Campaign seeks to make
lesbianism visible and dispel the myth that there are no lesbians in
India to create awareness about lesbian issues and concerns to
develop public and state recognition of the rights of al lesbians to a
life of dignity, acceptance, equality and safety
Over the next year, the Campaign for Lesbian Rights (CLR) will
engage in the dissemination of information, public debates and
protest actions.
We seek the support of all those who hope for a world free of
discrimination, intolerance and hatred.
Email: caleri@hotmail.com
Organisations supporting the mandate ofThe Campaignfor Lesbian
Rights:
Psychological Foundation ofIndia, New Delhi, TARSHI, New Delhi,
Dastkar, New Delhi, Stree Sangam, New Delhi, Sangini, New Delhi,
6. North East Network, Shillong, Aids Virodhi Bhedbhav Andolan,
New Delhi, Saheli, New Delhi, DARE, New Delhi, Arambh, New
Delhi.
from sea-aids 21/1/99
Prostitution in India is a Rs 40,000 crore annual business. Thirty per
cent of the sex workers are children who earn a whopping Rs 11,000
crore. This was revealed in a study on child prostitution in India by
the Centre of Concern for Child Labour, a non-governmental
organisation.
National Human Rights Commission chairman Justice M.N.
Venkatachaliah, while releasing the study here on Monday, said, “I
am amazed at the degradation of our children. We all have become
silent spectators of the worst human rights violations. All of us have
to pay a price for indifference to this social problem.”
Commented the Centre’s director Joseph Gambia, “The flesh trade
is the biggest industry in this country.”
According to the study, the number of sex workers in India is
estimated to be about nine lakhs. Of these, some 30 per cent are
children, numbering between 270,000 and 400,000. The number of
children below 14 years in prostitution is increasing at the rate of
eight to ten per cent per annum.
The demand for ‘pre-puberty girls’ is increasing in cities like
Mumbai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai, as
well as in the rural areas on tourist routes.
The situation is acute in the Pink Triangle - Delhi-Jaipur-Agra and certain goods transport routes like Calcutta-Siliguri-GuwahatiShillong and Kandla-Rajkot, Udaipur-Jaipur-Delhi. Mr Gathia
described Delhi as the “consuming area”, adding, “Delhi is not the
supplying area.” Among the ‘clients’, a new category - youth - has
fast emerged. About 20 per cent of the ‘customers’ are students,
particularly in the urban areas.
The report further stated, “Explicit sex education can tear down
natural inhibitions and defences ofboth young boys and girls, leaving
them vulnerable to sexual predators.”
Pimps and paedophiles are using pornography ‘to lure their young
victims'. Pornography is also acting as a ‘public relations arm’ of the
sex industry in South Asia.
About 60 per cent of girl children among the ‘traditional entertainer
groups ’ in Madhya Pradesh, Raj asthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
were ushered into the profession by their own families.
Four pockets in India are said to be the ‘recruiting grounds’. These
are Andhra Pradesh - Adilabad, Kumul and Enadi, Bihar - Dhanbad,
Dumeka, Sahebganj, Ranchi and Pumea, West Bengal - Murshidabad,
Nadia and Jalpaiguri and Tamil Nadu-Karnataka, covering Madurai,
Coimbatore, Belgaum and Raichur. A majority of the girls belongs to
the scheduled castes and tribes. Nearly 78 districts are child
prostitution-prone areas. (Note: one lakh is 100,000 and one crore is
100 lakhs. 42 Rupees to the US $). Times of India, 10/11/98
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 9
News
US medical journal editor loses job trying to
define ‘sex’
I
The Journal of the American Medical Association fired a senior
editor over an article on US college students’ definition of sex, which
was seen as an intrusion into politics.
George Lundberg, a 17-year JAMA veteran editor, was fired over
a research article slanted for publication in January at a time when
President Bill Clinton was facing an impeachment trial for peijury
and obstruction ofjustice over his affair with a former White House
intern.
The article stated that around 60 per cent of respondents in a 1991
sex survey of 599 undergraduate students at a major Midwestern
university felt that oral sex did not constitute having “had sex” with
a partner.
This interpretation approximates Mr Clinton’s answer in his
grand jury testimony to independent counsel Kenneth Starr last year.
“Dr Lundberg was focused on sensationalism here, not science,”
said E. Ratcliffe Anderson, executive vice-president of the American
Medical Association. “It grieves me greatly that a magnificent
journal, that should be about science and medicine, has been used,
possibly, to extract political leverage.”
And 19 per cent of survey respondents said that they did not
consider anal intercourse as having “had sex”, according to the article
written by researchers, Stephanie Sanders and June Reinisch, of The
Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at
Indiana University.
Dr. Lundberg himself refused to discuss the specifics of his firing
but told a local radio station: “I’m very sad, because I worked there
(JAMA) for 17 years and 15 days and I had hoped to break the all-time
record of JAMA editors, which is 25 years.”
“Dr Lundberg, through his recent actions, has threatened -the
historic tradition and integrity of the Journal of the American Medical
Association by inappropriately and inexcusably interjecting JAMA
into a major political debate that has nothing to do with science or
medicine. This is unacceptable,” a JAMA statement said.
“We apologise to JAMA’s readers, its contributors, and to any
others who feel that JAMA has been misused in the midst of the most
important congressional debate of this century,” it added.
The article, under an embargo which has now been lifted, was
based on an anonymous survey in which respondents were asked:
“Would you say you ‘had sex’ with someone if the most intimate
behaviour you engaged in was.... ”
Scenarios range from hand contact with genitals and oral contact
with breasts or nipples, to oral-genital contact to penile-anal
intercourse.
Nearly 100 per cent of respondents considered penile-vaginal
intercourse as having “had sex”, while roughly 85 per cent felt that
manual stimulation of the genitals (either as given or received) did not
qualify as having “had sex”.
The authors noted that the data suggested that general agreement
regarding what constitutes having “had sex” and how sexual partners
are counted could not be taken for granted.
“The virtually universal endorsement of penile-vaginal intercourse
as having “had sex” in contrast with the diverse opinions for other
behaviours highlights the primacy of penile-vaginal intercourse in
American definitions of having “had sex”, they said.
But they said the attitudes about penile-anal intercourse had
disturbing implications for sexual history-taking and prevention
education, as the study was conducted during an era of widespread
public information and education campaigns on the association of
risk of HIV infection and unprotected anal intercourse.
Asian Age, 17/1/99
(Editor’s note: the issues of definition of what constitutes having
“had sex ” also occur in South Asian countries, where Naz Foundation
research show similar attitudes to oral and anal intercourse, these
being defined as "play" and “not sex"!)
HIV thrives on jail sex, drugs abuse
Researchers in India have found alarming levels of homosexuality
and mounting incidence of HIV infection in the country’s jails.
Ghaziabad jail, on the outskirts of Delhi, is the archetypal Indian
prison. Conclusions can be drawn from the study pointers that similar
situations may prevail in many other Indian jails.
Tests were conducted in Ghaziabad jail on 245 male and nine
female inmates. Three microbiologists from the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, S. Singh, R. Prasad and A Mohanty, screened them
for pulmonary tuberculosis, various skin ailments and sexually
fransmitted diseases, including HIV, syphilis, and blood borne
Hepatitis B.
It was found that of the 184 men who admitted to having any form
of penetrative sex, 53 were either homosexuals or bisexuals, while
131 had had sex with women only. Of these .184, only 60 were sincere
to their partners while the remaining 124 were promiscuous.
The high incidence of homosexuality and bisexuality suggests
that “forced homosexuality” or rape of male adolescents, which was
a common feature in Indian jails even a decade ago, continues to
trouble inmates. Researchers have not looked into this aspect of
“forced homosexuality” but it is more than apparent that warders do
little to check this trend.
In another finding by the team, 80.6 per cent of the inmates said
they had unprotected sex, showing why they had become a high risk
group for HIV infection. The team also came to know 83 per cent of
the heterosexual and bisexual males had visited commercial sex
workers before being jailed.
Another revelation was that 80 per cent of teenagers were drug
addicts, with intravenous drug (IVD) use recognised as a source for
spreading HIV, three men were found to-be positive.
The team has concluded that sexually transmitted and blood borne
infections are high in jails and pose a threat of “rapid spread through
IVD use and homosexuality” (sic). Incidence of Hepatitis B which
has a very high fatality percentage was quite significant at Ghaziabad
prison, unknown source- newspaper cutting 9/7/98, India
don't think about it - do it - u/o a condom
Indian Supreme Court suspends rights of HIV+
people to marry
In a highly controversial judgement the Indian Supreme Court
recently suspended an HIV positive individual's right to marry. By
breaking the medical confidentiality of the individual concerned the
court has enraged legal activists and human-rights groups.
In June 1995 an individual donated blood and was found to be HIV
positive. As a result his proposed marriage was cancelled and he
suffered embarrassment and was ostracised by the community. He
then sued the hospital for damages for disclosing the information and
violating his confidentiality.
The judges involved rejected his claim on the grounds that the
women he was about to marry was saved “in time by such disclosure”.
They added that “so long as a person is not cured of the communicable
venereal disease....the right to marry cannot be enforced through a
court of law and shall be treated as a “suspended right”. Under the
Indian Penal Code, if a person with AIDS knowingly marries and
transmits infection to their spouse they are guilty of an offence.
This judgement has serious implications since it violates a person’s
right to privacy and confidentiality totally without setting down any
proper guidelines. This could have serious implications for AIDS
patients in the future.
To make matters worse the judge deemed “AIDS a product of
undisciplined sexual impulse” suggesting that AIDS awareness
campaigns on the sub-continent have bypassed the courts.
from sea-aids posting 17/1/99
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 10
News
In war, Taliban seperate men from boys
If he’s too young to grow a beard, he’s too young to join the Taliban
army.
This latest diktat comes from the Taliban’s reclusive supreme
leader Mullah Mohammed Omar in a broadcast yesterday on the
Taliban-run Radio Shariat.
Omar warned his commanders that they would be punished under
Islamic law if young boys were found carrying guns and fighting on
the frontlines. He, however, did not specify the penalty. The Tailban,
which rules nearly 90 per cent of Afghanistan, is battling a northern
based Opposition, of mostly minority ethnic groups, on at least three
different frontlines. The predominantly Sunni Taliban is also at odds
with Shiite Iran. The confrontation between the two reached a flash
point recently when Iran rushed nearly 200,000 troops near the
Afghan border. The heaviest fighting has been in northern Takhar
province where the opposition retook the capital of Taloqan several
days ago. It was not immediately clear what prompted Omar to issue
his latest edict.
With their country wracked by fighting for much of the past two
decades, many of Afghanistan’s boys have neither been to school nor
received technical training.
In Afghanistan there are few jobs and for many young males the
only source of income is the army, which pays 90,000 Afghanis per
month (approximately three dollars). This compares to a doctor who
receives 80,000 Afghanis a month.
Omar did not specify any age limit for enlistment in the Taliban
army, only referring to whether or not the recruit has facial hair. Both
sides in the Afghan civil war have used boys as young as eleven or
twelve on the front lines.
Omar also expressed concern about reports that young boys were
being forced into homosexual relationships and threatened to impose
Islamic justice on anyone found guilty ofhaving a homosexual affair.
In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where a harsh form of Islamic
justice has been applied, the death penalty is imposed for crimes of
murder, sodomy and adultery. Under Taliban law, men found guilty
of homosexuality are forced to stand in front of a mud or brick wall,
which Is collapsed on top of them, usually with the help of a tank. The
men remain buried for 30 minutes and if they are alive when the
debris is removed, the sentence is commuted.
Such a punishment has been applied to at least eight men accused
of homosexuality, and only two are reported to have survived the
ordeal. The Taliban adheres to a rigid form of Islam that bars women
from work, girls from school and demands that women be accompanied
by a close male relative outside the home. It also demands that men
grow a beard, pray at the mosque and wear a turban or head covering.
AP Indian Express 31/10/98.
113 people die from AIDS in Nepal
By the end of last year, 1,189 people in Nepal were afflicted with
HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, and 113 people had died from
AIDS, the official RSS news agency reported Wednesday.
Among them, 650 contracted AIDS through sex, 298 through
prostitution, 150 from syringe use and 87 through blood transfusion,
RSS said, quoting information from the National AIDS and the
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Centre. And 690 of them were aged
between 20 and 29 and 11 were children under the age of five, the
news agency added.
It noted that according to an estimate ofthe World Health Organisation,
100,000 people in Nepal will be afflicted with HIV by the year 2000.
Some 300,000 Nepalese women and girls are working in Indian
brothels and half of them are believed to have contracted AIDS, it
said, sea-aids posting 17/1/99
Rural poor are overtaken by desperate urban underclass
Forget images of starving children in a barren drought-baked country
side. The stark new face of global hunger, says the United Nations,
is to be seen in rapidly growing African and Asian cities where up to
1,000 million people now face sever malnutrition and food shortages.
A new UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report paints a
bleak prospect for the poorest urban dwellers in developing countries.
Infrastructure in these burgeoning, chaotic cities is unable to keep
pace with the demand for food. People are being forced to spend up
to 80 per cent of their income on what they eat, while paid work is
scarce or non-existent.
According to World Bank figures, the number of poor people in
cities has more than doubled globally in 10 years and should reach a
billion by the end of next year. The urban poor now outnumber the
rural poor in many countries, a trend that is expected to grow as the
world becomes more urbanised.
Cities are exploding world-wide, says the report. Asian cities are
growing by 3 per cent a year and African ones by approximately 4 per
cent. Some cities, such as Dhaka in Bangladesh, are growing by more
than 1,300 people a day, or almost 500,000 a year.
People are exchanging rural poverty and lack of opportunity for
appalling city conditions and dismal living standards, says the report.
The implications for food security^ says Rachel Nugent, one of the
FAO economists who wrote the report,(are alarming. “The poor are
growing in number every day. They bftep have neither access to nor
the money to buy food.”
The price of food has risfen as cities have grown, and urban food
prices have risen more than the cosfof living and more than incomes,
says the report. One study showed that consumers in cities spend, on
average, 30 per cent more on food than rural consumers do, but get
fewer calories.
Physical conditions also pose problems for the poorest, who lack
transport but have to go long distances to markets and their food is
often contaminated because of crowded conditions.
Food supplies, says the report, do not always reach the consumer.
“Up to 30 per cent of all food has been lost by the time it reaches the
market, which adds to prices and further marginalises the poorest.”
As cities grow, they require bigger and more developed transport
and distribution to get food to consumers. But in many cases there is
little public money available for roads, vehicles and market places,
and the private sector is less interested in feeding the poorest.
Many cities have been unable to cope with the extra demands of
their new inhabitants. A city of 10 million people may need to import
6,000 tonnes of food every day; this requires much coordination
between producers, transporters, markets and retailers. City
administrators and private sector find themselves struggling to cope.
What is needed, says the report, is more investment in infrastructure
and more encouragement by the authorities to allow people to grow
more food in cities. In China, up to 20 per cent of the food needs of
cities is met by urban farming. Havana provides almost 5 per cent of
Cuba’s food.
‘The poor are being ignored,” says Dr Nugent. ‘The situation
could get worse. It’s pretty scary.”
The Guardian, 11/12/98
Editor’s Note: How do you think the above situation will affect STD/
HIV/AIDS in your city - particularly amongst poor MSM?
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 11
COADOm; ARE FOR LIFE
Features
UNAIDS report finds global HIV infections increased by 10% in
1998
World AIDS Day report
- HALF OF ALL NEW INFECTIONS NOW IN 15-24 YEAR OLDS
- Development gains being wiped out
- Sub-Saharan African countries hardest-hit
- Already 34 million infections and almost 12 million deaths
- Fewer deaths in North America, Western Europe, but no progress
in prevention; HIV infection rates unchanged for a decade
According to a report issued today by the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health
Organisation (WHO) - The AIDS Epidemic Update, December 1998
- during the past year a further 5.8 million people were infected with
HIV - approximately 11 men, women ano Children every minute - and
the total number of people living with the v4rus rose by one-tenth, to
33.4 million worldwide.
Half of all new infections are now occurring among young people
aged 15 to 24. This year’s World AIDS Campaign “Young People:
Force for Change” was prompted in part by the epidemic’s threat to
those under 25 years old, for as HIV rates rise in the general
population, new infections are increasingly concentrated in the
younger age group.
The global epicentre of AIDS continues to be sub-Saharan Africa.
Since the epidemic began, 34 million Africans have been infected,
and almost 12 million of themTiave already died. In 1998 the region
experienced four million new Infections and rising AIDS death tolls,
seen in an estimated 5,500 funerals per day. In the southernmost
countries of the continent,/where HIV spread took on epidemic
proportions only recently, infection rates continued to rise dramatically
during the past year. Four countries now estimate that 20% to 26% of
adults are living with HIV, and South Africa alone accounts for one
out of every seven new infections on the continent. In contrast a
number of countries in West Africa remain relatively less affected, in
part as a result of early and sustained prevention efforts.
In the regions of North America and Western Europe, the
availability of new more potent anti-HIV drug combinations has
helped people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. In the United
States, for example, the number of people dying from AIDS dropped
by two-thirds between 1995 and 1997, when these antiretroviral
combinations came into wide use. Alongside this undoubted
therapeutic success, there is a disturbing lack ofprogress in prevention.
Every year for the past decade, the numbers of new HIV infections
have remained stagnant in North America and Western Europe, with
close to 75 000 people acquiring the virus in 1998 alone.
Two decades into the AIDS epidemic, we know better than ever
before about prevention - howto persuade people to protect themselves,
make sure they have the necessary skills and back-up services, and
remove social and economic barriers to effective prevention,” said Dr
Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Yet almost six million
people became infected th.s year. Every one of these new HIV
infections represents a prevention failure - our collective failure.”
In many Asian ancpEastern European countries, where the epidemic
started later than in other regions, HIV is rapidly gaining new
footholds. In India, for example, recent research shows that HIV is
now firmly embedded in the general population and is spreading into
rural areas that were previously thought to be relatively spared. In the
state of Tamil Nadu (population: 25 million), a new survey reveals
that almost half a million people are already infected with HIV and
that the infection rate is three times higher in villages than in the cities.
In Latin America, while infections are concentrated in men who
have sex with men and drug injections, transmission through sex
between men and women is on the rise.
Development gains being wiped out
In the worst-affected countries the AIDS epidemic is now making
significant in roads into precious development gains that have been
built up over the past decades.
In nine countries where at least 10% of the adult population is
HIV-positi ve, it has been estimated that AIDS will soon be costing an
average of 17 years of life expectancy, compared with what these
countries could look forward to in the absence of the epidemic. These
dismal declines are not only due to adult deaths. Over half a million
children—most of whom acquired the infection before or at birth, or
through breastfeeding - died in 1998 alone. By 2005-2010, the infant
mortality rate in, for example, Namibia is expected to reach 72 per
1000 live births as opposed to 45 per 1 000 without AIDS.
The onslaught of AIDS is also denting the prospects for economic
development in hard-hit countries. In Zimbabwe, some companies
have reported that AIDS costs are now absorbing as much as one-fifth
of company earnings and, for instance, in Tanzania and Zambia, other
firms estimate that AIDS illness and death cost them more than their
total profits for the year.
Says David Heymann, Executive Director, Communicable
Diseases Cluster, WHO, “AIDS is a deadly serious public health
threat. But as the epidemic continues to spin out of control, countries
face more than just a health crisis. They face a growing threat to
human development and to economic and social stability.”
Forces that fuel the epidemic
Some of the reasons behind HIV’s spread remain undetermined. It is
not fully understood why, for instance, HIV infection rates take off
in some countries while remaining stable in neighbouring countries
over many years. What is known is that a number of factors clearly
influence the shape and scope of the epidemic in different parts of the
world.
Wars and armed conflicts generate fertile conditions for the
spread of HIV. The UNAIDS/WHO report notes that in Rwanda,
before the political turmoil of the mid-1990s, infection rates were
approximately 10% in cities and towns and around 1% in the
countryside, where most people lived. Yet by 1997, both urban and
rural rates were just over 11%. A revealing fact is that HIV infection
rates rose six-fold among the mostly rural people who had fled to
refuges camps.
In many places people have no access to voluntary HIV testing
and counselling. Yet even when these services are offered, many do
not want to know or acknowledge their HIV status because of the
blame and shame attached to AIDS. For example, in Cote d’Ivoire,
where more than 13,000 pregnant women were offered interventions
to increase their chances of having a healthy baby, fewer than half
accepted testing and returned for the results.
In Zimbabwe’s city of Mutare, surveillance data indicate that
close to 40% of pregnant women are HIV-infected and probably 30
000 adults are living with HIV. Yet the sole HIV support group in the
city has just 70 members, leaving thousands of others to struggle
alone with the implications of their infection, including the dilemma
of how to explain the sudden need for condom use with a spouse or
other stable partner
Secrecy can persist even in the face of sickness and death, which
in immunodeficient people is often caused by tuberculosis or other
common illnesses. In one study of home-based care schemes in
southern Africa, fewer than 1 in 10 people who were caring for HIVinfected relatives at home acknowledged that they were suffering
from AIDS, and the patients themselves were barely more open.
“One might think that in a country with a quarter or third of the
population infected, people would become more open about the
epidemic. Experience teaches us that this doesn’t happen
automatically,” said Dr Piot. ‘The silence needs to be broken,
publicly and courageously, by leaders who encourage their people to
face the truth about AIDS.” UNAIDS, Geneva, 24 November 1998
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 12
V
I
Features
Helping gay men in a provincial Vietnamese city to protect
themselves from AIDS
Most of the men in this study did not understand that HIV is an
-I
.1
David Wilson and Paul Cawthorne (Medecins Sans Frontieres) June 1998.
Gay sex and the risk of AIDS in Vietnam.
In Asia, HIV is mainly transmitted by heterosexual intercourse or
from sharing injecting equipment during drug use. Information is
often unavailable on the incidence of homosexual transmission of
HIV. Sex between men is not specifically prohibited under Vietnamese
law, but is regarded by the authorities as a “social evil”. We lived in
Vietnam, working with Medecins Sans Frontiers, in the provincial
cities ofVinh and NhaTrang from 1992 to 1996. Young gay men who
we met in these provincial cities had frequent changes of sexual
partners and are therefore at high risk of contracting and spreading
HIV.
The City of Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a town of 300,000 people on the coast of southern
Vietnam. Industries include fishing and tourism. Many people go to
thp beach after dark for sex, with either regular or casual partners.
Vietnamese people we met in Nha Trang say the beach has been
popular for this purpose for many years, There are three cruising
areas for MSM which are busy at different times of the night. The
busiest time is between 3 am and 5 am.
Finding a way to work with gay men.
In 1996, we met a 33 year-old gay man who wanted to help other gay
men. He asked MSF to help him with peer education work on the
beach. We provided him with information and paid his expenses.
Because he had a full-time job during the day, he chose to work on
an area of beach where men went between 8 pm and 11 pm, although
there was less activity than in other areas. For seven months, from
I
Hon Chong Beach at Nha Trang
August 1996 to February 1997, he visited the beach once or twice per
week. On a typical evening there would be about 20 men on this area
of beach at any one time. The majority wore aged 16 to 28. He spent
several weeks observing and making initial contact.
His main achievement was to make close contact with and support
12 young men. Before they would accept his advice, he had to make
friends with them. The group included students, teachers, soldiers,
construction workers, an unemployed man and a male sex worker. He
was not able to make contact with any older men.
Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the group of young-men
Follpwing intensive government campaigns in 1992, most people in
Vietnam hpve heard about AIDS and know that drug users and
prostitutes are at risk. Campaign messages have exhorted people to
stay away from “social evils” but have not given precise information
about risk behaviour. One example of an AIDS prevention message
is, “For the sake of future generations, stay away from AIDS.”
Information leaflets often state that HIV is transmitted by body fluids,
but don’t state which body fluids are most risky.
infection, but thought that AIDS somehow happened when body
fluids came into contact with each other. Most thought anal sex was
safe because the anus is dry. They thought oral sex was dangerous
because the mouth is wet. Also they thought ^.IDS can pass through
the skin, so masturbation to orgasm was dangerous (more dangerous
than anal sex) if semen landed on the skin. Only one man knew about
condoms for gay sex (sic).
Ten of these men identified themselves as being gay, but were
very afraid of other people finding out.
Most of them needed sex very often and went to the beach every
night. Masturbation and oral sex were the commonest sexual activities,
but all of them had anal sex occasionally and some had anal sex
almost every night. Even after hearing about condoms, they thought
that trusting someone (even a casual partner) meant not using a
condom. Condoms were only used during anal sex with a foreigner.
Making friends and developing relationships was very important
for them. They would often meet someone on the beach and then go
to live with them after a very short acquaintance. These relationships
broke up very quickly and both partners were back on the beach.
Helping them to have safer sex.
It was urgent to correct some basic misunderstandings about HIV
transmission and to show, them how to use condoms. Our peer
educator found that if he demonstrated how to put a. condom on his
fingers, his audience was not interested. So he demonstrated on his
own penis, or on their penises. Then they wanted to try themselves.
Common mistakes they made were failing to squeeze the air out of the
end of the condom, or rolling it on inside out.
The young men could not use
their knowledge about why and
how to use condoms without
improving their self image and
changing their attitudes to making
relationships. As well as giving
information and condoms, it was
equally important for our peer
educator to find messages, such as
the following, which helped his
target group believe in him.
“You think being gay is not
normal, but what is being normal?
Be honest with yourself, then you
will feel good about yourself.”
“You can do something useful
pass on information about AIDS to
other people you meet on the beach.
Not many other people can db this.”
“Face up to the truth. You have
a partnei already. You have just
met me and now you are telling me you will be faithful to me, but you
expect your partner to be faithful to you.”
Lessons learned
There is a clear risk of homosexual transmission of HIV in Vietnam.
There is a subculture of young men who have frequent high risk
homosexual behaviour, with changes of regular partner more often
than once a month and high numbers of casual partners.
Health education messages must be clear and direct. “Top down”
messages can lead to dangerous misunderstandings. For example,
what does the term “body fluids” mean? Gay men in Nha Trang think
it means that unprotected anal sex is safer than oral sex.
If we want to access marginalised groups, we need to find out
their needs and hopes, share their feelings and improve their self
image.
If we want people to use condoms, we need to present them in
an interesting way
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 13
Features
Male to male sex behaviours and HIV/AIDS in South Asia
Shivananda Khan
Definitions
Male to male sex can be configured by sexual desire, the felt need for
semen discharge, power dynamics, economic need, love and affection,
situation and opportunity, as well as other frameworks. In terms of
this essay, I have taken MSM to mean any male who has genital
sexual encounters with another male, whether regularly, frequently
or infrequently, for whatever reason.
The context of AIDS and males who have sex with males in South
Asia
It is extremely unfortunate that the AIDS pandemic in South Asia has
been defined as ‘heterosexual’, rather than sexual. This definition is,
I believe, an ideological construct. The structures of epidemiological
research and analysis are usually based upon Western frameworks of
sexuality and identity. Heterosexual/homosexual or perhaps bisexual.
Sexuality/identity rather than actual behaviour. It presupposes that
South Asian identity constructions are the same as in the West.
This convenient convergence between Western constructs of
sexuality and epidemiology, and the existent socio-cultural
frameworks of invisibility and denial of male to male sexual
behaviours, appears to confirm the spread of HIV and AIDS in South
Asia as a purely “heterosexual” disease.
But do we really know? Very little research done on male sexual
behaviours in South Asia generally, and almost nothing on male to
male sex. At the same time the majority of STD treatment and
reproductive health centres do not ask either their male or female
patients whether they had any anal sex encounters. Anal STDs are
more often than not, ignored. In this sense “heterosexual AIDS” can
be seen as a political description and probably does not truly reflect
the reality. As a consequence, AIDS prevention programmes reflect
this invisibility.
Frameworks of male to male sex in South Asia reflect indigenous
identities and patterns, different from that assumed to exist in the
West. Local patterns of male to male sex are not an exclusive practice
of a few “homosexual” men, but are a part of the general sexual
practices of a significant number of males in South Asia and
symptomatic of male homosociability in South Asian cultures, where
public shame and masculine dishonour configure denial and
invisibility.
Such frameworks have additional constraints arising from
patriarchal structures creating the public domain as a male space,
gender segregation, females as vessels of male honour, male
homosociability, compulsory marriage and procreation through family
and community pressure, lack of welfare social structures, poverty
driven economics and personal survival strategies, huge population
levels, and mass movements of males from rural to urban areas for
employment, as well as the extremelyjow status of females.
What sexual identities do exist centre on being sexually penetrated
from which “feminised” behaviour is exhibited, primarily as a tool to
attract the penetrator. In the majority of cases, the penetrator does not
have an identity based upon his sexual experience. His labelling is
given by the penetrated - the giriya orpanthi which basically means
a “real” man.
This does not deny the existence of gay-identified men in South
Asia or those with emerging gay identities. Such men are there, but
they usually tend to be from the urban and educated classes. Access
to western media and terminology is having an impact in reconstructing
sexual identities and all that implies in changes to sexual practice.
What does exist in South Asia are male sexual behaviours within
many differing forms of “sexualities” where male to male sexual
encounters play a significant role, behaviours that arises both from
both desire and semen discharge.
20% of men in one Pakistan rural area have male to male sex
25% ofmen in a Karachi prison have male to male sex
40% ofmen living in Karachi’s squattersettlement have male to male
sex.
On average transvestite prostitutes have 60 partners a week.
A surveyamongst truck drivers from central Karachi:
76% visitedfemale commercial sex workers
72% had sex with other males
AIDS Analysis Asia, July, 1996
Commentfrom a man in Karachi
"Ofcourse I am married. We havefour children. But I don *t enjoy sex
with my wife. Always she complains. So I find other males to do it
with. It’s easy to get boys. Much easier thatfinding women. I can go
to the park, on the bus, on the street, anywhere. ” Andfucking a boy
is more fun. They are tighter. My wife is so loose. ”
What little research has been done amongst males who have sex
with males has identified extremely low condom usage, high levels
of multiple partners (which for many include female partners, often
wives, for some female sex workers, and for other “girlfriends”) risky
sexual practices, low levels of knowledge of STDs and HIV/AIDS,
and low access to STD treatment, if they exist at all!
In a recent study in Dhaka, Bangladesh, STD doctors were
questioned on whether they provided treatment services for males
who have sex with males, or even treated anal STDs. Not one doctor
asked their patients about anal sex, no tests were done for anal
transmission ofgonorrhoea, and all stated that Bangladeshis do not
have such behaviours. Naz Foundation report, 1997
Because of these levels of invisibility, denial and inappropriate
sexual ideologies being imposed upon AIDS policy, training, and
development of responses to the epidemic, extremely little work has
been done regarding male to male sex and sexual health issues in
South Asia, nor has much done in exploring the consequences of
reproductive and sexual health amongst females and youth that arises
from such male to male sexual behaviours.
Commentfrom a man in his thirties visiting apark in New Delhifor
sex.
"It’s dangerous now to have sex with vVomen. I heard you can catch
all sorts ofdiseasesfrom them. You can even catch AIDS and then you
will die. Its safer tofuck a male. I haven’t heard anything about that.
So I stoppedfucking women and now only fuck males.
There exists an enormous risk to any effective HIV/AIDS control
programme by the countries of South Asia ignoring and/or denying
what appear to be relatively high levels of anal sex and males who
have sex with males. TWre have been no public campaigns about anal
sex as a risk behaviour.
In Tamil Nadu, India, $lOm had been donated by USAID to be
used exclusively to support and develop responses to the epidemic in
the non-government sectormanaged by the Voluntary Health Services
agency.
As the director stated homosexuals are "not an important route of
HIV transmission - there are not that many... and its is only a passing
phase. ”
AIDS Analysis Asia, July, 1996
The political and social will to address the sexual health needs of
males who have sex, with males, and the associated risks for STD/
HIV transmission arising from unprotected anal sex, whether between
males or between males and females, doesn’t appear to exist. Perhaps
the phrase “over my dead body” takes on extra meaning here.
One major NGO working in New Delhi had produced a new
leaflet about risks of sexual transmission of HIV for the general
public for World AIDS Day in 1996. In the whole leaflet there was
no mention of anal sex as a risk behaviour. As a representative said
“I didn’t think about”.
In South Asia, a region of over 1.4 billion people, where there are
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 14
continued on page 24, col. 1
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Features
The Big Crisis: Avoiding Marriage In India
by Parivaraj
3
For the Western homosexual, ‘coming out’ to
his parents is a way of becoming closer to those
he loves. It is also a statement: the politics of gay
liberation demands it. To the gay man in India,
these motives are not strong. Here, the
relationship between father and son is a formal
one. A father rarely attempts to understand his
children as adults. And so far as the politics of
homosexuality is concerned, the peer pressures
indeed are to remain in the closet, not to rock the
boat.
So ‘coming out’ in India is not an idealistic
thing. That way it serves no purpose, as it does
in the West. To announce your homosexuality
to your parents for the sake of telling the great
truth is a naive notion, an irrelevant argument, a
luxury which a young man in Indian society
cannot afford.
However, in the Indian situation, there exists
a motive for coming out that is far stronger than
the West’s motive. It is a very practical motive. It has to do with the
question of marriage. The Western man has no obligation to his
society to get married. In India, such an obligation is very real. In
some parts of India the pressure is on from the time a boy is in his late
teens. In some parts it comes later on, when the boy has finished his
education and started earning a living. But come it will, and when
parents start ‘looking for a girl’ for him, the homosexual Indian man
faces the big crisis he has been dreading so long.
Most Indian men consider marriage to be inevitable. At best, it
can be put off for as long as possible. They do not look forward to it,
but they accept it. Do they see it as sentencing themselves to a lifetime
of unhappiness and hypocrisy? In most cases, the answer to this is
‘no’. Hypocrisy is a difficult word to translate into any Indian
language. It is not a big issue. If such stark questions were faced up
to, the Indian gay might resist the prospect of getting married. But
most don’t. And since the reality of their own tragedy is not evident
to them, the feelings of the girl whose chances of happiness they are
about to kill are not an issue at all. It is assumed that so long as she
is not mistreated (abused or beaten up!), and so long as she has the
“security” of a husband and home, she will be happy. That she will
never know love is not a big issue (she doesn’t quite know what it is
anyway, and won’t miss it. Besides, heterosexual husbands can be
pretty nasty sometimes, so she may just be lucky here).
So to a majority of Indian men, the idea of avoiding marriage is
alien. Someone may have told them its possible, and they may have
read about how things are in the West, but in India they have no role
models. Everyone they know is married and they must get married
too.
But there still exist a few men in this subcontinent who recognise
the sheer perversity of homosexual men getting married. These are
the men of substance, and like in all societies, such men are few. It
requires enormous moral courage in India to decide not to get
married. Those who decide so must then figure out a way to get out
of the web their families spin around them. To a son telling his parents
that he does not ever want to get married, the question comes: Why?
Why do you not want to get married? What is wrong?
It is to such men of moral courage that I address myself here.
When you are faced with this question from your parents, let them
know the reason why. If you cannot face telling them in person, it’s
311 right. Write a letter instead. Or ask a close friend to tell them. But
tell the truth, because any other reason to them would be unconvincing,
and the result might be that you will find yourself getting married
against your will.
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Punjabi wedding scene
Recently, a friend of mine asked me to tell his father that he was
gay. I’d known his family well for the past two years, and I got along
very well with all of them, especially his father. Aditya, my friend, is
’26, a warm and very sensitive person, and works as a Territory
Manager for an Indian company. His father is an erudite soft-spoken
man, a Professor of English at the local University.
Aditya had been resisting the pressure to get married for years
now, and his parents had dropped the subject. But a couple of months
ago a family friend had introduced a girl to the family, and the subject
had been broached afresh. And this time things seemed to have
gathered a momentum of their own, and if it wasn’t stopped, the
wedding would surely take place before the year was through.
The families met, the date had been fixed. Everything had been
set. He had hesitated too long really. But now he was convinced that
he could not go through with it. He had told his father so, and now the
father must be told once and for all the reason why. And I was to do
it.
I went to meet the Professor at his office. I told him I had come
to speak to him on behalf of Aditya. I told him I thought marriage
would make his son and everyone concerned very unhappy and must
be stopped. I then paused, hoping he would now ask me the reason ~
his son did not want to get married. (That’s how I planned the
dialogue!). Unfortunately he didn’t. (Things never quite go as
planned!). Instead he launched into a long,rather rambling monologue
that lasted a good twenty minutes, while I Sat and listened silently, He
told me he wanted his son’s happiness first and foremost, but he could
not understand why marriage would make him unhappy. He said he
had got into an arranged marriage at the age of 29 himself with many
apprehensions, but it had worked out well. He said without the
stabilising effect of marriage, men tended to have loose lifestyles.
Already Aditya stayed out very late at nights, and had a rather dubious
circle of friends. And an unmarried man was tempted to indulge in
sexual perversities.
My job became more difficult. He had given it the label of
perversity’, and had referred to the gay crowd as possibly bad
company. Before this conversation was through I had to change his
opinion on both counts.
He spoke on, telling me the story of Aditya’s childhood, his own
childhood, the family problems, his aspirations for his son. I guess he
sort of dreaded getting down to what he knew was the main reason for
my visit. He knew that I knew why his son did not want to get married.
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 15
continued on page 22, col. 1
Features
Community mobilisation in the context of male to male sexual
behaviours in South Asia
by Shivananda Khan
1.
Purpose
To reduce the risks of STD/HIV infections amongst males who have
sex with males.
2.
Goal
To enable males who have sex with males to practice safer sex as a
normative behaviour, increase use of appropriate STD treatment
services and reduce levels of STDs.
3.
Belief
It is understood that safer sex practices amongst males who have sex
with males can only be encouraged and maintained over the “long
haul” if such practices become a normative behaviour. To achieve
this goal, it therefore requires such safer sex practices to be adopted
as a community behaviour, which requires the whole community to
be involved in promoting and adopting such practices. However, this
pre-supposes that an MSM community exists as a cohesive force.
This is not a valid assumption in South Asia, where no such community
(ies) exist.
There is therefore an urgent need to understand the psycho-socialsexual constructions of male to male sexual behaviours, their
frameworks within South Asian cultures, and their particular sociosexual dynamics. From such an understanding appropriate strategies
can be developed towards utilising shared characteristics as a form of
“psychological community” as a means of mobilising shared actions.
4.
Behavioural. Summary
In South Asia, the vast majority of males who have sex with males fall
within a range of behavioural dynamics. These are:
a.
khotis
Males who feminise their behaviours (usually in specific situations/
context) and who state that they prefer to be sexually penetrated
anally or orally - this should really be seen as a gender identity rather
than a sexual identity.
Note: for a khoti to take on the role of penetrator is seen as shameful
and where this occurs is kept secret. Most male sex workers are self
defined as khotis, but not all khotis are sex workers
b.
panthis/girayas
A term given to males who sexually penetrate khotis by khotis
themselves. The vast majority ofpanthis do not label themselves as
such
c.
do -parathas/double-deckers/etc.
Those who practice sexual behaviour mutuality. This term given to
such males by khotis, where such males are often not respected as
such by either khotis or panthis
others who may practice male to male sex as
d.
a regular part of their sexual repertoire
i.
ii.
non-access to females
iii.
all male institutions
iv.
“hotness”
v.
opportunistic discharge
vi.
desire
vii.
curiosity
Most of these males are considered gopon/gupti or secret
e.
gay identified males
In the main small, English speaking, educated male networks.
Whilst khotis may participate in a number of over-lapping social/
friendship networks, these tend to be small and site-based, rather than
within frameworks of “community”.
Panthis and others as such are involved in different social networks
that are to do with non-sexual friendship networks, ruralised
frameworks, employment affiliation and so on. These tend to be
neighbourhood based.
In other words, for males who have sex with males in South Asia,
communities based around sexual behaviour and/or sexual identity as
MSM sexual health project in Bangladesh
a primary focus does not exist.
To attempt to use the model of community mobilisation as a
methodology towards empowerment and development of safer sex as
a normative behaviour within an imagined community requires the
construction and development of a community. This means defining
what community means, and how affiliations to a community are
developed, nurtured and explored.
What sort of community is needed then? On what basis is this
imagined community emerging? Can such a community develop?
What do people share in such a community?
In the male to male sexual environments in South Asia as has been
pointed out before, the only emergent groupings that sexual health
projects targeting male to male sexual behaviours can currently work
with in developing such a community are \hekhotis. However, khotis
do not form a community.
In South Asia, khotis are usually within small social/friendship
personal networks, based upon sites and sexualised localities.
Networks can overlap, with members within one network, also
belonging to another network (s).
Khotis are stigmatised as feminised and penetrated males. They
are perceived as not-women and not-men. In many ways the khoti is
gendered as not-woman/not-man. Such characteristics enable khotis
to recognise themselves as a “gender” apart, and to also recognise
each other with shared characteristics of desire, behaviour and
sexuality.
Since the primary community frameworks and social identities
within South Asia revolve around family (the joint and extended
family system), rural origins (shared village experiences), locational
(where you live), work affiliations (truck-driver, rikshaw driver,
student, etc.), marriage and children, making shared behaviour
characteristic a basis for community building becomes a major
initiative and a challenge to the social basis.
Khotis are the most vulnerable in terms of male to male sex.
Multiple penetrations in a day, multiple partners, extremely low
condom usage by their penetrating partners, low levels of knowledge,
extremely low access to STD treatment services, high levels of anal
bleeding, and no lubricant use (apart from saliva - perhaps). Apart
from these, the majority of khotis, like their penetrating partners, will
choose to marry and have children due to social necessity.
In terms of community development, khotis represent the most
effective opportunity. Their sexual choices enable them to access
panthis from different socio-occupational communities, as well as a
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 16
continued on page 17, col. 1
Features
Community mobiisation and MSM
continued from page 16, col. 2
a
y
cross-section of society. They are already, for the most, embedded
within behavioural and identity social frameworks, and their shared
characteristics can be the basis for community building.
For the penetrating male, the most obvious route towards behaviour
change would be to work through occupational and neighbourhood
strategies. This means to ensure that those NGOs working with
community/occupational based methodologies to promote safe sex
must include anal sex within their discussions, whether they be
working with truck drivers, rikshaw drivers, adolescents, schools,
colleges, slums, low income groups, or whatever.
5.
Process
What makes a community?
Recognising the strengths of community affiliations as they exist,
this requires ensuring that khotis as a behavioural group/network are
specifically targeted to draw them into an emergent community
where affiliation is based upon behavioural and emotional
characteristics as well as on personal friendships
In this sense Naz Foundation promotes its partner agencies to
work with khoti networks, expanding these networks, and networking
amongst networks towards encouraging an emergent community.
Recognising social, cultural and religious realities in South Asia,
enabling community development amongst khotis may be seen as
very problematic and unobtainable in the foreseeable future. However,
mobilising networks, encouraging network development, and
networking of networks is feasible under current social realities and
is being used as first entry points into networks.
Our partner agencies working on sexual health promotion amongst
males who have sex with males are developing a series of mechanisms
to enable such mobilising of networks and towards building an
emergent community amongst khotis with all the characteristics of a
community, which are:
shared gender/sexuality/behaviours
affiliation to a shared consensus
solidarity as a “community”
mutual support mechanisms
social support services
shared ideologies and social characters
socialising frameworks
mutual concerns
shared needs
shared rituals
These agencies thus manage a khoti sexual health promotion
project (under the term male reproductive and sexual health programme
as a screening device in conservative societies). However, the sexual
partners of khotis and male sex workers are also being drawn into
ladesh following workshoi
these service framework through contacts established by khotis and
through collaboration with other sexual health promotion agencies
and services.
Our partner agencies who specifically work with male to male sex
ensure that all Board members, staff and volunteers are drawn from
localised khoti social networks.
In this situation, community is not defined by some geographical
space or locality, but rather as a sensibility, a psychological realm of
shared concerns, sexual behaviours, needs, histories and desires.
6.
Development
The following briefly outline the components being used towards
developing a sense of community affiliation, of mobilising networks,
and networking of networks creating frameworks in which condom
usage and STD treatment can be promoted as normative behaviours.
Lucknow MSM workshop
6.1
Outreach/Networking
Using field workers drawn from these khoti networks to be site
specific -based developing friendships in that specific site that can be
extended beyond the sites through shared characteristics, socialising,
support and enabling access to service provision.
Using site-based “key informants” (although the term informant
is problematic, and we would rather use the term “site-friends/dostis/
bandhus”) who can provide supportive frameworks to the field
worker with their knowledge and insight into specific sites and
provide continuity within a site when the field worker is not present.
6.2
Socialising meetings
A range of off-site social groups developed, each facilitated by a
Field Worker, drawing upon his own personal, social and field work
networks. These groups can act as a space within which personal
friendships and bonding can be developed, experiences shared, and
common purposes evolve.
6.3
Personal skills development
A range of educational classes offered including literacy, social
skills, life skills, health seeking knowledge, vocational skills, income
generation skills, and so on.
6.4
Employment and accommodation networks
Using khoti networks to identify employment opportunities and
vacant accommodation, as well as emergency housing.
6.5
Savings and Loans Club
Using the Grammen Bank model, encouraging small scale savings
and loans amongst the khoti networks.
6.6
Advocacy
Police and maastan harassment are common factors amongst khotis
who use public environments as social spaces, for sexual encounters
and to sell sex. By developing legal aid services, challenging human
rights abuses, and providing counselling and support, a framework of
service use and access can be developed which can be seen as a
“community service”, encouraging affiliation to an “emergent sexual
community”.
continued on page 23, col. 1
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 17
Features
First International Retreat for GLBT Muslims A Success!
Formation of an international organisation announced!
“We have finally taken the first steps to come together to address the
issues that are important to us as a gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender Muslim community.” - Faisal Alam, Coordinator, First
International Retreat for GLBT Muslims & Founder of Al-Fatiha.
It was indeed a historic occasion as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) Muslims and non-Muslims came together for
the First International Retreat for GLBT Muslims, held in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA, from October 9-12, 1998.
The thirty participants represented the cultural and religious
diversity of the entire Islamic world, coming from all over the United
States and abroad. Countries that were represented included Belgium,
Canada, Egypt, India, Germany, Holland, Lebanon, Maldives Saudi
Arabia, Syria, South Africa, Pakistan.
The retreat served as a forum for the discussion of issues important
to GLBT Muslims. Workshops and sessions addressed such topics as
faith and sexuality, the oppression of GLBT persons in the Islamic
world, GLBT identity in Islam, and the historical perspectives of
GLBT behaviour in Islamic societies. Additionally participants
examined the opinions ofthe Prophet Mohammed on sexual minorities
in his time, as well as the different interpretations of Quranic verses
which appear to address homosexual acts.
The highlight of the retreat was the decision to establish an
international organisation to address the concerns of gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender Muslims around the world. Titled after the
first chapter of the Quran, “Al-Fatiha” (The Opening), which was
also the theme of the retreat, the organisation will work together with
other organisations, gay and straight, Muslim and non-Muslim to
address the social and political issues facing GLBT Muslims around
the world. In most Islamic countries, homosexuality and transgendered
behaviour is a crime, punishable by imprisonment, flogging, and
even death. “Homosexuality is so highly stigmatised in Muslim
communities, that many gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and those
questioning their sexuality end up internalising the shame and disgust
which surrounds them in their families and communities. They are
often unable to come to terms with their own sexuality, fearing
ostracisation and even physical punishment,” said Faisal Alam,
coordinator of the retreat, and founder of Al-Fatiha. “We (Al-Fatiha)
see it as our moral obligation to help in whatever way we can,” he
added, “and we have decided that we need to implement different
strategies to address the various problems, both on a local level as
well as on an international one.”
Based in the United States, Al-Fatiha will establish chapters
across the U.S. and abroad to support gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, and questioning Muslims on a local level. The
organisation will also work with human rights organisations to
advocate against abuses of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
persons in Islamic countries.
Organisers of the retreat said that the event was something that has
been needed in their community for decades.’ “The retreat has given
us the opportunity to come together as a community in a way that was
never possible before,” said Alam. “But the GLBT Muslim movement
has only just begun. Much of the prejudice and discrimination
against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Islamic
societies is culture-based and does not stem from Islam as a religion.
We want to celebrate our identity as GLBT people who are also
believing Muslims. The noble and fundamental principles of respect,
human dignity, tolerance, understanding, and justice, in Islam have
been ignored when dealing with the issue of homosexuality and
gender identity. We hope to change all that - God willing.”
The Second International Retreat for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
Transgender Muslims is tentatively scheduled to take place in June
of 2000 in Capetown, South Africa. Meanwhile, plans are already
underway to organise a meeting for GLBT Muslims in the United
States, tentatively planned to be held in New York City in April of
1999.
"The First International Retreat for GLBT Muslims was sponsored
by the Gay-Muslims Listserv, an internet-based, email discussion
group for gay, lesbian, bi sexual,'transgender, questioning Muslims.
The purpose of this list is to bring gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
Muslims and those questioning their sexuality together in a forum to
communicate issues of common concern. By using our own individual
experiences, our knowledge, and our faith in Islam and in Allah
(God), the goal of this listserv is to bring two important aspects of our
lives together. Being Gay and Muslim is not mutually exclusive, nor
is it an oxymoron. By participating in this list, the hope is that each
and every one of us will realise that God certainly does not discriminate.
Indeed we can be both practising Muslims and still identify ourselves
as being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. To subscribe or for
more information, send an email to gaymuslims@yahoo.com."
a sea-aids posting from John Ballard, 11/11/98
Are we driving him into the arms of
another man?
Bachi J Karkaria, Bombay
A friend came in, looking pale and shaken, and said, “1 was having
a drink with a guy I’ve known for years when suddenly he reaches out,
clasps my hand and asks with unmistakable innuendo if we can go
over to his flat.’ So, what’s new? Only this: my friend is male.
I’ve been hearing with increasing frequency about men - all
macho babe-watchers, all high profile habituates of the heterosexual
party circuit, most of them married - getting into a homosexual
relationship. They may not have been named in the gossip columns,
partly out of consideration (it would detonate their careers) and partly
out of survival (legal fees would drive the ‘defaming’ paper to
bankruptcy). But it’s an open secret.
People’s sexual orientations are entirely their own business.
However, a column that’s supposed to deal with shifting gender
attitudes and equations must deal with this sudden fluttering open of
closet doors. Past experience' forces me to clarify that the discussion
is generic, with no intention to brand.
The phenomena takes two discussion forms. One is nothing
more than a fashion statement... where in Pali Hill penthouses they’re
flaunting Gayness with the same insouciance as their Gabbanas. If
they get shredded for it, you can still call them fashion victims.
However, this latest version of the ‘Style Queen’ accounts for the
smaller segment of the new homosexuality. There’s much more of the
real thing.
What’s brought all this about? For one, todays young have fewer
sexual inhibitions of any kind - and ‘identity politics’ is big news.
Those who’ve decided that they ’ 11 be MSMs (men who have sex with
men) for longer than their burgundy tints actively seek out a Gay
network - there are now seven established groups in Indian cities. But,
more relevant for the purposes of this column, how much does the
new woman contribute to this phenomena?
Five per cent of Indian males are a ‘species constant’, permanently
practising homosexuals. Another 23 per cent have occasional sex
with men. Some of it is for want of a woman; in prisons, hostels, or
other homosocial ambiences. But, as AIDS has forced us to confront,
there’s a tremendous amount of bisexuality, a huge invisible area of
libidinous release.
The man-woman-man linkage is multidimensional. The female
male ratio has been drastically falling; on Mumbai (Bombay) island
there are only 700 women per 1,000 men, and 40 per cent of industrial
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 18
continued on page 22. col. 2
<L
Features
Pakistan’s wall of silence on child abuse
Some in the North West Frontier Province see sexual abuse as normal
By Richard Galpin in Pakistan
A new report on attitudes to child sex abuse in Pakistan’s North-West
what happens is that is shows up in unhealthy forms. You rarely find
Frontier Province paints a horrifying picture of widespread abuse.
healthy expressions of sexuality in everyday life so sexual abuse
The report shows that many of the population believe that the sexual
becomes very common”
abuse of young boys is a matter of pride.
For the victims it is a terrifying ordeal. A boy told us how he had
The United Nations is shortly to publish the first nation-wide
been raped when he was just 7 years old. He said the men in his village
survey on child sex-abuse in Pakistan - an acutely sensitive subject in
were like dogs - ‘they would eat you like a dog’ he said. ‘It was not
this deeply conservative Islamic country.
safe for anyyoung fair-skinned boy to go out alone. It was a tradition
The first indications of the scale of the problem have been
to molest boys’.
revealed in this early report from North-West Frontier Province.
According to the report many people in Frontier Province are also
It shows that one third of those who took part in the survey did not
well aware that men in the area keep boys specifically for sex.
even believe that child sexual abuse was a bad thing - let alone a
All this seems to be a result of the rigid segregation of men and
crime.
women in Pakistan, which is most seriously enforced in the Pashtoon
The UN believes the sexual abuse of young children is widespread
areas of the North. Under Pashtoon culture it is very difficult for a
young man to interact with the opposite sex - particularly in the rural
4n some areas of the country but that until now it has been hidden
behind a wall of silence.
areas.
In Pakistan much of the population lives in squalid slums where
Young boys therefore become the targets of abuse.
children are forced to play their part in the day to day survival of the
But the government is starting to recognise the issue. The Secretary
family. That means working in places such as the notorious Pirwadhai
at the Ministry of Women’s Development and Social Welfare,
bus station in Rawalpindi.
Muzzafar Quresh, says : “We’re beginning to realise that it is a
Here there are hundreds of young boys at work in the grimy
serious problem.
workshops and sleazy hotels on which the bus station’s reputation is
“We’ve initiated several studies to try to measure the extent and
based. For this is a centre of child sexual abuse.
there’s also some evidence coming out about what happens to
One boy told me that local hotels encouraged the trade: “The
children and the need for greater attention to rehabilitate them and to
hotel-owners employ children who are used to attract customers. The
bring them back to a normal social life.”
customers are then told what kind of services are provided and that
Bdt in reality only a handful of organisations are helping children
they can do what they want with the children. The hotels here are very
at risk of being exploited and abused. The subject is still far too hidden
well known for these services. And it’s good money for us.”
for there to be a concerted campaign to rescue the many victims.
Their clients are men from all backgrounds - travelling from one
The publication of the nationwide survey on child sexual abuse is
part of the country to another - thus freed from the constraints of life
a critical test for both the government and Pakistani society as a
at home in this conservative society. With girls mostly kept at home
whole.
- they prey on these working boys who are extremely vulnerable to
It will prompt painful introspection - but the hope is that it will lead
abuse.
to positive reform.
Although at present there is little data on child sexual abuse in
UN report (date unknown). An internetpostingfrom Omar Khan, Jon
Pakistan, experts such as the clinical psychologist, Kamran Ahmad,
Hopkins University, 4/1/99
believe it is widespread: “There is a lot of repression of sexuality so
Today’s angels know too much too soon
Six-year old Ashu catches her elder sister Suvama (only 12, by the
way!) embracing their next-door uncle, and exclaims, “Tai! what are
both of you doing? Are you making love?”
The uncle had never imagined the little girl catching him in an
awkward position with her grown-up sister. But she is not the only
one of her age, who knows about love-making. A nationwide official
survey, just concluded, has established that an increasingly worrying
proportion of children (if you they still are) indulge in sexual acts.
The survey done among 5,000 children of six states by the Indian
Council of Medical Research, under the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, has many shocking revelations. It shows that sexual
awareness among adolescents is tremendously growing and their
sexual attitudes are fast changing.
“It appears that children start experimenting with sex at an early
age. Their level of sexual knowledge - right o wrong - has increased",
Dr M C Watsa, who conducted the survey in Maharashtra, says.
While statistics from other states are still being analysed, the
trends available from Maharashtra, are representative and disturbing
enough. The finds indicate that adolescents have become sexually
very conscious and active.
An earlier survey done by Family Planning Association of India
had brought out that average age at which first sexual encounter was
experienced by males and females in the eighties was 17.2 and 19.9
years respectively. The ICMR survey shows that it now happens by
14. About 12 per cent of them have had an intercourse.
The survey, findings of which are yet to be released, is aimed at
assessing adolescents’ knowledge about AIDS and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STDs), to study their sexual behaviour, to
assess their willingness and eagerness to learn more about reproductive
health and to study the views of their parents and teachers about sexrelated matters.
About 2,000 adolescents from Mumbai (Bombay) and two district
towns (Vashi and Pune) were asked to fill a questionnaire. Respondents
were classified in three different age groups of 10 to 14,15 to 17 and
18 to 21.
It has been noted that around 75 per cent of those attending STD
clinics in Pune are in the age group of 18 to 19. Other significant
finding of the survey is that around 27 per cent of adolescents in
Bombay, having a sexual encounter, have had it with male members.
The percentage of homosexuality was even higher at 83 per cent in
Pune. The moral crusaders in the city may be shocked to know that
60 per cent girls in age group of 15 to 17 (and 27 per cent in that of
18 to 21) admitted in indulging in lesbianism.
The World Health Organisation norms suggest that adolescence
starts at 10 and lasts till 19 with the stage up to 14 being described as
that of early adolescence. Accordingly, about 5000 adolescents from
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Harayana, West Bengal, and
Maharashtra were picked at random and were asked to fill a
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 19
continued on page 21, col. 1
Features
Indian Law And The Homosexual
by Shrikant Bhat
In March 1988, the media was ablaze with the story of the marriage
of two women constables of Special Armed Forces from Madhya
Pradesh (Vidisha District). The reason was the two women constables
Urmila Srivastav (20 years) and Leela Namdev (28 years) were
getting married to each other!
Some time back, the two girls from Gujerati Jain families, the very
citadel of orthodoxy, went to a well-known Gujerati journalist. They
wanted to marry each other.
As the taboos break, sexual relations between the same sex
become manifest in India.
How does the Criminal Law in India view the rise of homosexual
identity?
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code says:
“Of Unnatural offences:
Whoever voluntary has carnal intercourse against the order of nature
with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment
of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and
shall be liable to fine.
Explanation:
“Penetration is sufficient to constitute camal intercourse to the
offence described in this Section.”
The Section worded by Thoman Babington Macaulay as early as
1833 raises questions of wide ramifications:
What exactly is meant by Macaulay when Macaulay postulates
“order of nature”? What is ‘order’? What is ‘nature’?
To get down to specifics: Would the now fashionable male genital
to female mouth (and vice versa, female genital to male mouth)
position be against the “order of nature”? “Nature” conceived by
whom? “Order” perceived by whom?
Any serious student of Social and Religious history would discern
in such a definition a projection of the typical Christian feelings of
guilt about natural sex. For Christianity, sex has always meant sin
unless it is within the four comers of marriage and unless it is for
procreation. Any other form of sex was decried by the Pope.
In 1990, fellatio and cunnilingus are a bit blase even for college
students. But for the Indian Penal Code, even when it works in 1990,
such things still appear not only “dirty”, but even downright criminaJ!
r
*
‘
*
There is however no reported judgement of the High Court or the
Supreme Court declaring that cunnilingus or fellatio would constitute
an offence punishable under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
Conventional homosexuality is still an offence under the Indian
Penal Code.
In England, homosexuality between consenting adults is not an
offence, However in India, even between consenting adults it would
constitute an offence for whi-*h the partners can be sentenced to life
imprisonment. And let me immediately clarify what life imprisonment
means. It means that a man is sent to jail alive and he will come out
of jail only when he is dead. This should correct the popular
impression that life imprisonment is only for 14 years. It is not. It is
an imprisonment for life.
The offence of homosexuality is cognisable. This means that the
Police can arrest without a warrant from the Magistrate.
In a landmark judgement, i.e. Fazal Rab vs State of Bihar, the
Supreme Court was dealing with a case where a man had homosexual
relations with a boy with the consent of the boy. The Supreme Court
said: “The offence is one under Section 377 Indian Penal Code which
implies sexual perversity. No force appears to have been used to
omissions of permissive society nor the fact that in some countries
homosexuality has ceased to be an offence, has influenced our
thinking.” Considering however that there was the consent of the boy,
the Supreme Court reduced the sentence from three years rigorous
imprisonment to six months rigorous imprisonment. This was in
1983. There is no reported judgement of the Supreme Court after
1983 to date.
The wording “order of nature” connotes the adjective “natural”.
But what is “natural”? We may consider the word “natural” in a
nonsexual context. To a Muslim, eating animal flesh is natural. But
it is not for a Gujerati Jain. Music is natural for Kumar Gandharva and
Bhimsen Joshi but not for Dhirubhai Ambani. For Dhirubhai Ambani
making crores of rupees is natural. Cricket is natural for Sunil
Gavaskar but not for Mother Teresa!
Secondly, why is homosexuality sought to be punished? What is
the social justification? What is its rationale?
Can Section 377 IPC be challenged?
Protagonists of the Law would immediately point out to the
epidemic of AIDS. If homosexual contact causes AIDS, then the ban
of homosexuality would have completejustification in Constitutional
Law.* It is easy to argue that what two people do in privacy is their
business and not of others. Such an argument requires close scrutiny.
If what two people do in privacy adversely affects others, it is also the
business of others to ban the ‘private activity’. Section 377, then
would come under reasonable restriction on a man’s freedom.
Therefore, it is for medical experts to decide the legal issue.
However, there cannot be any risk to anybody’s life by
cunninglingus and fellatio. In that case and to that extent, the
constitutional validity of Section 377 IPC is open to serious challenge.
The constitutional validity is also open to serious challenge on the
grounds that the Section is utterly vague.
‘Personal Liberty’
However, ti 11 recently no one in India had chai lenged the constitutional
validity of Section 377**. It can be challenged also under the broad
parameters of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Article 21 of the
Constitution of India says:
“No one shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except by a
procedure established by Law.”
The Supreme Court, starting between 1976 and 1990 has given
dozens ofjudgements, Today, the article can be summed up to reach:
“No one can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except
according to law i.e. that can be regarded as a reasonable restriction
cotninued on page 22, col. 2
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 20
Features
Early warnings of certain HIV epidemic in Bangladesh
By Dev Raj.
Bangladesh is far from prepared for a HIV/AIDS epidemic that
authorities here say will lash this calamity-prone country in the
coming years.
In fact, the country’s foremost expert on HIV/AIDS, Professor
Nazrul Islam wonders why the virus has not yet laid the country low
given that it has every ingredient for a raging epidemic - low
awareness, high-risk behaviour, unscreened blood transfusions and
no worthwhile control programme.
Professor Islam, who heads the Virology Department at the
Bangabandhu Medical University here, says there is a possibility that
a genetic factor may be protecting people in this country, but hastens
to add that there is no medical evidence for it.
“Commercial sex workers (CSWs) tested under a targeted
surveillance programme for high-risk groups indicate less than one
percent sero-positivity for HIV although up to 60 percent were found
afflicted with syphilis or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),”
Islam said.
STDs are a problem with young people as 50 percent of those
coming into the clinics for STD treatment in the area surrounding the
University were found to be students who said they contracted it from
CSWs.
“Such statistics show the high level of ignorance about HIV and
its spread even among students - alliterate section of people in
Bangladesh,” Professor Islam said. He said he preferred not to label
students as “high-risk”.
Apart from unprotected sex there are other reasons why he expects
a “wildfire” spread of the virus that often leads to the fatal AIDS over
the coming year starting with the fact that blood used in this countr^
is still largely unscreened for the deadly virus.
“Screening is done for syphilis and for blood grouping but
practically nothing else,” Professor Islam who spent a three-year stint
with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) here as a
consultant said. Alarm bells began ringing with the 100-odd known
HIV positive cases in this country traced to infected blood transfusions
from a flourishing business plied by professional blood donors and
private unregulated blood banks.
In spite of proximity with known global hotspots for HIV such as
Burma, the north-east of India and Thailand, Bangladesh appears to
be an oasis against the disease unless the statistics are grossly off or
the epidemic is in too incipient a stage to be detectable.
According to David Lockwood, chief of the UNDP, the evidence
so far is misleading and the epidemic is certain to surface within a
year unless drastic measures arb taken without delay.
Today's angels
continued from page 19, col. 2
questionnaire.
“When children of 10 were asked questions about body parts,
there was giggling and laughter around the mention of some of them
- irrespective of their teachers’ or parents’ presence,” the survey
notes.
Narrating her experience, a teacher from a reputed high school in
North-West Bombay says: “Students from eight standard onward
carry condoms in their pockets. Girls also do not feel offended, if one
of the boys approaches them with proposal for sex. If we try to object,
they snub us, saying it’s their personal life.”
Sociologist Neha Madhiwala explains to say, “Schools now play
little role in shaping the morality of children. Teachers have little say
in this process because they don’t fear or respect teachers.
Sex and relationship counsellor Dr Rajan Bhonsale feels that a
majority of children get sexual knowledge from the wrong sources.
“It is difficult to get any focus on the problem - but at least we are
past the stage of denial,” Lockwood said describing official
inattentiveness despite the UNDP’s extraordinary influence in this
aid-dependent country.
Still UNDP has kicked off a modest start by helping Bangladesh
to clean up its blood transfusion act and has spent 3 million dollars on
screening equipment over the last three years and thrown in another
million on training modules and capacity building.
Both Lockwood and Islam say whatever story the statistics tell,
the real worry is the spread of HI V transmission as amply demonstrated
in neighbouring India, Burma and Thailand, while Bangladesh
remains woefully unprepared.
To compound the problem, Islamic conservative Bangladesh is
reluctant to resort to awareness campaigns that may involve explicit
sex and the state-run electronic media has refused to air programmes
dealing with HIV.
Lockwood said when UNDP brought publicity material on condom
use from other countries and showed them to Bangladesh officials,
they reacted by covering their faces.
Religious orthodoxy is another matter. “We had meetings with
religious leaders on condom use after some of them accused us of
condoning promiscuity by promoting condoms,” Professor Islam
said.
Condom use in Bangladesh is estimated at Jess than 20 percent one reason being sheer lack of availability and the other male refusal
to use them, says Parul, a field trainer working for the Cooperative
Agencies for Relief Everywhere (CARE) in Bangladesh.
She said attempts to get CSWs to insist that their clients use
condoms failed because they lacked negotiating power and feared
losing business. The “mastans” or pimps and musclemen who control
the trade, always sided with the clients.
Says Md. Alamgir Hossain, UNDP program officer, “Even in the
18 recognised brothels in Bangladesh worked by about 7,000 licensed
CSWs, condoms are never used - less so among the floating unlicensed
ones who may be many times that number.”
Hossain is sure that HIV must be making steady inroads into the
rural hinterland through truck drivers and migrant labourers who
contract the virus in cities and take it to their village.
The surveillance reports, for what they are worth, showed slum
dwellers in Bangladesh having 23 percent more sero-positivity than
CSWs.
frotp an internet posting from John Ballard, Australia National
University, 21/12/98
Says he, “Having unresponsible sex without knowing its consequences
is dangerous. Today’s children know about sex and love from
unchecked exposure to satellite television. Carrying risky sexual
experiments may result in guilt complex.
“Their sources of information should be healthy. Sex education
from fifth standard is one way of clearing their doubts and fulfilling
their curiosity. Parents must also talk more about these topics.”
But as the survey reveals parents and teachers continue to avoid
open discussion about it. A large majority of them felt that allowing
these types of questions and answering them would spoil children.
However, as the survey shows, the case seems to be exactly the
reverse.
Sunday Observer, New Delhi, 17-23/1/99
(Editor’s note: the survey was done through self-completion of
questionnaires, implying that the respondents were literate and
easily accessible. What about children who are not literate, not at
school, living in slums, and working in the informal sectors?)
Naz Ki Pukaar Paae 21
Features
Avoiding Marriage
continuedfrom page 15. col. 2
“Sir, the reason your son must not get married has to do with his
sexuality. He is not attracted to women. He cannot love a woman,
either physically, or more important, emotionally.”
I was pausing at each sentence, going slowly, hoping he was
getting the message.
“Are you telling me he is homosexual?”
And it was in the open. “Yes,” I said, and went on talking to give
him time to digest it. “Marriage would be a charade for him. It would
really kill his soul. He is not the type of person who can live a double
life all the time..
The Professor never lost his composure. We spoke for two hours
after this. At first his reaction was “No, this can’t be” he spoke of
Adilya’s very normal childhood and teenage years, of his “girlfriends”
he was purported to have had, but soon he understood that this was
pointless, and then he began to ask me questions. Since when had
Aditya been a homosexual? Who were his lovers? How did he meet
them? What did he do with them?
I tried to explain how the homosexual network in the city
worked. I told him Aditya was not the promiscuous type, and didn’t
have anyone in his life right now. But it was possible someone might
come along, who he could really love, and maybe choose to live with.
“But he doesn’t earn enough to support a boy,” he said. “It would
more likely be a man” I explained, “and probably earning more than
him.”
“You mean he likes men? He’s a passive homosexual?”
God! I thought, he’s got the classic Greek concept of homosexuality
in mind here! But rather than get into a complicated and academic
explanation of sexual mores right then, I simply said. “Yes, he’s
passive.” Which I’m glad I did, because he said later on, “I think it
might be easy for an active homosexual to switch from sex with boys
to sex with girls.”
The Professor continued to speak of it as a perversity, the
definition being anything that was unnatural was perverse. I tried to
make him see that such an attitude would hurt his son more than
anything. I told him of how I had struggled against this feeling of
being abnormal all through my teens before I had finally come to
terms with myself and begun feeling good about what I was. I
struggled for the right words as I tried to explain what it was like to
grow up homosexual.
I think he began to understand what I was trying to say he began
to talk of his own sexuality, about a brief stay in New York where he
had encountered homosexuality for the first time (he said he rejected
it). He spoke to me of other things, of his son’s character traits: he
spent his money too quickly, he sometimes didn’t take his career
seriously. It was all because of his homosexuality. The future looked
terrible; if he didn’ t live his life right, who would take care of him after
his parents were no longer around?
I tried to assure him as best as I could that his son was fine, and
was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Like Walt Whitman,
the Professor’s favourite poet, his homosexuality was just part of his
total self, and he would have a brilliant career, if he could have a welladjusted personal life. I told him about some of the eminent
homosexuals I knew of in India.
By the end of the conversation the Professor and I exchanged
confidences neither of us had shared with others before. In those two
hours I had grown very close to the old man. I was sure he would
ultimately come to accept and maybe appreciate what Aditya was: an
exceptional boy, who loved and trusted his father enough to let him
know his deepest secret. Even if it was through me, his closest friend.
I just happened to have a better gift of the gab and could talk with his
father man-to-man without the complication of a father-son role play.
As we closed up his office and walked down the road, I asked,
“Are you going to discuss this with your wife? Or anyone else?”
“No,” he said. “For the present I’ll keep it to myself. I don’t need
anyone to lean on. My body is frail, but my mind is still quite strong.”
What more could be said? I had helped my friend in a difficult indeed a heroic task. I hoped things might work out this well when it
came to telling my own parents. I would wait till the time came when
my own marriage was being talked about. And then, like Aditya, I
would do what must be done.
Parivaraf first novel has been published by Gay Men’s Press in
London. Called Shiva and Arun is the story of two “men who love
men” as they struggle through the their developing sexualities,
identies and family pressures.
Into the arms of another man?
continuedfrom page 18, col. 2
labour is migrant. Not all their sexual activity is taking place in the
red-light area nor is it confined to their own squalid tenements. Every
night, the shadowy parks in some very stylish neighbourhoods break
class barriers with a determination which would be considered
exemplary on other contexts.
This link between gay identity and urbanisation is well
documented. It’s link with women’s liberation is now also being
recognised. The guy who made a pass at my male friend expressed it
crudely. He said that he could no longer handle the aggressive
females in Mumbai’s sexual jungle. He felt not just threatened, but
emasculated. No longer confident of being the alpha male or even the
dominant partner in an individual relationship, he’d found a new
dimension to the old, socially sanctified male-bonding. The innocuous
hand-holding and hugging so common in Indian men can turn erotic.
There’s a more sophisticated way of putting it. Women’s
liberation has helped the liberation of gay identity. As long as a
woman wasn’t a free agent, a man could keep her trapped in a facade
marriage. She got nothing out of it, while he had both the social
respectability as ell as sexual satisfaction on the side. Now, as women
finally summon the courage to speak out, demand their conjugal
rights, men have to confront their identity - the first step to coming to
terms with it and later demanding acceptance.
It’s not your usual pretty family picture, but denying the fact
could be decidedly tougher.
Sunday Times of India, 22/3/98
(What do you think readers? Write in and let us know)
Indian Law and the Homosexual
continued from page 20, col. 2
on a man’s liberty.”
Life as defined by the Supreme Court does not mean mere
survival. It means life in all its manifestations. It means that
environment for a person in which a person fulfils himself, seeks out
his destiny as he feels that destiny. Life means a person acting out his
natural impulses. Life also means a right to privacy. In KHARAK
SINGH vs STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH (1964) S.C.R.
332(63)A.S.C. 1295 - the Supreme Court has recognised the right to
privacy as a fundamental right under the Constitution of India.
The scene is therefore set for a debate that would be vital, profound
and one whose repercussions shall go down ihe corridors of time.
(Reprintedfrom Bombay Dost, Issue No 2. Bombay Dost wishes to
thank Mr Shrikant Bhat, Advocate for this enlightened article. Mr
Bhat specialises in Criminal Law. He was an Examiner at the
Bombay University for Papers on Criminal Law. Mr Bhat is a well
wisher. Mr Shrikant Bhat is a heterosexual.)
* Editor’s note: homosexual contact does NOTcause AIDS! The HIV
virus can be transmitted through specific sexual activities between
two partners, whether the are of the same gender or not. where there
is an exchange of bodilyfluids.
** A challenge is being made by ABVA, a leading human rights
organisation based in New Delhi.
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 22
f
£
Features
Community mobilisation and MSM
J
continued from page 17, col. 2
>
i
6.7
STD treatment services/PWLHA. support systems
Extremely problematic in main stream services because of the
stigmatisation of behaviours, khotis have extremely few choices to
access appropriate treatment services, particularly around anal sex
behaviours. Khoti services providing such appropriate STD treatment
services, either as syndromic management, or through direct testing,
ensures that khotis will be treated sympathetically, with respect and
consideration, and access correct information and treatment.
6.8
Condoms and lubricants
Many khotis feel very ashamed to access condoms in regular outlets
(particularly if they are young and unmarried), nor do they access
family planning clinics. Further South Asia does not have appropriate
condoms for anal sex, nor any appropriately and cheaply packaged
lubricant. Provision of condoms and lubricants in ways that are
affordable and easily accessible through site distribution can increase
condom usage.
6.9
Needs assessments
Regular surveys of service users, site surveys, and focus group
discussions, ensures that assessments are conducted regularly as to
how needs are being defined by the khotis. These needs can be felt
needs, expressed needs and/or projected needs. These discussions
and surveys built up consensus on shared needs, which can also be
used towards building a sense of community. Such needs do not
necessarily directly relate to STD/HIV/AIDS. However addressing
such needs can build a sensing of shared concerns which can be
developed as a community sensibility.
Such needs can be:
6.9.1 Social needs
education
employment
economic development
human rights
family, marriage and children
vocational skills
socialising spaces
6.9.2 Personal and emotional needs
sexual abuse and violence
counselling
personal hygiene
friendship
identity and desire
emotional support
empowerment
personal skills development
personal health issues
6.9.3 Sexual health needs
appropriate condoms
appropriate lubricant
sexual spaces and privacy
access to appropriate treatment
psycho-sexual issues
counselling
knowledge
empowerment
negotiating skills
6.10 Responding to needs
It is essential that the service provision should build upon these needs
and find appropriate ways to ensure that these needs are being
adequately and appropriately addressed.
Thus, for example;
6.10.1 a health service that can look at non-sexual issues and
provide appropriate treatment and care, i.e. chest infections, TB, and
other potential illnesses
Si
pt 'wf
’ .. ,
.tari
.JU
FJV__
khotis entertaining themselves in the park in Delhi
6.10.2 an employment agency/network
6.10.3 vocational skills development including reading and writing
6.10.4 an emergency housing network
6.10.5 address poverty issues, such as subsidised medicine and
treatment, and access to low interest credit and small savings
6.10.6 socialising spaces that allow non-sexual friendships to be
developed amongst khotis and non-khoti identified MSM
6.10.7 access to legal aid
6.10.8 addressing discriminatory laws and regulations
6.10.9 addressing police and maastan harassment
6.10.10 a sexual health service that is appropriate and sympathetic
and easily accessible
6.10.11a non-judgmental service provision irrespective of class,
economic group, work affiliation, sexual behaviour/desire and
feminisation
6.10.12 development of socialising rituals for community bonding,
such as dance, music, prayer, songs, food rituals, etc.
The frameworks of all these actions is to create a psychological
community that transcends family, locality, origin (where rural or
urban), class, economic group, work affiliation. It is a psychological
community with shared concerns and needs. It is utilising networks
to network and build a community (ies).
7.
Summary
7.1
In South Asia there is no community amongst males who
have sex with males, and those who practice male to male sex
7.2
Khotis, however, do have a shared sense of identity and
behaviour
7.3
Khotis are self-defined males who feminise their behaviour
and are sexually penetrated.
7.4
There is a proviso to this, in that this is a performed and public
identity. Khotis may penetrate other males, and/or have sex with
other khotis, but this is perceived by khotis to be bad. Hence such
behaviour is kept secret from other khotis.
7.5
However khoti should not only be seen as a sexual identity,
but also as a gender term in the South Asian culture
7.7
Khotis are mainly within social/sexual networks, which are
spread around in a range of public sites.
7.8
These sites are used for socialising as well as for sex with
panthis
7.9
To enable a development of a sense of community identity is
to use these networks towards creating a psychological community.
7.10 Using socialising and community development process, such
a community sensibility can be evoked
7.11
In evoking this community, sexual health promotion can be
configured towards communitynormalisation.
Editor’s note: for example. Bandhu Social Welfare Society, based in
Dhaka Bangladesh is promoting - no condoms - no sex in a range of
khoti sites as part ofits community building strategy.
Naz Ki Pukaar Page 23
Naz Foundation
Male to male sexual behaviours in South Asia
continued from page 14, col. 2
almost 80 million more males than females, I have been able to
identify only nine locally-based sexual health projects focusing on
males who have sex with mrles. Of these six were initiated with Naz
Foundation support.
There are also a few emerging gay groups in India who are trying
to share educational materials within their networks. There are also
the Indian gay magazines, Bombay Dost, edited by India’s leading
gay activist, Ashok Row Kavi, Pravartak from Counsel Club in
Calcutta, and Sacred Love by Friends India in Lucknow. There is a
person in Peshawar telling “homosexuals to stop their behaviour”.
There is a small scale initiative amongst males in prison in Kathmandu,
amongst taxi drivers in New Delhi, and a few other scattered
responses, usually by those who themselves are not involved in MSM
activities.
Prison populations, street males, rikshaw drivers, taxi drivers,
truck drivers, hotel staff, students, military personnel, boarding
schools, hostels, slum areas, business men, migrant workers. Gulf
workers, construction labourers, shop-keepers and assistants, male
sex workers, IV drug users, the list can go on. What is being done?
Very little, if anything at all.
And I haven’t mentioned issues around the availability of
appropriate condoms for anal sex, nor the lack of water-based
lubricants appropriately packaged, nor appropriate educational
resources, STD services dealing with anal STDs, advocacy, or
or
what?
As the song says, “there is the sound of silence”. Or as ActUp in
New York once said,
Naz Ki Pukaar
Naz Ki Pukaar is the quarterly newsletter published by The
Naz Foundation. It aims to provide a forum for discussion,
information, advice and general interest to the HIV/AIDS
voluntary and statutory sector as well as those from our
communities affected by HIV/AIDS and others who are
interested in the issues.
The opinions expressed in Naz Ki Pukaar reflect the writer’s
views only and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Naz
Foundation unless specifically mentioned.
We will always try to ensure that what we report is relevant to
our readers, and we ask you, the reader, to keep us informed as
to what is happening in your comer of the world. Send us your
questions, letters, articles, stories (fact or fiction), poetry,
drawings, photographs. Tell us about what you think and feel,
whether it concerns HIV/AIDS, your sexuality, or whatever.
Names will be changed and addresses will be withheld if
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Send all material to Naz Ki Pukaar, The Naz Foundation,
Palingswick House, 241 King Street, London W6 9LP, UK.
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Naz Ki Pukaar Page 24
Opening statements :
One is immediately confronted by the term ALTERNATIVE SEXUAL
PREFERENCES. A term which evokes strong reactions in me, and in particular the
words alternative and preferences.
The term preference denotes that the person has a choice in their sexual orientation.
The term preference is used by religious organisations, institutions and society at
large as a weapon to instill further feelings of guilt, shame and isolation.
The term preference is disempowering to those that are struggling to come to terms
with their sexual identity and orientation and
The term preference is devoid of any of the aspects that go with a sexual identity and
orientation — empowerment, awareness and normality.
Alternative goes against mainstream, which leads to hostility
Alternative makes you believe that you are different, do not fit, out of place
Alternative emphasises isolation so what about sexual orientation, or sexual
minorities — which deals with people, their feelings, courage and emotions.
The team members who all come from different backgrounds, decided to conduct the
interviews from his/her own perspective, and had debriefing or sharing sessions
before and after every interview. It was also agreed upon that the reports would be
written from the individual perspectives, and will be accompanied by an executive
summary.
A self identified Indian lesbian who has been involved in the women’s and lesbian
movement for a long time. A writer and poet and a teacher on sabbatical.
An Indian medical doctor involved in community health, involved in the NGO field with
a short bout with an international HIV/AIDS NGO. A professional classical dancer to
ensure balance in his life, and adding colour to his inputs and interactions
A South Africa activist, with a long history in the national and international field of
HIV/AIDS and homosexuality. A self identified HIV positive homosexual, with strong
emotional bonds with Mother Africa, and on a ‘break’ from international activism.
Personal interview strategy
The interviews are recorded in a verbatim format, and reflects what I had heard
during the interviews, and what I had understood during the interviews. Any
misinterpretation is regretted. The main focus of my interviews was five fold.
1. to understand what is happening in India with regards to GLBT
2. to understand what it is that the various GLBT movement or culture is trying to
achieve
3. to understand how the groups/organisations/individuals are working together
4. to understand what the challenges, priorities and obstacles are
5. to understand how the issue of HIV/AIDS is impacting the work that they are
trying to do
The report (or verbatim’s of the interview) are in no way meant to judge, evaluate or
favor any one organisation or individual over the other. It is simply an trying to create
a personal as well as professional understanding of the situation and to convey this
to HIVOS to assist them in making informed choices about the work in this area.
My initial reaction to the TOR was that it was totally unrealistic and that we would not
be able to cover all those issues. My reaction was confirmed in that, I believe, we
only managed to touch the tip of the tip of the iceberg, in this very complex and
diverse issue of sexual orientation.
The schedule was demanding, and perhaps also a little unrealistic as it was constant
, interviewing for 22 days. The interviews themselves were filled with emotion,
courage, ignorance, passion, anger, empathy, inspiration and sadness - which all
took its toll on me. Dealing with interviews of such intensity day after day, and having
to try and do justice to the process by capturing it in report form was difficult and
challenging.
If for some reason the emotions of the interviews have not been captured, it is not for
lack of trying, but simply because of the inability to transfer such power into words.
A personal thanks has to be extended to my team members, and all the interesting
people that I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing. Although I may not agree
with your viewpoints, it was an opportunity to put things into perspective - both
personally and professionally. The courage and determination with which many of
you work under very difficult circumstances touched me greatly, and for that I can
only but be grateful.
V
Stage 1 - Bangalore :
Interview with Anita Ganesh - Samvada :
The main focus of SAMVADA is on youth, and the organisation tries to link youth with
other social movements or issues via networking, discussion forums/groups, theatre
an workshops.
The organisation has fortnightly discussion groups with youths every second
Saturday, and these discussions are around specific issues and “hot topics’’ of the
moment. Sexuality forms part of these discussions, and the organisation
concentrates on sexuality from a very personal level, and a space for youth to
explore the term sexuality and what they term as sexuality. The methodology is to
address the issue of sexuality, which is a societal taboo in India from a very personal
level, and then take it to the wider social environment and bring it back to the
personal level.
The issue of homosexuality has come up in some of the discussions with the
students by the students, but this has been more in terms of inquiring. The issue is
also brought up (or made available) in the discussion groups by the organisation
through various mediums such as films, books and discussions. When the issue does
come up whether it is an exploratory or self identifying the staff at the organisation
encourages youth to talk about it, and they themselves never “Look down upon it in a
bad way”. They try to respond to it in the broader sense of sexuality.
Personal comment:
The organisation could be useful in terms of ‘training’ society or making society more
aware of the issues and complexities of homosexuality by ensuring that
homosexuality is discussed in the sexuality aspect of their work, and by addressing
the taboos, misconceptions and discriminatory thoughts and ideologies towards
homosexuals by society in general. This would be the one aspect of the multi faceted
approach towards sexual orientation/minorities (ASP) work in India.
Interview with MANASA and SABRANG :
Manasa : Is a dynamic and interesting womens group who has been involved in the
womens movement for the last 15 years. There main form of activity is a newsletter
which is issue based and deals with issues such as communalism, gender,
globalisation, sexuality - and most of the perspectives are from the feminist
perspective).
The organisation has been operating for 15 years without any external funding, as
there is a fear that “taking money will take away our autonomy". The newsletter and
activities of the organisation is therefore funded by personal members donations or
from subscription fees of the newsletter. The main target audience is obviously
women but specifically teachers, lecturers, and individuals. The newsletter is in the
local language “Kanatikat
Sabrang: “all colours”
Sabrang concentrates on sexuality, and it is an organisation made up of different
sexualities and dealing with different sexualities. A group of heterosexuals started the
group about 18 months ago with the main aim of addressing the issue of sexuality
and concentrating on lesbian, gay identities. They are a voluntary group and are also
registered.
There are many self identified ‘heterosexuals’ in the group and the reason is that
violations around gay and lesbian rights are seen in the context of Human Rights
violations. It is therefore important that the issue of sexuality is seen as any other
issue and not only gay people should fight for the rights of gay people, but the more
people there are who believe in the cause, and being able to link it to other social
issues the fight becomes stronger and more effective.
The groups activities are currently limited to public lectures, symposia,
documentation as they are also a voluntary organisation with a temporary office
space to work from.
MANSA feels that it is important to work or support the issue of lesbianism (and
gay/bi/t communities) because sexuality is an important and critical issue. The issue
of lesbianism is seen within the context of other issues related to womens health,
empowerment, sexual health. 'Outside opportunities’ also allows the issue to be
discussed in greater detail and in a more 'safer environment’, the screening of “FIRE”
is seen by many organisations as having had a positive impact on bringing a lot of
the issues to the fore.
Before the issue of ones own sexual identity could be discussed or addressed it is
important that a woman is able to feel comfortable with her own sexuality and find the
safety and space to accept this and speak about issues such as menstruation,
masturbation, sex etc before addressing the issue of LESBIANISM.
Manasa mentioned that they do not have any lesbians in their organisation, but when
further questioned about this statement (is it because there are no self identified or
self aware lesbians) the response that came back was interesting.
Lesbianism is more than (just) a physical relationship. Women within Manasa are
very close to each other and they share secrets, wishes and hopes with each other,
they are able to talk and confide in their women friends and many of these
relationships are seen as very important and precious to the women involved.
“one can be very passionate without being physical"
The family entity and concept of family has to be redefined, as family is integral and
part of Indian-ness , but the family concept is also hypocritical patriarchal and
dictatorial.
The issue of sexuality, and in particular homosexuality has to be seen within the
reality of society, in order to abolish myths about it effectively. A lot of this awareness
creating begins with personal awareness and acceptance first, before it can even be
expected to impact on, and change the attitudes of greater society. This is done by
addressing the issue within the context of adolescents and youth. In particular during
sex education or life skills training of school and college programmes, the issue of
sexuality and homosexuality is introduced via other mediums.
In terms of addressing the issue in Colleges, students feel that it is important to
incorporate the issue via another medium, as trying to address it directly (or calling a
spade a spade) would not get very far, and would make people become more
offensive before the issue has even been discussed.
The idea of creating a “Film club” on one of the college campus’ to address the issue
of sexuality via film, and other mediums would create political awareness amongst
the students, (or it will become part of the popular culture so often found on college
campuses). It could lead to more controversial issues and topics in the broader
environment.
Gay culture and the homosexual movement:
Social change happens through movements, and therefore it is important to link the
issue of sexuality to other movements. To date the politicisation of the complex
issues have been carried forward and initiated by lesbian/bisexual women groups,
and this could be because of the strong women’s movements in India, and the
politicisation of women through this process.
Gay men on the other hand feel that they are more empowered to participate simply
because they are men in an Indian society and culture. However, being gay does riot
imply that one is gender sensitive or that the gay culture and gay movement is not or
cannot be discriminatory towards people within its own movement and culture.
Gay culture in India is linked to consumerism, classism, castism and all the other
“isms” that are so closely related to Indian-ness. Gay groups do not come from a
sense of political action groups and are therefore not necessarily political". People
interviewed felt that ‘a-political-ness’ is a problem and in order to bring about
change, to appreciate that change and to enjoy that change and freedom it has to be
seen as a political issue by gay groups.
“Activists and other oppression try and silence homosexuality, why should we?"
The issue of ‘taking away silent space’, which is interpreted by some as being a safe
space has been debated and discussed at great length and the two issues need to
be balanced out with each other.
There is also awareness of the difference between and organisation working on
sexuality (including issues of homosexuality) and an organisation working specifically
on Gay and Lesbian Issues. There was an interesting discussion about the
differences (real or perceived) between the different types of groups.
i
Gay groups :
specifically work on gay and lesbian issues
gay groups attract a certain type of person (gay or msm, very few
lesbians are involved)
gay groups only address certain issues (culture, literature, cruising, sex) and do
not address real issues of gay bashing, married men being gay etc
Sexuality groups/organisations :
work on the issue of sexuality ( perhaps as homosexuality as a priority, but not in
isolation)
sexuality organisations attract a wider range of people, and therefore a wider
support and outreach (women, heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian)
sexuality organisations address the issues of homosexuality in the wider context
A need was seen by some (although hesitantly) that there is space for both to exist,
and both types of organisation have their part to play, and in their own way make a
contribution to the movement
“democratic politics means an effective movement”
Funding, structure and maintaining the organisational autonomy:
This was an interesting and confusing discussion for me, as there is this strong ‘fear’
that an organisation would loose its autonomy if it accepts funding and becomes
more structured. At the same time there was the recognition that an organisation
cannot progress on such a big issue without being organised, and being organised
effectively sometimes requires full time staff and full time work, and this cannot be
done without funding, (refer to section on funding).
AIDS money and AIDS politics :
It is important to address the issue of men who have sex with me, AIDS education
and AIDS funding. There was concern that some ‘gay organisations’ are hiding
behind the HIV/AIDS banner in order to get funding (as opposed to being able to do
their work), and as a result the gay agenda is being overtaken by the HIV/AIDS/MSM
agenda.
Identities and sexual identities are new in the field of HIV/AIDS, and AIDS has to be
seen as part of sexual health, but these organisations who have climbed onto the
“msm” bandwagon are not able to do much apart from creating HIV/AIDS awareness
amongst these communities. Even then the effectiveness of this is being questioned
as the issue of sexual identity is being ignored or swamped by HIV awareness - “it
cannot be seen in isolation" ..
Interview with Ramdas Rao
The issue of gay liberation is more than just reworking the constitution, it moves
beyond that into social movements. The movement should be working for the
protection of civil liberties within the legal sense, and also ensure that it expands into
the various other social and political movements as well.
The immediate priorities are to repeal Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. To this
extent a signature campaign was started in 1996/7 and is still ongoing. A case to
repeal this was filed in 1994, and has still not been heard. (Which is apparently not
uncommon in the Indian Court system - it has not been delayed because of its nature, but rather
because of the court system, which can take up to 8 years to hear a case.)
The second priority would be to develop anti-discrimination laws to protect
lesbian/bisexual/gay (LBG) people.
There does not seem to be any resistance amongst Human Rights Organisations to
talk about the issue, and make space available for LBG organisations, however
there is still a passivity and indifference to the issue or to do anything more pro
active. If an issue is not in the public discourse then it is not taken forward with a real
sense of urgency. The difficulties that many LBG face in coming out has prevented
the campaign from being strident, and the issue is not seen as visible enough for
Human Rights Organisations to take on. There is also still a fair amount of
institutional homophobia around these issues.
There is a need to pressurise HR organisations into taking a stand on these issues,
and at the same time it is important that it is a co-ordinated campaign. This 'pressure'
has to come from LBG organisations, but granted there are major challenges in doing
this,, especially communalism, which has certainly not stopped other issues from
erupting within society. Strong connections between communalism and a society that
produces homophobia.
The LBG organisations need to ensure that they are heard loud and clear by HR
organisations, by setting up time to discuss the issues and concerns from the
perspective of the LBG movement. It is also very important to tie the issue in, or
connect it with other social movements, and groups working for these movements. At
the same time it is important to create safe space for the gay specific groups with a
gay specific identity.
Interview with Dr Shekar Seshadri - NIMHANS (National Institute for Mental Health
and Neurological Sciences)
Sexuality is more than sexual intercourse, and homosexuality is an orientation.
Thejssue of LBG has always been associated with hysteria and disorder. As interns
they were not taught how to ask questions related to sexuality, sexual identity or how
to take a sexual history from their clients. This led him (in partnership) to develop a
awareness training in which medical students on rotation at the NIMHANS are given
an orientation of the various issues.
y\
“how can knowledge be more of a problem than ignorance ?”
Life skills training has to be given in schools, but this in itself creates a number of
problems. What is the space and environment within the school like, what is the
understanding and awareness of the teacher about his/her own sexuality, what is the
awareness of the parents about their own sexuality, and indeed their viewpoints on it.
Sexuality is often seen in a 'negative sense’ (rape, violence against women, child
abuse etc) and needs also to be seen in a more positive aspect. Children are taught
from a very young age, that to be masculine you have to strive for sexual conquest.
The implications for this are that the girls(women) could suffer abuse and violence,
and the boys could have increased high risk behavior.
The training is therefore also aimed at parents, (in terms of counselling and
empowerment) so that parents are OK with the issue being discussed in schools.
Usually schools expect parents to deal with the issue of sexuality, and parents expect
the schools to deal with it.
In terms of NIMHANS, the diagnosis of homosexuality as a mental disorder was
removed from the ' books’ 15 — 20 years ago (Please refer to further interview with
Samraksha). When a patient is referred to the Psychiatric department for counselling or
assistance, the viewpoint that is taken is that the person is ‘normal’ and born that
way, and the only help that they need, and what they get is to assist the client in
legitimising his/her sexual orientation with the family.
The health sector has a huge role to play in making space available for persons of
'alternative sexual orientations’ in order for them to be able to explore and develop
their sexuality. This has to happen by making society more accepting, and making
students more comfortable and open with their own sexuality.
“We should reassure parents that sex education is not a how to do it, and that
sexuality is not only about making love, and making love is not only about
intercourse"
Dr Seshadri is trying to influence institutions within the “medical institution” by
meeting with other departments and discussing the issue, and wants to make sure
that it gets introduced as a mandatory subject during the students rotations. It is a
long process, and should be introduced in a gentle slow way as the language for
sexuality is very different to what people perceive sexuality to be about.
There should also be greater use made of the mass media with this regard. A person
sees many movies where a girl has been abused, raped or harassed and is given the
blame for having caused it or asked for it. There is no movie in which the parents say
that it was not her fault, and as a family they will get through it. A young women when
sexually harassed, abused, raped is scarred for life — not just emotionally, but in
terms of being impure, not having a future and not being a suitable bride anymore,
whereas a man has a different and less crushing issues to deal with.
Personal comment:
This interview seemed almost too good to be true, and I questioned whether these
were his personal feelings or those of NIMHANS. If they were his personal feelings
and viewpoints, then how far does it reach within the institutions that he is working in.
He certainly is a very valuable ‘asset’ to have, and more people like him are required
to bring about meaningful and far reaching change.
Interview with Good as you (G.A. Y.)
G A Y has been in existence for 5 years and during the first 2-3 years the group
struggled. The group, interestingly enough was started off by an American Woman
who is no longer in the country or part of the group.
The group meets every Thursday and has no structure as such. It has been kept
alive by its long standing members and is in essence a voluntary organisation. The
aim of the organisation is to create a space for alternative sexualities and minority
sexualities. It publishes a newsletter called Sangha Mitra and in a touching and
inspiring editorial it says
“LesBiGay lifestyles supported and voiced through these pages. Personal stories,
fiction poetry, strongly worded articles and more. Offering a medium for every voice.
A voice for every problem faced. And so much more. These are the voices of men
and women who are beginning to understand the meaning of their identity.
Understand that it is now in their hands to liberate themselves. To choose for
themselves the path that will lead to their happiness "
The strong points and needs of the group were identified as
one could be yourself within the group
it is a democratic group, and diverse in its makeup and opinions
the organisation is a 'stepping stone’ for many LesBiGay people in creating the
opportunity for people to become comfortable with their own identity first, before
identifying how to move on
it provides a valuable space for people to come and meet people who are the
"same as them”
need for information to men about finding ways and avenues of meeting other
people in similar positions as themselves, or locating ‘spaces’ where it is safe to
express ones sexuality
resources for LesBiGay people to read and access information about their own
situations
outreach to other LesBiGay people, providing appropriate relevant information to
them and people close to them about the issues facing sexuality and sex
Financial support to become more independent and structured
G A Y is seen as providing a social space first and foremost and there was
discussion (and still needs to be a lot more) as to whether it should remain to provide
a social space, or whether it should move into becoming and providing a political
space. The other option is that they network with other organisations to deal with
political issues while still maintaining the social space within the organisation.
"To see and meet another gay man who identifies as a gay man is such and
empowering and powerful experience”
It was felt by some members of the group that if G A Y was to move into activism and
politics to soon it could scare people away from the organisation, and deny them that
social and safe space which is required. There was also acknowledgement that
activism has to be centered around social spaces.
Yet again there was interesting discussions about the need for Gay men to sensitise
themselves about womens issues and in particular lesbian issues. Because a man is
gay it does not mean to say that he is more sensitive or aware of the issues related to
lesbians.
“If G.A. Y wishes to attract lesbians and provide that safe and social space to lesbians
as well it needs to do more than say we are pleased when lesbians come to the
organisation",
There was however more acceptance of the need for funding if the organisation is to
grow and develop and become more effective in what it is trying to achieve.
G.A. Y is all dressed up and has nowhere to go.
n
Interview with SAMRAKSHA
A very emotional and disturbing interview.
This interview was difficult to write about, and I will therefore concentrate on the two
areas that caused a deal of emotions and discomfort within me.
The organisation is reputed to be one of the more credible and influential NGOs
working in HIV/AIDS. They primarily offer counselling, as well as training counsellors
to work in STD clinics.
It is dear that the counsellor or counselling programme does not deal in great deal
with issues of sexuality, and personal prejudices of the counsellors This was
h'ghlighted during the interview process. When a client present himself as a
troubled homosexual/bisexual or msm, and has trouble in his behavior and requests
fn0r^hAh^nSfhl0r th3» hDe ^antS t0 chan9e’ he is referred to the NIMHANS institute
for behavior therapy . Behavior therapy was described as the person seeing a
psychiatrist and then being shown pictures of naked men. Every time that the client
would react to these pictures (by getting an erection one assumes) he would receive
a snock.
When further questioned as to what the counsellor believes in terms of whether the
person could actually change, the response was that it depends on the individuals
mnSS and hat t^'S problem does have a solution. Counselling tends to
concentrate on sexual practice versus sexuality, and that sexual practice is limited to
condom use. There is no mention of negotiating skills when it comes to talking Lout
safer sex for women. A lot of emphasis is placed on the women to ensure that her
partner uses a condom when they have sex. When a women present herself with an
STD it is suggested to her that it could be because she is unhygienic, or that her
partner is possibly having an affair. There is no enquiry or possibility that the women
could also have been having an affair.
There was also the feeling that they could not speak to Christians or Muslims about
condoms, as it was difficult to do this, and they never abstain from sex.
The counsellors are trained by various institutions including NIMHANS and the
London Lighthouse.
Stage 2 Chenai - (Madras)
Interview with Saker at SIAPP offices.
This was a very interesting, encouraging and inspiring interview.
Saker immediately came out as being HIV positive and gay. He explained about his
life story and how he first realised that he was homosexual. He was aware of his
sexual orientation from a very young age, but in 1993 his parents arranged a
marriage for him. Soon after this he was diagnosed with Herpes Zoster and was then
diagnosed as being HIV Positive.
He did not want to go through with the marriage, partly because he knew of his
sexual orientation and also because of his HIV Status. He convinced his parents to
call off the marriage. Soon after this he took the brave decision to go public about his
diagnosis AND his sexuality . The reason he says is the desire to educate and serve
society, to educate it and to caution them about the risks.
He then started an organisation with the assistance of SIAPP, and the organisation
that he started is very grassroots in terms of their activities. All of the people that
come to the organisation are homosexual or bi-sexual, and most of those that identify
as bisexual are married.
The organisation works with Gay and transsexual populations, and in particular the
boys that are into commercial work. They also primarily focus on the middle/lower
and lower class. The organisation attempts to meet the very basic needs of the
people that they work with, and the people that work for the organisation. In their
office they have space for cooking, eating, dancing and listening to music as they feel
that it is important to create an environment where people want to come and can feel
as if they belong. A lot of men enjoy coming to the organisation, because it allows
them a space to be who they are - a space to express themselves whether it is
wearing make up, wearing a Sari or meeting people who are into the same thing as
they are. When they are at home they are expected to “be a man” and fulfill the role
of being a man.
♦
The dynamics of the group was very interesting in terms of many of the Kotis or
workers of the organisation are ‘married’ to other members of the groups, and quite
openly refer to them as ‘ my husband’. They also frequently have ‘marriage
ceremonies’ amongst couples.
There is a fairly large amount of HIV positive people within the organisation, as well
as on the staff. They only see gay doctors and refuse to go to the STD clinics or
government hospitals. All their referrals are only to these gay doctors. Many of the
Kotis are transsexuals who often wear Sari’s and wear make up while working the
respective cruising areas. They are able to attract clients more easily than their
obviously male counterparts, as they have a way of concealing the penis within the
Sari. The client is only interested in anal intercourse anyway.
There seems to be a silent acceptance of what they are and the lifestyle that they
lead. Only a few amongst them actually talk about it, and mostly their discussions
focus on they physical act of sex. A .number of the ‘husbands’ within the group are
also married to women, have children and at the same time have a third relationship
with a ‘husband’ of their own. In between these men also cruise in the popular spots
(which are not the cruising parks), but areas around the TV tower, train station and
carriages, market and channels/beach areas. Many of these men do not only lead a
double existence but what can only be described as a multiple existence. The one
life supports the other (financially, emotionally, sexually ) and in terms of societies
expectations of the man.
‘Husbands’ in the organisation, who themselves have ‘husbands’ do it more for
economical reasons, as most of these ‘husbands’ are wealthier and from a different
class background. They support their koti financially, and the koti often travels with
the ‘husband’ when he goes on business trips. The ‘husband’ often supports the
koti s family financially. The koti is however expected to perform lengthy sexual
sessions with the ‘husband’, and do sexual things that the ‘husbands’ do not get at
An interesting phenomena was in relation to bisexual men who are married to
women. Often they are not able to have sexual intercourse with their wives, as they
/ am not a pure man, (do not feel attracted to a women, and cannot get an erection)
and then my ‘husband’ (who is a pure man) has sexual intercourse with my wife”.
[This could be seen as a form of sexual abuse towards the women, but from the
man s perspective he is fulfilling the needs of his wife, and therefore doing what is
expected of him as a husband).
Interaction and access to other gay groups is seen as a barrier because of class and
and
language. They are not accepted by other groups, and therefore they have created a
small world within their own realities. The organisation is not political active nor does
it align to any other social movement. They are meeting the immediate needs of their
community, and providing a space and education to express their sexuality in their
»
They do a lot efface to face education in terms of meeting people at their place of
work or in the cruising areas. Sarek is open to everyone in the organisation and
community and often uses his own experience to educate and warn others. They
have also employed women to do door to door education to housewives about HIV
and its implications.
Interview with Indian Community Welfare Organisation - ICWO
The Organisation is funded by USAID and the Tamil Nadu’s Governments AIDS
control society. Interestingly, the aspect that the AIDS control society is funding is the
m.s.m intervention.
The msm programme started in September 1998, and they have identified 72
different cruising areas where they do outreach, (HIV education) and distribute
condoms. The aim of this programme is to prevent the spread of HIV amongst men
who have sex with men. The interview in the beginning was quite official, and
questions were answered with the appropriate and proper language (NGO speak).
The project has a Director, Project Co-ordinator and contact persons. All contact
persons are either homosexual, bisexual (self identified), or koti identified. They are
given a “skills development training programme” before doing any field work. The
training programme does not concentrate on sexuality at all, and is primarily
designed to give interpersonal skills development, and train the contact persons on
howto gather information and report on the information that they have gathered.
The contact persons need to be good in communication, self identified homosexual
or bisexual and have some interpersonal skills.
(We requested time to meet the field workers). During the interview process we got a
better understanding of how it is that they do their work. They work in the cruising
areas (primarily the parks) and would introduce themselves to men walking around.
They would first socialise with the man, and then broach the subject of HIV and safer
sex. If the ‘client’ refuses the condom they then try to explain the dangers of
unprotected sex, but they do not force the ‘client’ to take a condom.
The team then decided to personalise the questions a lot more, and direct them to
the contact persons within their own contexts and realities.
Those resource persons that are married, do not inform their wives either of their
sexuality or of the work that they are doing. Many of them have other jobs as well.
They do not tell their wives, as society and their wives will not be accepting of it,
and will see them as a lesser man.
“I enjoy being gay, but I also love my wife and children"
If society or a community knows that a husband is gay then his wife will be
harassed, as it will be seen that the husband is not performing his ‘husbandly’
(sexual) duties, and lead to sexual advances and come on’s from other men
towards the wife. Even if he fathers a child, it will not be seen as his own.
When the question was asked to the men who are fathers, what they would do if
their child comes to them and tell them that they are gay, the response was an
emphatic NO, they will not accept it or their child.
Many of them said that they were still interested in sex with a women
“What I do is different to what I speak, people are only interested
in what I speak and not what I do"
The contact persons also spoke about the harassment that they were facing from the
police in the parks. (Even though it is a Government funded initiative), and a number
of them have had to pay bribes or perform sex with the policeman. They say that
there is a lot of police harassment partly due to the low wages that the police receive,
and also because the police work on a quota system; in that they have to file a
certain number of cases every month.
It was unclear as to whether the contact persons also actually indulge in sexual
activities while doing their work, and trying to address larger issues of resisting the
pressure to get married or the understanding of sexuality was not very successful.
Interview with SIAAP
SIAPP was initially set up to be an HIV/AIDS prevention programme, with its primary
focus on counselling, truckers and care.
It is now a programme which supports 4 other focus areas/programmes :
P.A.G.E - Positive Action Group Echo
W.A.D.S - Women and Development Society
A.A.F.O.B - AIDS Action forum of the blind
S.W.A.M.M - Society Welfare Association for marginalised me
SIAPP has initiated a huge counselling programme with the support of HIVOS (The
counselling programme will not be dealt with in great detail in this report It will
however be discussed with regards to the terms of reference of this study group).
The issue of sexuality within the training of the counsellors (and ultimately the
trainers) is a small component in the training, it is not absent, but it is also not their)
e programme is trying to get counsellors to look at their own sexuality in a limited
inSgrafion01 3 P°SltlOn t0 deal with the clients sexuality- is seen as a process of
Gay and bisexual men are included in the programme to be trained as counsellors
and go back into their communities to become counsellors. It was stated that the
issues about sexuality and identity would be identified by these people and
addressed accordingly. This would then lead to an gradual integration of the issues
of sexuality. (This was not quite clear). The interview highlighted the need for issues
of sexuality and identity within counselling training, even if the counselling was
concentrating on pre/post test.
There was a number of community representatives at the meeting, and we discussed
the concept of counselling in the field, (as opposed to counselling in an office or STD
clinic).
“Counselling” is a term that is not understood in the field, but it was clear that there is
a fair amount of peer counselling happening within the various communities. This
happens in terms of discussing issues and concerns with each other, trying to
educate one another on the aspects of HIV/AIDS and safer sex and ‘looking out’ for
one another when people are working or cruising, (these are people from the field, who
have not been employed in a counselling capacity, or for that matter any other capacity, but are
integral to the work). There was also an interesting dynamic in terms of sex workers and
gay men communities coming closer together through the project, or the work of the
project.
Sex workers did not know what gay meant, or what it involved - but now that the two
communities have had an opportunity to talk to each other and understand the
various issues they have become ‘friends’. Sex workers usually have different
hunting grounds to gay men, but the two communities have started inviting each
other to their own hunting grounds, which has resulted in them looking out for each
other, and identifying suitable clients or partners for the various identity. They feel
that this has created more of an awareness and understanding of the various issues
faced by each other, and has brought them closer together. Women are often
vulnerable in their hunting areas, but feel safer by the presence of ‘men’ in the area,
as they offer a sense of security.
The SWAMM project:
The project works under the umbrella of HIV , as this is more socially acceptable. It
allows the workers to be active within their own community without having to self
identify or come out as being gay.
The training concentrates on two specific target groups, namely ‘money boys’ and
men who have sex with other men for pleasure. The training covers areas of safer
sex, condoms, group building, and dealing with police harassment.
The SIAPP project waits for needs and issues as identified by the various groups that
they work with (which is understandable as this is a fairly new project). However, it
seems as if the project is more about HIV/AIDS awareness, safer sex and
economical survival than awareness of sexuality, gay liberation and rights involved
with LBG issues. This is not per se a negative thing, and depends on the focus of
the organisation or group.
Interview with Sahodaran :
The organisation is promoted as a drop in center for msm’s. It is totally msm, and
people who do not identify as being msm, bisexual or gay are not welcome at the
organisation. (It was stated that heterosexual men would see it more as an
opportunity to have employment or be involved with a ‘hot political issue' as opposed
to being involved because of commitment).
i
The center has recently started a Thursday evening discussion group for gay men
(men who identify as being gay, and this was explained as being upper middle, and
upper classes of men, who are educated and speak English). The gay group does
not want to identify or mix with the koti group of men.
The project has 5 koti’s who work as outreach workers in the cruising areas. They do
HIV/AIDS outreach within these communities. The Sahodaran center offers a drop in
center for the outreach workers as well as the men that they work with. It attempts to
address their basic needs in terms of fulfilling their identities (dancing classes, acting,
developing street plays), as well as giving them a 7 days training programme before
they actually work in the field.
The programme seems to concentrate on sexuality and identity in terms of
addressing the issues of who they are, why they are like that, what they feel and what
they think.
“The training programme goes down to the Koti’s level"
It was explained that the koti’s are a very fractured community, and a community with
a low self esteem and worth. It is therefore felt that it is important to address those
needs of empowerment and community development before trying to address the
wider issue of being part of a gay movement and gay liberation. However the issue
of gay and lesbian rights is addressed to a certain degree in addressing issues of
police harassment and community development.
“The organisation does not do anything in terms of gay politics and gay identity as it
is only the educated who understand the concept of gay identity".
The gay group which happens on a Thursday evening is also supposedly the only
gay group in Madras. There is not much networking or collaboration with other msm
organisations for various reasons including personalities and different approaches
and structures.
Personal:
Organisation that is doing something for the various communities koti and gay
However a lot of it is under the banner of HIV/AIDS awareness and not much in
terms of the greater picture. Sadly there is also no discussion or interaction between
the koti and gay group within the same organisation, and the obvious and blatant
exclusion of men because of their heterosexuality.
Interview with Vina Mazumdar (Check with shalini)
“Lesbian rights are virtually impossible”
There are some form of gay organisations in India, and lesbian groups are small and
limited in outreach. The reaction to gays is different to those of lesbians, and there
are many reasons for this.
The women’s movement and the women’s study movement has been ‘vocal’ on the
’issue of lesbianism, but do not feel that it is a priority in the Indian context. On
principle the movements agree with the freedom of expression and the freedom of
the individual. However, most people and womens organisations prefer not to get
involved in a discourse that could impact and effect other issues ‘negatively’. Issues
such as struggle with politics and culture, globalisation and the social structures. It is
felt that it is not the time that the womens movement can afford to fracture further
‘consensus’ on national issues. (They are trying to address priority and basic issues
first, and it has been a long struggle in achieving consensus on these issues). There
are substantial and widespread divisions within the women’s movements, both
ideological and strategically.
It is doubtful whether support for the lesbian movement will be more than support in
principle. However this also depends on what kind of support. Relatively less high
profile activities will be more easily supported. Issues such as doing research, as the
current information base is small (and therefore the needs and priority issues of the
lesbian community are less clear and visible).
“Research information is a weapon to moblisation and having issues addressed”
If issues are connected and related to other rights (rights to livelihood, rights to public
employment etc) would also more easily be taken up by the women’s movement.
Trying to talk about sexuality in the context that the majority live in is not going to
help, as the majority is more concerned by basic issues of poverty, ill health,
illiteracy, employment etc, and they concentrate on getting a feeling of self esteem
and self worth. The majority of women are not aware of their rights, they are aware
of their responsibilities, as these have been enforced within family, society and
religion. Women therefore need education on their rights.
“life cannot bring you everything you want
we need to maintain ourselves and our dignity”
It was felt that trying to address the issue of lesbianism more proactively (as opposed
to just in principle and without the above mentioned issues) would be taking the
discourse to a level that takes the movement backwards as opposed to forward, and
perhaps even to the point of reactionary.
•o
In terms of the gay movement and ‘homo-sexuality’, it was felt that this has been
wide spread and can be traced back within India’s history. Society is aware that it
does happen, but they do not make a big issue out of it, it is not spoken about. There
is no cultural reaction to ‘homo-sexuality’ (or gayness) as it has existed forever.
4^
Interview with Pipa - MacAurthur Foundation :
The MF does not have a specific policy on LBG issues, but are open to funding
sexual minority groups. Initially the MF did not fund openly gay groups in India, but
since 1993, and because of the incidence of HIV, the foundation has become more
open to issues and proposals from and about sexual minorities.
The concern of supporting openly gay and lesbian organisations is addressed by
referring to it as “initiatives around sexual minorities”, as it does not always help if the
issue is introduced in an open ‘in your face’ manner.
The controversy created by the film 'fire', was addressed by a number of larger
organisations as it was seen as an issue of ‘freedom of expression’ as opposed to an
'issue of lesbianism'.
There is also the danger that sexuality is being seen as sexual orientation only, and
therefore the foundations focus is on something that is tangible, concrete,
sustainable, and could have impact and influence on the community that it
perpetuates to help. It is important that gay/lesbian and msm organisations learn to
work with each other in order to bring about any meaningful change on this issue.
Stage 3 - Delhi:
Interview with Shivananda Khan :
Shivananda spoke about the work that the NAZ Foundation UK was doing in India
and South Asia.
India is a homo-erotic culture, and within this homo-erotic culture is a sub gender
referred to as Koti (Queens). Koti’s themselves see it as a gender as opposed to an
identity, and they often use their effeminate behavior to attract men, by accentuating
their walk (swagger) and the way in which they talk. Koti’s focus on anal penetration,
and a real man does not touch the genitals of the Koti, he just fucks (insert and
release). Interestingly Koti’s also sometimes have penetrative sex with each other but this is seen as ‘shameful’ and is not spoken about amongst themselves or each
other.
Being Koti identified also encourages anal sex, and the project is trying to educate
and encourage the koti’s to shift the thinking in such a way that it moves away from
anal sex, and into more df a sexual identity (in which other forms of sexual acts are
explored).
There is also separation and division between the koti’s and gay identified men.
Koti’s see gay men as secret koti’s and gay men see koti’s as effeminate men, not
real men. The gay movement is class based, and primarily developed and supported
by middle and upper middle class self identified gay men — with English as the
language of communication.
The repeal of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code System should not be seen as a
gay issue, but as a sexual health issue. Sexual health is a right that everyone in the
country has claim to. It is felt that section 377 should be repealed, not modified, but
also with the understanding that it could take away from other real ‘basic’ issues, or
make them invisible ; issues such as harassment, black mail, sexual abuse and rape
etc.
In order for men to come out as gay there needs to be a social economical structure
that would support them to come out, and to this degree the NAZ founcation is trying
to encourage the establishment of emergency shelters, setting up of employment
networks, subsidised treatment. In so doing they hope to create mini social welfare
structures within the community.
The msm issue has become an identity, and the gay movement is being replaced
by msm identity as it impacts on gay culture. To have a gay identity one needs a
language that is created and could be accessed by all. There is also the danger (as
was the case in Indonesia) that when gay and lesbian issues become more of a
public issue then anti gay violence increases, and that homo-bonding (men showing
affection towards each other) declines, as these men are afraid of being identified as
gay
The NAZ foundation therefore trains project leaders to advocate within the gay
network, and train “friendship builders” within the community. All these men are
msm’s or identify as bisexual, gay or koti. The “friendship builders” develop
friendships with men in the cruising areas, and as a result become a lot closer to the
men that they work with - the relationship is therefore seen on a more equal footing,
as opposed to a provider (fieldworker) and a client (man cruising).
This system also helps with the monitoring of treatment compliance with regards to
STD’s, as the “friendship builders” develop a relationship within the msm community.
They become confidants who are trusted and allow for ongoing education and
empowerment through this process.
The men (msm’s, gay identified and koti’s) that NAZ works with are ‘taught’ how to
have sex. Within the community sex with another man is largely seen as a release
as opposed to desire and passion. The man available for sex may not necessarily be
seen as an object of desire, but his anus or his mouth is seen as a form of release, or
a way of achieving a release. The sexual act does not last long and is usually rough.
(Masturbation is seen as a waste of semen). Therefore there is training on how to
have sex in terms of masturbating, oral sex, penetrative intercourse and howto
increase the pleasure value as opposed to seeing it as an act of release.
The project also wishes to set up (and has set up a few) specialised STD treatment
clinics, as there is a great deal of ignorance in treating anal STD’s (not just in India,
worldwide), as well as the fear of discrimination and refusal of treatment by doctors in
mainstream clinics and hospitals. (Because of the taboo and the ignorance around
treating anal STD’s as no one seems to know how to treat anal STD’s). It is therefore
important that the advocacy role is improved in training doctors on how to treat STD’s
in gay or mom men, and to get them to train other doctors through appropriately
developed training programmes. Students in medical colleges also need to be
educated in this aspect.
fl
Condoms on the other hand are being seen as a family planning device, as opposed
to a recreational device. Condoms need to be encouraged in terms of recreational
pleasure and not only in terms of family planning. However, they in themselves
create problems in that they are not always readily available (hence the need to
educate to move away from anal intercourse), are not used properly. Condom
distribution is not sustainable as the demand is greater than the supply in India especially with the large population of sexually active men.
South Asia is seen as a multi gendered society, but often funders are locked into a bi
polar gender world. Field work is not just about handing out condoms on a one-toone basis, as this does not sustain behavior change. Behavior change is not an
individual action, but a community collective action, and therefore the approach
cannot consist of only one activity (condoms) but needs to involve the community in
its development, and funders need to realise this.
Interview with TARSHI project.
The project has a sexual health helpline that operates 5 days a week from 09h00 17h00. Since its inception the helpline has received more than 30 000 calls. The
majority of the calls received are from men.
The project is described as only for women and it is run by women. Women are at the
core of the organisations focus and men are on the peripheral. The incoming calls
are documented, as one cannot collect the same type of information from people if
this had to be done via one on one interviews. The research is therefore used as an
advocacy tool and to increase peoples knowledge.
The organisation networks and collaborates with a number of other
organisations/institutions that are working in the field of sexuality and sexual health.
Sexuality in this country is now more spoken about compared to 4 years ago but it is
still only addressed seriously if there is a 'crisis’ or related to a ‘crisis’ e g HIV/AIDS
abortion, child abuse, sexual violence. Sexuality is therefore only being seen as a
sexual behavior.
The counsellors (all women) are trained about their own values, comforts and
discomforts around sexuality and are told that it is OK to have their own personal
values, but these cannot be allowed to interfere with or intrude onto their clients
An interesting viewpoint on the "FIRE" issue is that lesbian women did not want to
talk about the movie in fear of being identified as lesbian, but it created the
opportunity for heterosexual women to speak about lesbianism.
When talking about sexuality too many people are inclined to focus more on
negative aspects' and failing to see the positive aspects of sexuality. Issues of well
being, desire, passion are part of
but are
are not
not being
being covered
covered by
by either
either
of sexuality,
sexuality, but
training programmes or media/society
y
Interview with NAZ Foundation India :
The NAZ foundation (India) was initially started as a msm programme, but it was
soon realised that NAZ could not keep its focus only on msm initiatives.
The programme now concentrates on the following aspects ;
HIV/STD Clinic: It is a clinic that operates on 2 evening during the week as well as 1
afternoon. It is both for diagnostic and treatment purposes, and the clinic has links
with various laboratories and counselling centers in hospitals .
Truckers intervention : This intervention has a huge component of msm activity. Field
workers were moved from the msm project into the truckers programme, which had a
positive impact on the project. There is a lot of clinic based work as truckers come in
for STD treatment and follow up.
Peer Education Project: Working with Colleges, teachers and churches
School Programme : Address issues of sex, sexuality and HIV/AIDS
Male and Female Sex workers Programme : The programme is Delhi based.
Over and above this there is a gay men and lesbian telephone counselling service as
well as support group meetings and space for Gay Men, Lesbians and Koti’s. These
initiatives are not part of NAZ Foundation (India), but space and technical assistance
and some resources are being provided by the foundation.
The gay telephone help line was first started, but it was receiving a lot of calls from
lesbian and bisexual women, which was the motivation to start the lesbian and
bisexual help line.
Hamraz : The gay telephone hot line service, is a bilingual service and operates
during certain hours of the week. All the counsellors are volunteers. Most of the calls
are from gay identified men or bisexual men who have issues of coming out, guilt,
wanting to meet other men etc.
This resulted in the creation of a gay men’s support group (Hamrayi), which meets
one afternoon every week. They organise frequent parties, and advertise in various
forums, including on the internet "Gay Delhi”. The group advertise via
advertisements and flyers, and have not had any serious comebacks or backlashes
from the advertising.
Sangini : Support for lesbian and bisexual women
This service provides telephone counselling for 2 hours per week on Tuesday’s and a
support group meeting twice a month.
There are a variety of issues that are discussed on the telephone counselling service,
which vary from fear, depression, wanting a sex change (as some woman have been
led to believe that to be able to love another woman they have to have a sex
change), to calls inquiring as to whether Sangini provides other women for
threesomes with their husbands.
The terminology used for advertising the service is both direct and indirect (lesbians
and women loving women). The counsellors are all volunteers, and identify as
lesbian or bisexual. Advertising is wide, including the handing out of brochures and
pamphlets in public spaces (public toilets, bus stops), as well as through the
newspapers (who are prepared to advertise for them)
The support group meets on Saturday afternoons, and is made up primarily of
referrals from the helpline. The group creates space for women to meet other
women, and discuss issues such as ‘month of sex’ in which they talk about their
bodies, sexual awareness, masturbatiqn, sex toys, what to use if there are not sex
toys and watch porn videos as a form of learning and self discovering.
There are also some outdoor activities planned such as parties and discussions.
The Koti group:
The NAZ foundation has created a safe space for the Koti’s to meet. The group is self
identified Koti and within the safe space that has been created the group identifies its
needs and priorities. From there on the activities are planned accordingly. Majority of
Koti’s do not speak English and come from a different class background to the men
that identify as gay or bisexual.
There is no interaction between the Koti group and the gay group and vice versa.
Both the Hamraz and Sangini counselling telephone service are difficult to access by
members of the public as they are only open during certain hours of the week, and
then for a limited space of time. The counsellors are voluntary and therefore it is not
always possible to have a full team on duty to respond to the calls.
There is no interaction or crossover between the gay and lesbian groups. They feel
that it is important to get and identify own space and priorities first before any cross
over or collaboration can happen. At the same time they do realise that they are not
free until everyone is free
“I, as a lesbian am not free if a Koti is beaten up by the police"
Interview with Gita Thadani (Film maker)
Gita has a long history in being an ‘out’ lesbian, and has very been involved in
instrumental in the formation of a number of gay and lesbian groups.
The ‘movement’ as such was given a starting push by the International AIDS
Conference which was held in Delhi 1992. It was the first time that there was the
opportunity for gay and lesbians to meet in a public fora, and although there was
'official discrimination’ in the conference programme, there was a euphoric feeling
amongst the gays and lesbians as it was seen as the beginning of the ‘movement’
The gay and lesbian activities during the conference received a fair amount of liberal
media coverage.
After this historical event they realised that there was the need to talk about sexuality
in a cultural, societal and historical context. The NAZ Foundation was started as a
'cover organisation’ for gay and lesbian activities as gay and lesbian organisations
could not register as such. The NAZ foundation therefore had two foci; HIV/AIDS and
Gay and Lesbian aspects (looking at it from the historical perspective). However the
Gay and Lesbian aspect of this within the NAZ foundation collapsed and the NAZ
foundation then concentrated solely on HIV/AIDS issues.
There is a lot of sexism and insensitivity amongst the gay movement and little or no
dialogue between the lesbians and the gays. The onset of HIV/AIDS has given
people the momentum to talk about sexuality, but this has now become a gay male
issue, and there is no space for lesbian within the AIDS movement. Lesbian women
therefore feel that they can be more effective within the larger women’s movement.
There is little space within the women’s movements for lesbian issues to be
discussed and tackled - more than just being supported in principle.
Public spaces in India are male, without a support structure or something local there
is not much that women can do in terms of public spaces. Aspects of Indian culture
(Bollywood and Religious culture) are not taking up the issues of sexuality, and
lesbian and gay temples are being defaced.
Gays and Lesbians are being told that there is no LBG culture in history. Gita has
come up with a lot of evidence to prove that it does exist, and has existed throughout
history In some instances the gay and lesbians have a far more positive sexual
tradition than what is believed.
“historically we do not exist, therefore you do not have the right to exist”
Funders are not keen to fund films which concentrate on the historical perspective
and history of gays and lesbians. Partly because there are limited channels of
distribution and outreach within India, and partly because the distribution channels
within India are so complex. In response to this different models of culture need to be
developed (and understood and supported by funders).
The ‘movement’ as such is a middle class movement, as people from the middle
classes are those privileged enough to create a space. Nothing is going to change, if
people do not come out. There is little or no space to deal with issues externally at
the moment, and when this happens the issues become internal and as a result the
movement does not grow.
“People have to come out I People in the middle classes are the ones
who have the privilege of coming out”
The only culture that the gay men have is the cruising culture, and men have more
public spaces to express this. Lesbians and bisexual women do not have these
spaces. At the same time the issue of safety is becoming more and more important
as popular culture is brutal and growing. Therefore networks of solidarity need to be
developed and strengthened. The movement is not going to grow and develop as it is
only being referred to, or categorised as men who have sex with men. This is
possibly because of the opset of AIDS. AIDS is also money politics and as a result
everyone seems to be getting into the issue of men who have sex with men.
Gay and lesbian activists are feeling isolated, leaving the country and dropping out.
There needs to be ways of keeping these activists involved and supporting them in
the work that they are trying to do. Scope needs to be given to the movement to grow
without being involved in power politics and fighting with each other.
Interview with Campaign for lesbian rights and DARE:
The women’s movement has never really taken up the issue of sexuality, but it is felt
that when lesbians themselves (as opposed to the womens movement) take up the
issue the response has been quite positive. The lesbians cannot expect the womens
movement to do the work for lesbians, although lesbians are part of the women’s
movement. Although the women’s movement is finding it difficult to deal with the
issue in a meaningful way (for reasons described in other interviews), the important
thing is that there is a willingness to take it on.
The term lesbian is more widely used, accepted and understood in the middle and
middle upper classes of society. The group also feels that the terms lesbian is a rally
cry for the lesbian and bisexual women to mobilise — it is a clear term ahd has no
confusion about it.
Interestingly, most of the cases that have been reported in the mainstream press
about lesbianism has come from the rural areas. Fact sheets about lesbianism need
to be translated into local languages and circulated within rural areas as well.
Mainstream magazines are talking about the issue in a factual and meaningful way,
which contributes to the discourse of lesbianism.
For a variety of reasons public acceptance is increasing and the hostility that was
expected is not materialising. However being personally out within the community
and what the reaction to these are have not been tested as a number of the women
that we spoke to are not ‘out’ within their communities, (although they may be out
within their immediate families).
The lesbian movement wants visibility; to be part of a society; have the opportunity to
speak for themselves and enter into debate with as many groups and segments of
society as possible with regards to the issue of lesbianism.
In terms of law it is felt that it is more important to educate lesbians that section 377
of the IRC cannot be used against them. (This law is often used by family members
to threaten or scare lesbians). It is important to decriminalise the issue of lesbianism
and to engage people in the debate. In so doing it is felt that the isolation will be
broken, coalitions will be built and more effective outreach will take place.
The Coalition for Lesbian Rights does not want funding at this stage, as it is felt that
funding will take away from the spirit of volunteerism. Receiving contributions from
the public, friends and members’ allows the group to focus activities in a clearer
manner. The strength of the initiative lies in the fact that it is a campaign, and does
not have to deal with issues of leadership and beaurocracy. The communication
happens within the group and via e-mail, and it is felt that funders have their own
agendas and would want to create icons from the movement. Funding could cause
people to leave the campaign.
DARE on the other hand needs funds to achieve what they want to achieve with their
documentation center, and require staff to work on the center on a full time basis.
Lesbian Movement and the Gay Movement:
The ‘movements’ tried to work together in the past, but this has not happened for
different reasons. (Personalities, different ideologies, different ways of working and
thinking), and it was felt that the two movements need to develop individually and
then come together to be ua force to be reckoned with”.
Lesbians need to work within the women’s movement, but also identify that they need
to create initiatives with gay groups as well. An effort also needs to be made from
them to pursue the issue of collaboration with the gay movement as opposed to
waiting for them to approach the lesbian movement.
On the question of whether they believed that there was such a thing as a gay
movement the response was an ambiguous NO. One of the reasons given was that
funding priorities are confirming gay issues as an HIV/AIDS issues. There were
attempts to do political work as a collective, but this has primarily fallen on individuals
as opposed to a collective. It was felt that the reason for the gay community being so
closely linked with the issue of HIV/AIDS is because they were identified as a target
group in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention in the beginning of the epidemic. It is therefore
difficult to see the gay movement as separate from the HIV/AIDS movement.
Stage 4 - Mumbai
Interview with SPARROW:
The organisation is not doing anything specific on lesbianism, as there are other
important issues within the womens movement that needs to be done and collected
before the issue of lesbianism becomes a priority.
The organisation however does support the issue in principle, and if it is brought up
in discussion during the workshops or in their research they address the issue
appropriately.
As for placing the issue of lesbianism within the womens movement there was a
feeling that there has not been much scope for it with the movement.
“not the approphate moment to cany it forward”
SPARROW holds a serious of workshops in which they question stereotypes and do
not ignore the possibility of same sex relationships, and therefore create a climate for
questions and discussion on the issue if it is brought up.
57
Interview with Stree Sanqam :
Stree Sangam is a support group for lesbian and bisexual women and was formed
after an attempt to make their presence felt in the men’s movement was ignored. A
group of lesbians got together to give support to each other and to make their
presence felt. The group organises national retreats to give the opportunity for
women to meet each other, support and share with each other and share and define
political visions. There is some tension within the group between the social space
focus and the political vision focus.
The political vision is that the agenda and needs of lesbians has to be addressed
through the womens movement, as there is no lesbian movement outside of the
women’s movement. Part of this agenda is getting specific rights for gays and
lesbians; the right to marriage, decriminalisation, anti-discrimination (although it is felt
that it is difficult to talk about this or achieve this as many of the lesbians are so invisible).
Lesbians who are visible within the wider context are from middle classes and they
realities of their lives are different to the women on the ground. It is felt that the
lesbians in the middle classes need to make an attempt to understand the issue of
women on the ground and make them visible as well.
On whether they felt that there was a gay movement the reply was again an
ambiguous NO. Although gay men are more in numbers, and have more opportunity
and spaces to meet, there is no unified movement, but rather several independent
movements. There is also no joining point between the gay and lesbian movements
as there are different priorities, the gay movement is not gender sensitive, and they
gay movement is unable to identify its needs.
“there is-no collective thinking of moving beyond oneself'
Intimate relationships are not being spoken about within the gay movement (and this
is a big issue within the womens movement). Self education has to happen within the
gay movement (especially around issues of gender and sexuality), as at the moment
it was seen that the two movements are speaking different languages and live in
different worlds. The movements are moving on a parallel, and there was no
possibility seen of working together at this stage. [It was also admitted that if there
were more identified lesbians who are not part of the feminist movement, dialogue
could be more constructive between the two movements ]
The plans of Stree Sangam are to begin a telephone counselling service, and to
open a sort of drop in center; a safe space where women could get together and
meet.
Stree Sangam wants to continue with its newsletter and to encourage a space for
lesbians within the HIV/AIDS discourse.
Interview with Dr Chitra Subramanium :
Chitra started her own AIDS NGO in 1993 (CASA - Counselling AID Service for
AIDS), and has been doing therapy for gay/lesbian identified individuals in her private
capacity. (Advertises in the Bombay Dost).
She works closely with the Hamsafar Trust, and has a two way referral system with
the Trust. The issues that are discussed by her clients are varied ;
Most of the individuals are out to their families, but have no other gay contacts.
They often express the need to meet other people who are in a similar situation
as them.
Some men talk about the desire of a permanent relationship, and discuss issues
of why the gay culture seems to be so centered around sex.
Issues of relationship breaking up are also quite common, which sometimes also
leads to discussions around suicide
Cyber relationships are becoming more and more common amongst the clientele.
Cyber sex ( and the ‘guilt’ feelings associated with that, having relationships with
men on the internet but when photos are exchanged or people meet in person it
ends abruptly, and in some cases devastatingly.
Gay men who are married, and want to know whether they should come out to
their wives
She described the immediate needs (from her perspective and experience in dealing
with gays and lesbians through therapy) as
having access to a counselling telephone service, which provides a basic service
which provides resources as well as referrals to groups, safe space, information
etc
safe space, where people can find someone to talk to and meet with them in a
safe non judgmental environment
Library/resource center, where people can access their kind of information for
their kinds of needs.
Interview with Aawaaz-niswaan:
This was a powerful interview in terms of personal testimony from Hasini and Nazim.
It was also a difficult interview as it was done through interpretation, and therefore the
verbatim is through the words of the translator.
The organisation attempts to be the voice of grassroots muslim women. Women
come to the group with real and emotional issues, which in turn makes the
organisation take them up and as a result makes it grow. The issue of “personal law”
within the muslim religion is a big issue for the organisation. The discussions within
the group are therefore around real and specific issues and needs. Lesbian
relationships is a reality with women on the ground, and it is important how these
relationships are seen by the women and within the community.
The organisations organised a retreat for 15 women, to create a opportunity for them
to share and bond. There was no specific agenda to the retreat, but a lot of
53
discussion on sexuality started happening. Women then had the opportunity to speak
about intensely personal and family issues, which assisted the group in forging its
own identity. A space was ‘self created for women to discuss issues of sexuality
within the group and with each other.
!
There is a verse in the Koran that says when a woman starts to menstruate, a
husband has to be found for her. The women questioned this verse, and it was felt
that once a woman starts to menstruate she is becoming more aware of her sexuality
and choices around sexuality. It is therefore needed to put the woman into the
heterosexual mold before she ‘chooses’ to become a lesbian.
"we have thoughts (of lesbianism) in our minds - but have never had an opportunity
to give them a voice”
It is important to create the opportunity and platform for women to speak of their own
reality, immaterial of sexual orientation and as a result identify her own needs first
Women must have the independence to have a choice for her own decisions. Many
women do not want to be in relationships with their husbands, and the possibility to
have a relationship with another women gives them a great deal of strength.
If we knew that it existed, why would we want to be in relationships with men?”
Interview with Indian Center for Human Rights :
The ICHR is a support and campaign organisation, and when they see a demand or
WlH collaborate together with the relevant organisations. During the
th/n, ^nd^r^USt L^S Conference’the issue of gays and lesbians was brought to
Riahts ola^rm ZL wasDth®/irSt time that the issue was brought into the Human
Rights platform. No Human Rights organisation has taken up the issue seriously
although many of them support the issue in principle. It was felt that for the H/R
cS'frnm^hV0 take Ti th®.lssue seriously, the direction and initiative would have to
come from the gay and lesbian movements.
■
-
Sexual (orientation) should be an ■individuals freedom to choose ones mi life
Sv " WnX™ "^h8 e'SeL ln lenTO Of lhe law male homosexuality is
clearly a criminal offence with regards to sodomy. The move to challenge this has
without, nZL m°V®mant itSe'f’ 95 HR or9anisations would not challenge it
without a clear mandate from the movement or individual.
there are no anti discrimination laws
there are no partnership laws
are n° questlons of needing to reach consensus on the first two issues as
ere seems to be consensus amongst the movements. The point of disagreement is
• ni V
partnershlP laws. The HR movement could draft partnership law and
SToXZabou^
and leSb,an mo''eme",s 10 ha’a “iscussior, and fry to
10. Final comments:
The workshop was challenging - a huge challenge, but the inspiration, courage and
willingness of the staff highlighted for me why it is important to continue the work that
I am doing. The process which was started with PP is only a very small beginning,
and the organisation would require a lot of support to continue redefining and
establishing its focus, role and potential.
There was a lot of confusion as to the real reason for the process on my arrival. Staff
at PP were under the impression that there was going to be specific workshops on
advocacy, formation of a self help group and human rights - and they were led to
believe this by HIVOS RO. I only received a very broad terms of reference, and this
was only received after arriving in Goa. Communication before my departure in
Amsterdam however led me to believe that there was some aspect of organisational
development required. So mixed messages received by different parties led to some
resistance by some staff members at the beginning of the process.
By the end of the process there was a feeling of understanding and mutual respect
by everyone. The process was a difficult one for the organisation to go through, and it
is a process, which I believe, should have happened a long time ago. The
organisation has been in existence since 1991, and it is the first time that they have
had a form of participatory evaluation and organisational development. It seems (and
was acknowledged by staff) that PP was an organisation ‘directed’ by funders
requirements. An example of this is when HIVOS RO brought up the issue of
advocacy and human rights, that they suddenly appeared as programme areas in the
proposals. All the funding proposal since its inception are very similar in nature, only
a few interventions have been changed, or monetary figures changed. It seems as if
proposals have been ‘copied’ and adjusted from year to year - and it has been
allowed to happen.
An important change process that happened during the workshop was in terms of
communication (a number of participants commented on this). On the first day of the
workshop there was little big group discussion but by the end of the workshop there
was a lot more input from all staff, and staff felt an opportunity to express themselves
for the first time - a testament to the courage of the staff.
There are still a number of issues highlighted in the report that have not or could not
be addressed in the workshop. These issues need to be addressed and a concerted
effort by both PP and HIVOS RO should be made to address them (particularly
around the issue of letters of employment, job descriptions and staff benefits).
I believe that PP is now well on its way to creating its own image and own focus,
supported by funders, as opposed to a funders image and focus. It is a major step in
the development of the organisation, and it is a step that should be encouraged and
supported. PP has not ‘restarted’, it has only clarified its own vision from its own
perspectives, based on the needs of the community from where it originates
“it is better to light a candle, than to curse the dark”
'O
Study on Alternative Sexual Preferences (ASP)
Terms of reference :
The main objectives of the study is to assist HIVOS in making appropriate and
informed choices in its efforts to support relevant initiatives of groups with ASP,
including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups. (GLBT)
In specific:
(a) Analyse the social, economic, cultural and political context in which GLBT groups
are living and working at present
(b) Identify the main constraints faced by these groups (social stigma, denial,
discrimination, invisibility etc)
(c) Identify the various needs of GLBT groups
(d) Analyse the various issues related to GLBTs, with a specific human rights
perspective
(e) Assess the nature and strategies adopted by various GLBT groups, their support
organisations and appropriateness of policies and strategies in defending and
realising the rights of GLBTs
(f) What is the current status and to what extent do the groups at.present address
issues of policies and legal advocacy ? Identify what is desirable in terms of legal
environment for people with ASP
(g) How do GLBT initiatives structure their work in terms of gaining public acceptance
of their status, identity and human rights. What are the existing institutional
linkages with similar groups/networks; other mainstream organisations? Do they
have any links with other mainstream civil liberties or organisations ?
(h) To what extent do GLBT groups consider themselves as part of or be associated
with mainstream social movements, e.g. women’s movement or the labour
movement or human rights movement. What are the problems related to such an
integration process ?
(i) Suggest areas of work that might require support along with your assessment of
the most appropriate forms of support. How does the mission see these initiatives
being contextualised in the overall HIVOS policy perspectives ?
Methodology :
The study team was to travel to 4 urban cities; Bangalore, Chenai, Delhi and
Mumbai. A number of interviews were set up with a wide spectrum of organisations
working with, related to or the potential of working with the issue of GLBT.
TOR for the Alternative Sexual Preferences (ASP/ GLBT) Study
Hivos is The Netherlands based development funding institution. The India regional
office was set up in Bangalore in 1991. Hivos supports a wide range of the programmes
in about ten states of India on Women, Gender and Development, Environment,
Culture, Economic Activities and Human Rights & HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS constitutes an important policy priority for Hivos. Hivos’s interest in HIV/
AIDS is not so much from the medical side alone but from the overall development
perspective and from the point of view of human rights and prevention.
In this context of our work Hivos has been receiving a number of requests from groups
to support:
a) HIV /AIDS prevention among Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender
(GLBT) groups.
b) Activities related to prevention of Human Rights violations of these groups.
Hivos in principle is willing to extend support to the above related request. While Hivos
has sufficient experience & knowledge in HIV/ AIDS related work, it has limited
knowledge of issues and problems related to GLBTs human rights.
Objectives:
The main objective of the study initiated by Hivos is to assist Hivos in making appropriate and
informed choices in its efforts to support relevant initiatives of groups with ASP, including
GLBT.
In specific :
a) Analyse the social, economic, cultural and political context in which GLBT groups are
living in and working at present.
#b)
c)
Identify the main constraints faced by these groups ( social stigma, denial,
discrimination, invisibility, etc)
Identify the various needs of GLBT groups.
Analyse the various issues related to GLBTs, with a specific human rights perspective
e) Assess the nature and strategies adopted by various GLBT groups, their supoort
organisations and the appropriateness of policies and strategies in defending and
realising the rights of GLBTs.
ytt- f)
What is the current status and to what extent do the groups at present address issues
of policy and legal advocacy? Identify what is desirable in terms of legal environment
for people with ASP.
g)
How do GLBT initiatives structure their work in terms of gaining public acceptance of
their status, identity and human rights. What are the existing institutional linkages with
similar groups/ networks; other mainstream organisations? Do they have any links
with other mainstream civil liberties organisations?
h)
To what extent do GLBT groups consider themselves as part of or be associated with
mainstream social movements, e.g. women’s movement or the labour movement or
human rights movement. What are the problems related to such an integration
process?
i)
Suggest areas of work that might require support along with your assessment of the
most appropriate forms of support. How does the Mission see these initiatives being
contextualised in the overall Hivos policy perspectives?
tens w
The study team will visit and meet with groups, organisations and individuals in the cities of:
Bangalore Chennai Delhi
Mumbai -
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Maharashtra
A draft report (outlining the main findings and recommendations) will be submitted to Hivos
on the 16th April during debriefing. The findl report has to submitted not later than 30th April
1999.
9. Workshop Evaluation:
Two flipcharts were placed at the back of the room (terrace), and were labeled simply
“I liked” and "I did not like”. Participants were then asked on their own time to write
on the flip charts.
*
____________ I liked_____________
_________I did not like__________
I liked the programme very much as it was
participatory
Participation and openness of all participants
All the topics brought out for discussion have
given me deeper insights into the programme
Introspection to our activities, attitudes and
behaviors
The focussed nature of the sessions
I liked services very much during the 3 days
and also the participation from all members
Assessment of needs by funder agency
Open communication, and the games were
very good
I trusted in your process and I got a lot of
good things out of it. It was more explanatory
and clear for me what I have to do
I liked the whole workshop
Time management and total focus on the
relevant issues were excellent
My project made clear to me
I liked the games played, food, refreshments
and the place
The exercise of the HIV+ game, I got a lot of
insight
Having been given more chance for personal
input
I liked everything about the workshop
Trainer was good, I got a lot of information
about a lot of things
The process of needs assessment for the
organisation. The exercises will really help in
terms of development. It was more
participatory. The different exercises really
helped me a lot to identify the requirements
for assessment (programme and staff). I got
an opportunity to review PR not as a self help
group but as a professional organisation. I got
the opportunity to learn the entire process. I
also leamt that self development will lead to
organisational development. Got the
opportunity to put forward our needs and
expectations. It gave a clear picture of how an
organisation should work. It clarified the doubt
and bought indepth understanding. It was a
good learning experience, and gave an
opportunity to learn the weakness in the
organisations development. I enjoyed the
excellent workshop to better understand and
know the opportunities to speak up. I liked the
seriousness and concept of the workshop.
it was only for three days
I felt insulted a little bit (during a report back
session)
Very little time was spent on internal and
external communication
No adequate input from Shaun
The food
Questions that were asked on the last day
The process in which I placed my trust
It was too short
Sadique:
1. I take on the responsibility for undertaking my job honestly and sincerely keeping
in mind the cause of HIV/AIDS
2. I expect a clear understanding of each persons role and proper co-ordination
between the staff
3. We will take on the responsibility for carrying the programme as a team and tackle
the issues amicably
Beethoven:
1. I take on the responsibility for steering the truckers project in the right track and
co-ordinating the day to day activities of this project, and to be a part of the
advocacy programme
2. I expect everyone to take on the responsibility for their own job descriptions
3. We will take on the responsibility of PP as an NGO working in the field of
HIV/AIDS with prevention, support, advocacy, counselling, care and support,
intervention as the organisations forte
Saulan:
1. I take on the responsibility to prevent HIV/AIDS amongst the trucker community
by awareness, leaflets, demonstration, through services for STD cases
2 I expect my superior to address our needs and understand our.problems towards
any difficult questions of truckers programme (if any)
3. We will take on the responsibility to achieve or to reach the goal for what we have
to do amongst the trucker communities around Goa through our commitment
Prasad:
1. I know that HIV/AIDS has attained such a horrifying position. Today it is
somebody else and tomorrow it could be me. This has made me take up this
responsibility
2. I expect Beethoven to take this responsibility because of his great dedication to
the cause and habit of social working
3. We have to take the responsibility because it cannot become one mans work. We
have to bring about change in social and psychological behavior in society.
John:
1. I take on the responsibility for the prevention project
2. I expect senior management to take on the responsibility for fundraising
3. We will take on the responsibility for organisation growth and success
Utkarsha:
1. I take on the responsibility for the advocacy project if required for counselling and
prevention To communicate with staff even if it is unpleasant. To give my stand
on issues. To support policies which are benefiting the betterment of the masses
2. I expect the management to take on the responsibility to create a conducive
environment for communication in the organisation
3. We will take on the responsibility of having a definite stand on issues, and create
an image for PP
Benedicta:
’
1. I take on the responsibility for effective counselling and preventive strategy
2. I expect the ED and PC to take on the responsibility of guiding me to carry out the
mission of counselling
3. We will take on the responsibility for the promotion of our planned mission on
HIV/AIDS
Geetha:
1. I take on the responsibility for care and support
2. I expect Senior staff to take on the responsibility for fundraising
3. We will take on the responsibility for PPs development
Carol:
1. I take on the responsibility for ‘development’ of.the care and support
2. I expect HIVOS/PP to take on the responsibility of helping us obtain information
on various topics (staff motivation and development)
3. We will take on the responsibility for providing a good quality of life to PWAs, to
fulfill (with their help) their urgent felt needs
Maya:
1. I take on the responsibility for covering the industries for preventive education
decided by the proposal
2. I expect Shakeel to take on the responsibility for co-ordinating all projects and
supervising them as well as decision making within PP
3. We will take on the responsibility of working more effectively with a common stand
for a common aim
Priya:
1. I take on the responsibility for GCP+ development
2. I expect the board, ED, PC, and PC to take on the responsibility for forming the
organisation and running it smoothly with unity
3. We will take on the responsibility for our goal and vision of our founder
Reggie:
1. I take on the responsibility of getting the board to meet with staff once in three
months, at least, if not every month
2. I expect Elizabeth to take on the responsibility for the proper functioning of PP
3. We will take on the responsibility for fundraising and rapport with staff of PP
Elizabeth:
1. I take on the responsibility fora focused development of PP, in terms of the
programme areas identified in the workshop, for institution building and staff
training and growth
2. I expect each and every member of PP to take on the responsibility for their
individual job responsibilities
3. We will take on the responsibility of the cause of our organisation
Area
5. Training modules
6. Funders and organisation directory
7. Information on howto conduct effective
appraisals of staff
______________ Action_____________
A possible HIVOS partner organisation
intervention, or through contact of the AFI_____
5. PR is ‘hungry’ for examples of different and
various training modules around issues of basic
awareness, infection control procedures,
workplace policies, advocacy etc. Attempts would
be made at HIVOS R/O and HIVOS NL to supply
with appropriate information, as well as with
organisations in South Africa who are involved in
these areas._________ M__________________
6. These are easily available and will be
forwarded to the organisation either from HIVOS
R/O or NL and other appropriate organisations
7. This is a relatively new area for PR, and
information sheets would be sought to forward to
PR
Staff will in return give their commitment, services, efforts, integrity and expertise to
the organisation and the cause.
8. Responsibilities
The group was asked to answer three basic questions in terms of responsibility and
commitment to the organisation. The questions were
1. I will take on the responsibility to do
2. I expect
to take on the responsibility to do
3. WE should take on the responsibility to do
Responses :
Shakeel:
1 Development of the organisation - programme, staffing, implementation and
training
2. I expect the staff members (programme officers) to be responsible for the quality
implementation of the programme and achieve the output (objectives).
3. We will take on the responsibility for collective strategies, for programme
development and also the organisation as a whole. It requires a lot of thinking and
working as a team to achieve the workshop objectives
Shirin:
1 Take on responsibility for the organisations benefits
2. I expect Elizabeth to take on the responsibility for internal communication
3.
We will take on the responsibility for our commitments
Pushpa
1. I take on responsibility for the better quality of my service
2. I expect management to take on the responsibility for the development of the
organisation
3. We will take on the responsibility for the betterment of the organisation as a whole
International funding :
The issue of dependence on one funder has been highlighted, and with the revised
organogram the organisation can package programme areas to funders.
Advocacy
Counselling
Human Rights
International funders
Reproductive Health
Prevention
Hospice
International funds would be used for project support and a wider outreach in terms
of funding would lead to the organisation being more sustainable, independent and
wider outreach and gro\fr in the process
7. Staff development and motivation :
There were a number of areas that staff felt could be improved increasing their
motivation and as a result their development.
Area
1. Counselling
2. Advocacy
3. Self Help Group
4. Home base care
_______________ Action_____________
1. As per counselling session in this report. It was
felt that there needs to be an intensive
(professional) counselling training for staff done
by a HIVOS partner organisation in India. Further
intensive counselling programmes could be
identified for staff involved in the counselling
programme____________________
2. A specific workshop on advocacy. A number of
staff were under the impression (before the initial
visit) that the reason for my visit was on the issue
of advocacy, human rights and beginning a
support group. Staff members could either attend
or a HIVOS partner could conduct a training
programme for the organisation.______________
3. A lot of need was expressed for support and
development in this area. For this purpose contact
has been made with Dr Sundar Sundaraman of
the AFI who will facilitate an exchange visit to
Chenai and assist in whatever way possible the
formation and development of GCP+___________
4. Home base care is going to be an important
area as the cases of HIV increases. PR staff are
involved to some extent with home based care,
but it was pointed out that specific minimum
requirements need to be met in terms of home
based care. A person needs a home in the first
place, sterile, hygienic and access to clean water.
This is not possible for a large portion of Indian
society and possibly PP needs to look at
community based care and have a training
programme specially developed around this area.
- letters of appreciation could be given, in order to include in GV’s
The issue of communication with the board did not come in on this discussion, and it
was pointed out to the staff that the board have to take the opportunity to discuss
amongst themselves first as to what they think and see their role is, and then
communicate this to the staff. Staff however did also feel strongly about two issues
that should be brought to the boards attention when they meet.
Communication and a meeting with staff: Staff felt that this should happen on a
more regular basis. There are a number of staff that^do not know all the board
members, and in fact have never met them. (A board member was in attendance
during the workshop which was much appreciated by staff).
Staff would like 'access’ to the board in some way to deal with issues related to
staff relations. There should be an appointed board member who deals with this.
6. Fundraising:
In order to be more effective in fundraising there are two important issues that PP
need to deal with
80 - G certificate (allowing for tax exemption)
FCRA number
There are also different levels of fundraising that PP could concentrate on
Corpus fund and interest earned
Donations
Income Generating schemes
LOCAL'
Service/placement charges
events and charity shows
Government bodies/NACO
Local funds would be used for project activities and more effort needs to be placed in
accessing local funds and making use of offers made. There was also a suggestion
to approach one of the board members to host a charity benefit play/concert for
Positive People Goa.
•o
5. Communication:
The next issue which was to be discussed, and highlighted in the report was
communication. Communication was divided into internal and external
communication.
External communication :
A clearer message needs to be developed to communicate with the ‘external world’.
In some of PR’s literature PR is still defined as a self help or support group for people
with HIV/AIDS. This is certainly not the case, as has been acknowledged by staff
within the organisation. Some segments of the Goan, Indian and International
Community are under the impression that PR Goa is an organisation of HIV positive
people, and is indeed a support group. This could in some cases impact negatively
on their ability to come across as a credible and professional organisation providing a
high quality service - especially with the current environment within society at large.
In some other literature PR is being described as an HIV/AIDS NGO, and it was
acknowledged by the group that more effort needs to be placed in this.
Avenues for external communication are
- through pamphlets, leaflets, handbills, stickers, posters etc
- media print, audio and visual (by writing articles, responding to articles, writing
letters, entering into debates and doing interviews)
networking with other NGOs and Governmental organisations.
Internal Communication
This was an area which was highlighted by a number of staff during the interviews,
and was challenged in the 'feelings on report back session’, as senior staff believed
that they did have open and effective communication. The group that worked on this
session was very brave and courageous in being open and honest with what they felt
and thought, and interestingly it was the group with the most group dynamics for this
exercise (body language, heated discussions, disagreements, laughter etc)
The group divided the communication into two broad areas :
1. Communication between staff members :
- Communication should be open and clear
- There should be mutual understanding around communication
Staff should be conscious of verbal and non verbal communication
- There should be more motivation and positive reinforcement amongst the staff
members of each other and each others work
- Staff should be more polite and humble to each other
- Any misunderstandings should be clarified and forgotten there and then
2. Communication between staff and management:
- communication should be open, direct and clear
- appreciation of staff can be expressed in the group
criticism can be done on an individual basis and not within the big group
- when some decisions are taken they should be communicated with the staff
Advocacy:
Aim of the advocacy programme was to address the Human Rights issues pertaining
to HIV/AIDS by giving a voice to the ‘voiceless’.
The date for presentation to the rest of the group : Mid June 1999
The rationale for this date is
- to survey the possibility of persons interested in participating in the forum from
various sectors
- collate some kind of database of issues and existing policies
- define a clear cut methodology and process to address the issue
- training and exposure visits are required
- meet and discuss within ourselves
Counselling :
The group members acknowledged that it was difficult to come up with an effective
aim of counselling, as there knowledge of HIV/AIDS counselling was limited to pre
and post test counselling. It was felt that it is important (as a priority) to arrange for an
inhouse counselling training after which this programme area could be more defined.
Care and support:
The aim is to facilitate (improve) the quality of life for people affected by HIV/AIDS
As there are a number of issues that need to be discussed within the organisation
about this issue (and that the support group has been 'replaced’ by the formation of
GCP+) the group members felt a need to talk a lot about the issues and receive a lot
of information about this issue
Time frame : 6 - 8 months. Latest by the end of November
Prevention :
This was ‘easier’ to identify as PP already has a number of activities within this area.
Further exploration and development would also happen.
The aim of the prevention programme is to reduce the prevalence of HIV (amongst
the educational institutions, women and industrial community) through high quality
health education and resource material.
To promote non discriminatory attitudes towards PWAs and reduce the stigma
attached to the HIV pandemic
Time frame : 28 April 1999
It needs to be pointed out that the areas defined by PP within their organisational
focus is going to require a lot more work, and what was discussed during the short 3
day workshop was only planting a seed. The seed (like any other) needs to be
nurtured, cared for and watered to ensure that it blossoms and grows - this is both
from the perspective of the individuals that make up PP as well as the organisation
that fund PP.
The group was asked to give reactions (within the big group) to give reactions to the
“organogram” - and there was a fair amount of silence. After breaking the big group
into smaller groups the real discussion started. Reactions were as follows ;
Group 1 :
Reactions:
- It gives a lot more clarity, it is more focused
- There is clear scope for further development in each area
- A concern was that specialised training would be required to fulfill some of the
areas (this was also an identified need - specialised training, articulated earlier on
in the programme)
- Hospice is a big step and an even bigger challenge (and requires a lot more
discussion and thought)
Doubts:
- Doubtful about the formation of a self help group, is it going to happen ?
- Home based care ; will it not reveal a persons HIV status within the community,
isolation and discrimination may take place
Group 2 :
It has given a lot more clarity with regards to programmes
Change outreach to intervention (intervention in the organogram was first
outreach)
It is task orientated and reaction/output will be there
Programme will be more concrete
Goals and objectives will be clear and achievable
Concerns are home based care (we require more input into this).
Counselling should be put into prevention (this statement created a lot of
discussion amongst the group, and it was felt that counselling has to be a
separate focus of the organisation for arguments stated earlier in the report)
Group 3 :
replace outreach with intervention, and keep outreach as a separate category
which could be used as required
it has given a lot more clarity
this group concentrated more on issues highlighted in the report (own admission
©)
The issue of the board has not yet been defined as to where they fit in.
The larger group was then asked to identify an area of interest where they feel they
can best contribute to. It was understood that this was for the purposes of the
exercise and could change as the organogram becomes clearer and more defined.
The groups were asked to come up with an initial aim and a date by which a more
defined and concrete module would be presented to the rest of the organisation for
input. It was also pointed out that this was a medium to long term vision, and PP
could not immediately adapt this as there is still a lot of work that needs to be done
on it.
___________ Issues_____________
Outcomes
projects and through developing public
opinion
Enhances the dignity of HIV issue and avoids
cases going underground
Addressing our needs en masse
Founders vision
Needs of PP Goa are addressed by positive
people
Help them to help themselves
Develop group based comfort and support
It is therefore important for PP to take its cue from
people with HIV/AIDS themselves, allow them the
opportunity to identify their own needs, their own
direction in a space of their own. It is hoped that
GCP+ goes some way in addressing this, and PP
could support this initiative externally and continue
to address the surrounding issues that impact on
the lives of people with HIV/AIDS.
It was felt that the why question was not yet
answered, and the bottom of the problem tree the
words “ we care” were written.
So what could PP do in terms of addressing all
the above mentioned problem causes.
PP could continue to support the staff member
that is involved in GCP+, and provide a physical
space for people with HIV/AIDS to meet.
The staff member is still quite inexperienced in
terms of organisational work and issues of people
with HIV/AIDS groups. In this regard discussions
have been had with Dr Sundar Sundaraman to
arrange (and fund) an exchange visit to Chenai in
order for her to meet with other PWA
organisations and have the opportunity to discuss
issues related to the formation of a support group.
The other activities of PP with regards to the prevention programme was a little more
difficult to go through point by point. Reasons for this was that it would require an
entire workshop to do that and this workshop was concentrating on organisational
development.
With this in mind; trying to focus the organisation and give clearer, more defined and
less restrictive outputs the following “orgo - gram” was presented to the groups for
discussion, comment and input.
Executive Director
I
Project Co-ordinator
I
Advocacy/
Human rights
Counselling
I
Administrator
I
Care and
I
Prevention
Intervention
Institutions
Truckers
I
Outreach
SUDDOrt
Pre and post
GCP+
Long term
Nurses/param industries
Family
HBC
Women
Bereavement
Hospice
Workplace
GSM's
The motivation behind presenting the “organogram” was that through discussions in the preceding
days, the initial report and current visions of PP is led one to believe that staff within the organisation
were “jacks of all trades and masters of none” - through no fault of their or the organisation. This
would enable staff and the organisation to focus on programme araas and not be restricted to
activities.
______________ Issues_________
Outcomes
2.Formation of a self help/support group:
This discussion was interesting, challenging and
intense. A lot of time was spent on it intentionally
as this was one of the areas that PP has been
struggling with since its inception.
The group was given a 'problem tree’ and asked
to define what they saw as the cause of the
problems in starting a self help group.
a fear of coming out. Goa is a small state and
‘everyone knows everyone else'.
There is a great deal of discrimination and
ostracisation from the community
There was no need felt yet by the PWA
community for a self help/support group
PWAs had real needs in terms of medications,
economical problems and employment which
PP could not provide yet
There is little motivation from PWAs to
become involved
PWAs have little knowledge about their own
rights
The concept of ‘self help’ is foreign
Being part of a support group was a constant
reminder that one was positive
PWAs often think that everything is lost and
they are going to die. (This message is being
reinforced by doctors and health care
workers, community and the media
These are huge obstacles in the formation of a
self help/support group. The group was then
posed the question
A recent initiative of INP+ called GCP+ (Goan
Community of people Living with HIV/AIDS)has
been supported and developed within PP Goa.
The initiative was started by people living with
HIV/AIDS and is for people living with HIV/AIDS.
One of its office bearers is also a staff member at
PP Goa.
However even with this initiative PP was still
feeling a certain sense of difficulty and frustration
at supporting or getting the initiative off the ground
in terms of issues identified in the ‘issue column’.
Possible positive change that PP could do in
addressing the issues identified as ‘cause of
problems’ were as follows ;
make space available within PP
create awareness about HIV/AIDS and the
needs of people with HIV/AIDS within the
community
embark on an advertising/media campaign to
encourage non discrimination and
understanding
have discussions with drug companies,
doctors and others for medications
raise funds for the benefit of people with
HIV/AIDS
create a strong referral service
do advocacy and awareness creation
amongst the influential and key institutions
within society (judiciary, PWAs, health care
institutions etc).
“In light of all these problems and obstacles,
why does PP want to begin a self help/support These areas and possible solutions were
group ?”
commened, and also pointed out that they already
form an integral part of PP overall programmes. It
This question was intentionally provocative, and it was then put to the group that perhaps all that PP
was met by a stunned silence. The question could can do is to provide the space, and address the
not be immediately answered and the group was
wider environment issues through their
divided into two smaller groups to answer that
programmatic work.
question.
Contact with people with HIV/AIDS are made in a
The responses were as follows :
professional capacity, in clinics, hospitals and
counselling centres. The staff of the organisation
to bring the organisation back on the track of are therefore seen as professional social workers
its founder members vision
providing a ‘clinical service’. There is a real
‘self help’ is ‘best help’
possibility that people with HIV/AIDS are not
support and security by identification
interested in attending PP run support groups
‘Organising’ leads to better access and
because it could be seen as a clinical service. PP
insights of the felt needs, problems, difficulties advertises itself in all its outreach materials and
et.al
brochures as ‘ a self help group for people with
- A self help group provides a support in terms HIV/AIDS’. It is clearly not a self help group, it is a
of emotional, economical, psychological and
professional organisation, and this perception
social
could be picked up or misinterpreted by the very
It provides support through income generation | people that PP is trying to help,_______
makes decision about Human Resouces in consultation with Executive Director
preparation of IC material
writing (newsletter and articles)
budget planning and forecasts (in consultation and on own initiative)
public relations
deals with logistics for meetings and workshops
4. PR’s programmatic areas, areas of focus and vision :
Participants were divided into three different groups and each were asked to develop
how they saw the current vision of PP. The three different visions certainly had areas
of similarity and also covered issues of what the organisation would like to cover
(human rights, advocacy, hospice more effective home based care).
The workshop then concentrated on specific programmatic areas which have been
divided into two general areas ;
Care and support and Prevention and awareness
Issues
Outcomes
1. Counselling :
All staff are involved in counselling (as well as
other project areas). Counselling happens at
government hospitals, STD clinics and to a limited
degree at the PR offices and during home visits.
Counselling training for staff is has been very
limited, and some staff had the opportunity to
attend a counselling training soon after they joined
the organisation. Staff also have some opportunity
to have supervision with an external supervisor
where various cases are discussed.
Aim of counselling : Most of the counselling that
happens is on a pre and post test counselling
basis. Specific aims were listed as
educate the client through the counselling
process
provide emotional support for the client
assist the client in coping with difficult
situations “help them to help themselves”
Behaviour change conduct in order to bring
about positive change in that person
Ensure that counsellors are non judgmental
It was pointed out that trying to achieve all the
above, with a limited counselling training and
exposure was pertiaps unrealistic. ‘Being a
professional social worker does not mean that you
are a good counsellor’. It seems as if the
counselling within PR depends orPan individual
focus versus an organisational focus. A lot of
interesting discussion followed after this, and the
group identified issues that need to strengthen
and define the counselling programme;
PR should consider making counselling a core
focus and programme area of PR
There needs to be specialised and
professional counselling training for staff
Exposure visits (with other organisations,
workshops etc)
Support and supervision for counsellors. It
was felt that it could be more appropriate if the
support is external. Supervision would need to
be internal
There needs to be a greater focus on
‘educating the educated’. Doctors and other
health care workers in terms of stressing the
importance of counselling
Humanitisation’ and ‘de-professionalisation
of counsellors (to a point). Counselling is not a
science but an art. It is not necessarily taught,
but it is cultivated and expressed.
Zilch (which changed to home base care, advocacy, self help group, support
services, strategic planning, diversion of activities, hospice and income generation
project)
The organisational expectations was intentionally left blank, until a staff member
commented on it. It was then pointed out to the members that the individual
expectations make up the organisational expectations, and whether the expectations
are Tight’ or 'wrong’ or 'achievable is besides the point, as it is important to realise
that there are individuals within the organisation and all have expectations within and
of the organisation. If those are not listened to or addressed it creates difficulty and
confusion.
3. Roles of senior staff (management)
There was first discussion as to who senior staff actually were. The senior staff
positions were then asked to be quite for a while, while the other staff identified their
roles within the organisation. After this input senior staff were allowed to give inputs.
Executive Director:
Input in italics comes from the persons filling the positions.
Position has overall responsibility for organisations
Responsible for overall management of organisation
Makes financial decisions in consultation with other management staff
Optimise staff potential
Planning for organisation
Fundraising
Developing the organisation
Project Co-ordinator:
oversees project officers
supervisors project officers
deals with difficulties and concerns of staff
makes decisions with the consent of Executive Director
Mediator between Executive Director and project officers
Selection of staff (in consultation)
Project module development
Orientation training
Programme review
Administrator:
administration
communication (internal and external)
human resources and issues related to it
project formulation
project input
deals with daily running of organisation
The report has helped me to understand individual opinions and an opportunity to
learn from each other. It highlights the problems and difficulties that we are facing
and will help us to focus and define what we want.
Is total staff development possible ? Staff do have the opportunity to speak out and
we do develop and motivate the staff. I see the participatory approach as ‘motivation
I was disturbed to see that staff felt that there was no support or encouragement.
It is important that we^create an atmosphere of understanding and trust, we are all
together in this. At first I saw the report at quite negative, but as I read more I realised
that it is for our benefit.
It has highlighted the change in organisational focus, and highlighted the confusion
about decision making. There are also positive aspects in the report, and will help us
sort out the organisational structure.
Through the report I have come to know of any peoples viewpoints, in a positive
manner. It has helped me to clarify issues and understand Dominic’s initial vision.
The report contains a lot of issues that seem real, but may not be real, in other words
issues that have been highlighted may not be real issues and just need to be
clarified.
Has shown that there is an internal difference and conflicting viewpoints. My own
personal decision is that staff have no ‘right’ in the decision of programme areas.
I see the report as very positive, it has highlighted the talent and professionalism of
the staff as well as their different qualities - a combination of professionalism and
activism.
2. Expectations of the workshop :
Two sheets of flipcharts were put up with the headings of Individual and
Organisational expectations. Staff were asked to come up to the ‘individual flipchart’
and to write their own personal expectation down.
Expectations were :
Would like clarity of the report
Understanding individual members and each other better
Clear understanding
Problem solving
Modus operand! — ‘functioning the democratic way’
Problem solving
Inputs on formation of self help groups
Exercise to learn each others feelings, needs and problems at the workplace
Constructive **
Inputs on the development of the workplace
More open but not debatable
Clues for professional development
Inputs on advocacy
9
Dav 3 :
09h30 - 09h45
; Warm up
09h45-10h30
: Developing support services (exercise)
10h30-11h00
: Tea
11h00-13h00
: Developing support services and support groups
13h00-14h00
: Lunch
14h00-15h30
: Advocacy and fundraising
15h30-16h00
: Tea/coffee
16h00-16h30
: Staff development and motivation
16h30-17h00
: Evaluation and closing
Report on workshop :
It is difficult to record the discussions word for word (minutes of the meeting), as the
meeting is facilitated by only one person, and it was felt important that ALL staff
concentrate and participate ih'the workshop.
Therefore only highlights,and a synopsis of the discussions, issues and decisions are
recorded here.
Programme :
1. Reactions to report:
Participants were asked to first find one word to describe what the report evoked in
them.
Intuitive
Startling
Controversial
Explanatory
Worrying
Insightful
disturbing
upsetting
eye opener
thought provoking positive and negative
debatable
aware
help to improve PP
narrative
learning the needs development stress
not reached all that we had set out to do
The group was then asked to further expand on their initial reactions.
The report was disturbing because it did not make sense, it was contradictory in
some instances both in terms of the work that PP was doing as well as what some of
the individuals were saying -‘rubbish’.
Part II
The second part of the visit to PP Goa was to concentrate on the actual workshop It
was discussed with HIVOS that the workshop would take the form of organisational
development.
The programme for the workshop was devised according to the draft report, and in a
brief consultation with HIVOS (although the workshop programme could not be
discussed). The programme was as follows :
Dav 1 :
11hOO - 11h15
: Warm up exercise
11h15-12h30
: Reactions and discussions on report
individual expectations for the workshop
further devising the programme with the group
12h30-13h30
: Group exercise (Current vision of PP)
13h30-14h30
: Lunch
14h30-15h30
: Vision exercise continued
clarity on programmes
clarity on roles of Senior management
15h30- 16h00
: Tea/coffee
16h00- 16h30
: Continuation and closure of first day.
Day 2 :
09h30 - 09h45
: Warm up exercise
09h45-10h30
: Activities, programmes and focus
Individual reactions to ‘own’ programmes
10h30-11h00
: Tea/coffee
11h00- 13h00
: Activities programmes and focus
(Planning and focus)
13h00- 14h00
: Lunch
14h00-15h30
: Organisation structure - roles and responsibilities
15h30-16h00
: Tea/coffee
16h00-16h30
: Communication and outreach
5, Closing summary
It has been an inspiring, emotive and tiring experience being at Positive People, and
it has been a privilege to be allowed and welcomed into the organisation in the
manner that I was. Positive People has a number of challenges facing them in the
future, and they have the commitment and appropriate staff to ensure that the
challenges are overcome. Ownership and responsibility for ensuring that these
problems and challenges are overcome lies with the staff and board of PP Goa.
The organisation has developed and grown considerably since its inception nearly 9
years ago. It certainly has the potential to develop and become more focussed and
service orientated in the coming years. At the same time I do feel a hesitancy to
move beyond Dominic’s initial vision of what PP should be and could be, and a
hesitancy to adapt that vision.
It should be pointed out that the environment and situation has changed since
Dominic’s initial vision and it is OK to have developed on the initial vision, or changed
and adapted it according to the needs and priorities of the current situation - while at
the same time remembering the roots of the organisation and the passion and
commitment with which it was started. Dominic, I am sure would be in favour of
progress and flexibility. PP also has to make more of a concerted effort to move away
from total dependency on one funder for all its financial requirements, and should
look at targeted funding from different funders for different projects. The organisation
has gone some way in this regard with their innovative and exciting truckers
programme.
The proposed workshop would therefore concentrate on aspect of organisational
development, and issues that come with the growth and development of an
organisation. It is going to be a challenging workshop, it is going to be difficult - as it
is a workshop based on issues and needs as identified by individuals within the
organisation. I feel confidant that the honesty, openness, passion and commitment
that I experienced during the ‘interview visit’ will continue during the workshop. After
all an organisations greatest strength, could also be its greatest weakness - but it
needs to be treated as its greatest asset - its staff that build and carry the
organisation.
*
A number of attempts have been made by PP to have fortnightly support group
meetings, but the attendance at this meeting have been very low. PP is certainly
aware of the fact that the care and support is multi faceted and cannot be provided
by them alone. It involves various institutions, organisations and partners and it
obvious that PP is grappling with this issue.
The organisation is also aware of the “tip of the iceberg” scenario in terms of what will
happen when the current HIV diagnosed people start becoming ill and requiring more
effective medical and palliative care. It has been highlighted as an area that needs to
be developed and focussed on within the strategic plan. Strategies need to be put
into place now, and partnerships developed in order to deal with this situation when it
comes a lot more acute.
Positive People certainly needs to be commended for what it has managed to
achieve^within its own limitations, and those placed upon it by its environment and
society in terms of care and support, as well as having the foresight to highlight this
as a major challenge and priority area for the future.
PP has also supported the INP+ initiative called GCP+ (Goan Community of Positive
People), a recently started organisation of positive people for positive people. The
dynamics of how this organisation fits in or related to PP Goa still needs to be further
discussed and planned. The GCP+ is an innovative initiative which seems to be
making impact. It is however a fragile initiative (both in terms of finances, vision, staff
and development) and it is going to be an initiative that is going to require a lot of
support and assistance in these initial phases.
The GCP+ has submitted a proposal to the DHS for core costs, and it is currently
envisioned that once this is approved, GCP+ would be required to move into its own
premises, develop its own infrastructure and employ its own staff. The current board
member of GCP+ (who is also a staff member of PP) certainly has a lot of courage
and motivation, and will certainly need a lot of support in developing and maintaining
her motivation and determination. I am therefore not convinced that it is productive
for GCP+ to cut all ties with PP at such an early stage, and this issue would need to
be carefully thought out and discussed amongst all the relevant players.
•
Organisational history, archives and achievements
Positive People is an organisation rich in history, it is the only HIV/AIDS specialist
NGO in Goa, it is an organisation that was started and formed by a very courageous
and special person, but it is also an organisation without a proper recording of its
roots or history. It is sad if a legacy cannot remain after the last person has closed
the doors, and it is strongly recommended that a serious attempt is made to record
the organisational history and achievements in an effective and sustainable manner
A manner which reflects and respects its strong roots and traditions, and a manner
which tells the story and rich history of the organisation for generations to come and
allows it to take its rightful place in the global history of the PWA movement.
I3>
There are justifiable reasons for the organisation changing or readapting its focus,
and the decision to cut programmes by half is certainly going a long way in redefining
the strategic plan and vision (although the process and motivation for which
programmes were cut are still not quite clear).
It seems as if the organisational focus has been carried on from year to year without
any real or meaningful evaluation of the programmes or the organisation. As one staff
member remarked “ A new ED = A new policy = A new vision’’.
The current Executive Director certainly seems to have the understanding, ideas and
vision of where she would like to take the organisation and what the priority or focus
areas of the organisation should be in the new millenium, and the staff should
certainly have the opportunity to further develop, create and adapt this vision
together, as all the different and varied “personal visions” of the staff can certainly
complement that of the Executive Director (and vice versa) and lead to a clearer
more concrete and achievable vision that can be realised and have impact on the
community that PR serves and works for.
A number of staff mentioned that it was a strong point that PP was reliable on only
one funder, as this allowed them to be more focused in their work. It at the same time
is also a major weakness and threat to the existence of the organisation (- something
which is recognised by both organisation and funder).
•
Networking and collaboration
Although Positive People seems to have effective relationships with the various
government departments, institutions and organisations in Goa, its networking and
collaboration links outside of Goa ; within India and Internationally are limited or non
existent. Reasons given have been that networking and collaborating takes place on
as “ as needed basis”, or it has not happened for various personality reasons and
clashes.
•
Providing care and services to people with HIV/AIDS
This was the primary motivation for setting up Positive People Goa, and is still a
motivational force behind the organisation today. It is also the most challenging and
difficult aspect of the organisations work.
There is no other public person with HIV in Goa, and people with HIV live in a world
where they fear discrimination, ostracisation and ridicule from family members and
society at large. PLWHIV/AIDS are scared to come to the organisation for the
reasons stated above, as well as the fact that they feel that PP is not able to meet
their basic needs ; food, employment, medication, treatment.
At the same time PP is unable to identify the needs over and above the basic needs
of survival of PLWHIV/AIDS because the contact that they have with them is limited
and of short duration - mainly through pre or post test counselling sessions.
what scope for development and creativity they have - this does not currently seem
to be the case, as this was a point mentioned by a number of staff.
A number of staff also seemed to be working in different programmatic areas (while
being employed in one), and not being encouraged or motivated to make
suggestions within their own programmatic areas.
" We are too few staff to work in the different projects, and I am currently working on
3 different projects, with no support or encouragement”
•
Role of the board (Governing Body)
An integral and important part of any organisation - non governmental or commercial
- and a requirement by law. Nevertheless there was a confusion expressed amongst
the staff as to the size of the board, the role of the board and who the board actually
are.
The brief interview with some of the board members was certainly inspiration and
helpful in clarifying what they see as their role within the organisation. This certainly
needs to be further developed amongst the members of the board, and then
communicated to the staff. It is certainly not a requirement for the board to be a
working board and available to the staff all the time, nor is it necessary for the board
to be a phantom board which are unknown to the staff.
A number of staff do see the board as an inspiration for the organisation, and equate
the board members with the continuation of Dominic’s vision. It would therefore be
constructive for there to be an annual opportunity for the board to meet with the staff,
not only to ‘ put a name to a face’, but also to encourage and congratulate staff on
achievements in the previous year.
It is also strongly suggested that the board amongst themselves define what their role
within PP should and could be, and once this has been decided to make it known to
the staff. Often the vision and creativity comes from the board, and at this stage it is
not clear whether the board is certain of PPs vision beyond that of Dominic, or indeed
whether they have a role or a responsibility in developing this vision.
•
Activity, programme areas, focus and vision*
The vision of the organisation has certainly changed from its original vision (which is
not necessarily a bad or negative thing), but it seems as if the organisation has tried
to maintain the original focus of the organisation with an unclear vision.
Prevention and control of HIV is now its primary focus and assistance to people with
HIV/AIDS and the formation of a support group somewhat lower on the list. As
mentioned earlier in this paper it certainly does seem as if PP has had a lot of activity
areas, and tried to dortoo much (as acknowledged by PP themselves)
“A lot of work was not achieved due to v^yious problems’^
6 Positive People Annual Report 1996 - 1997
amongst and between the staff. There is no opportunity for open communication, or
the chance to communicate amongst each other about “controversial and sensitive
issues” in fear of hurting each other or creating a hostile environment.
It was also felt that PR’s external communication could be more focussed, targeted
and effective. Some members interviewed felt that it would certainly be of great
assistance if the board took a stand on core issues, and make these known to the
organisation and the outside world. It is felt that PR is not clear or unanimous about
“hot topics” or controversial issues, and if these were communicated and discussed
within the organisation, and the organisation takes a clear united stand on some of
these issues, it would certainly improve the organisations external communication
strategy and effectiveness.
•
Staff training, development and motivation :
It is clear that Positive People has qualified and committed staff, it is equally clear
that in some cases staff moral and motivation is low. PP also has a history of high
staff turnover ( even before the “mass resignation”), although it was difficult to
ascertain what the reason for this was.
Contributing factors are certainly, just like in any other similar NGO ; leaving for better
prospects, marriage, family life, relocation to mention a few. It is also quite evident
that the staff training and development could be developed and encouraged. As one
staff member remarked “we give a lot to the organisation, but we get nothing in
return".
The staff induction period seems to vary from person to person and according to the
person qualifications, and once in employment the courses seem to be limited to a
two or three day counselling programme, (with the exception of staff who have had
the opportunity to attend external training programmes).
Suggestions from staff on how to improve this include the following :
1. To have a uniform induction training
2. To have a preparatory training before staff actually work in the field. A number of
staff commented that they were ill prepared to begin work in the field, and a
training programme in this area would certainly have made them feel more
confident
3. To have specialised and external thematic trainings scheduled into the workplan
and according to work area or activities planned. (This could be a quarterly
training programme held on aspects of the organisational work)
There seems to be little or no staff benefits or social security provided to the staff. It is
the understanding that staff are requested to do this on a personal basis, and a
number of staff commented that doing it from an organisation perspective would
certainly be beneficial.
Staff also commented that they would appreciate clearer letters of employment in
which it is clearly stated what their respective role is, where their authority lies, and
Positive People has a dedicated, committed and passionate Governing body,
some of whom have had personal relationship with Dominic, and are committed to
carrying his vision forward
• Positive People has a HIV/AIDS resource library (which admittedly needs to be
updated and increased to cover a wide range of issues related to their activities)
• Positive People has good contacts with the media, and the media usually gives
appropriate coverage for activities planned by PP
• Positive People is the first AIDS organisation started by a person with HIV/AIDS
Dominic d’Souza’s vision, spirit and memory clearly still lives in the organisation
and the community in which he worked.
• Positive People ihave a established infra structure in terms of office space and
equipment that is needed to run an organisation
•
4.2 Challenges and threats
In some of the challenges that have been identified no suggestions or ‘solutions’
have been proposed as these will be addressed in the workshop that will be held on
the 12 - 14 April 1999 in Goa. These are marked with an asterisks*
•
Organisational structure and decision making : *
The organisation is hierarchical in nature, and its methods of working is democratic,
which has led to a fairly flexible working environment. This type of working
environment is not uncommon to NGOs an is per se not problematic. It does however
become problematic when it leads to confusion and insecurity amongst its staff.
From the interviews it is clear that there is a great deal of confusion and insecurity
amongst the staff about decision making of management, as well as decision making
amongst the Project Officers and various activities and programme areas. An
example of this was when the programme areas were cut from 11 to “5 or 6”. In both
the individual and group interviews staff were not clear or in consensus as to why the
programme areas were cut. Another example is why the daily allowances were cut.
Currently policy decisions are made by the board, with the input of senior staff
(Executive Director and Project Co-ordinator), and decisions made about the
management and activities of the organisation are made amongst the senior staff.
There is confusion as to the process and manner in which decisions are made, and
how these are communicated to the staff.
At the same time certain staff members feel that the Executive Director and Project
Co-ordinator need to be more direct, transparent and forceful in the decisions that are
made - “to have the last word, and their word is final, to show some authority".
•
Organisational communication: *
Although PPTias weekly Wednesday staff meetings, it is felt that there is a
communication breakdown and barrier within the organisation - which definitely
needs improvement. The most common comments on the issue of communication
was around major decisions that affected programmatic areas, no uniform standards
of communication within the organisation, and non transparent communication
•
•
•
It is acknowledged in different reports and proposals that a lot of work for previous
years proposal had not been achieved because of various reasons
PR has had a high staff turnover since its inception
PR has a professional and qualified staff (mostly from the social work
background)
4. Interviews with staff and board members :
The interviews tended to be a lot longer than was originally planned, and were
difficult, inspiring and encouraging.
Methodology:
Questions were divided into 6 sub categories ;
1. Organisational structure
2. Organisational Focus
3.
4.
5.
6.
Organisational strengths
Organisational weaknesses
Organisational challenges
General
Some interviewees were asked more specific and in depth questions depending on
their role within the organisation and how the interviews were going. The project co
ordinator was interviewed twice, and as the Executive Director was away on a
conference I was only able to interview her once (which was quite thorough).
4.1 Positive points, aspects and discussions :
9
Positive People has a far reaching outreach amongst the community in Goa
The network and collaboration with the Government and Government agencies
has improved dramatically, to such an extent that PR are now being asked to
submit proposals, or are being called in to do certain work
• Positive People seems to be the only specialised NGO working in HIV/AIDS in
Goa
• Positive People has a professional staff, mostly with a degree related to Social
work
• Positive People is in a position to offer assistance and relevant services at a
moments notice to other agencies or organisations
• Positive People is in the process of setting up 4 permanent counselling centers,
in areas which are closer to the community and therefore more accessible. These
ASILO^^d STTM8
at
^oa
Centre (GMC), HOSSPICIO,
•
®
•
•
•
Positive People has space available for people with HIV/AIDS, and have
established links with relevant organisations for people with HIV/AIDS to access
Positive People is reputable and well known in the community
Positive People has a more qualitative than quantitative approach to its work and
activities, which sets it apart from other NGOs and organisations
work, beach boys at the service of tourists, workers and labourers, young people,
truck drivers and motor cycle pilots. It would like to seek the assistance of teachers,
parents, NGOs, religious leaders, lawyers, Government health and social services
and those interested citizens and well-wishers who recognise the destructive
potential of HIV/AIDS and consequently the urgency and magnitude of the task.
The ‘recorded’ organisational history unfortunately only begins from 1995, with limited
history from or about the inception (apart from the Organisational Bylaws or
registration, which was drawn up during Dominic’s period). The reason given for this
is that during that time there was little organisational structure and little to record.
3. Review of documents at PR Goa:
“None of us is as strong as all of us”
These striking and inspiring words create the introduction to the Employee Manual of
Positive People. It is a motivating welcome address, that makes one feel as if you
want to belong to this organisation, and contribute to making “society a better place
to live in”.
The employee manual goes on to talking about the importance of “socialise ourselves
into the culture of the organisation”, obviously aimed at new employees. The
hierarchical status of the organisation is to improve efficiency and functioning, and
team spirit and group performance will be given utmost importance in the
organisation. Commitment, dedication and team spirit will be the hallmark of a
social worker in Positive People Goa.
Without going into too much detail of the various documents that were read, it is
worthwhile to highlight common trends that have surfaced through all the documents:
•
•
•
•e
•
In all the project proposals there is mention of the organisational problems that PP
has had to deal with. These problems unfortunately do not go into much detail but
are briefly mentioned in the opening paragraphs ( problems of organisation,
staffing, clarity of project goals, lack of proper organisational structure, lack of
sufficient experience)
The goals seem to have shifted in focus from the original idea of Positive People
(see page 2) from being a support group for Positive People to prevention,
outreach and providing services where these are needed. (Reasons for these are
stated later in the proposal
PP has accepted the goals of the National AIDS Control Programme and state
that “we feel confident that we can shoulder the responsibility in this daunting task
of HIV prevention and control in Goa5". It seems as if the goals of the National
AIDS Control Programme have been integrated or adapted as this is reflected by
its high number of proposed activities in all the proposal and its wide intended
outreach. (9 specific target groups with different aims for each - please see
Annexure)
Dominic D’Souza has had a strong influence on the organisation, and all the staff
know of him, and this is also reflected in all the docurpentation in the PP archives
Proposed Employee Manual - Positive People Goa, ( pgs 3 and 4) t
5 Positive People project proposal 1995 - 1997
.
7
*
It is to be noted that interviews were only conducted internally, and a group interview
was held with the board members. If time and proper preparation and clearer
guidelines permitted, then collaborating and partner organisations would also have
been interviewed — as at the moment, the successes, failures, challenges, strengths
and weakness are from an internal perspective.
The consultant in no way wishes to pass judgement on the quality of the work of PP,
and is writing this report from interviews conducted, and research material from PP
itself. I have taken the liberty to make some recommendations and suggestions as
well as drafting a workshop programme (in consultation with HIVOS regional office)
with input from the Executive Director and Project Co-ordinator of Positive People
Goa .
2. Organisational History :
7 have to live, I have to take it as it comes. It was very difficult in the beginning, but
now I have learned to live with it. Being tested HIV positive has made me very strong
inside. I am able to cope with situations that normally people would not be able to
cope with"3
Dominic D’Souza - PP founder member
Positive People Goa (PP Goa) was started in December 1991 by International AIDS
Activist, Dominic D’Souza. His vision was to have a national PWA organisation with
branches in all the major metros of India, and the headquarters in Goa.
The objectives were as follows :
• To offer membership and support to positive people
• Provide information on self care to people with HIV/AIDS
• Provide counselling services
• Educate the public to prevent discrimination against people with
HIV/AIDS
• To make an impact on national and regional policy makers
• To work with other related and appropriate NGOs in the region.
After Dominic’s death in May 1992 his friends decided to continue what Dominic
started and wished to keep the initial identity which was “a community organisation
meant for HIV infected people and the community of Goa"
After Dominic’s death it seems as if the organisation changed focus, but still
maintaining "the principal aims of care and advocacy of the rights of HI V+ persons
and the prevention and control of AIDS in Goa continue to be its major concern"
PP’s programme is designed as a state-wide response to the HIV/AIDS question and
is open to the community at large. Yet, as an implementation strategy, PP has
targeted certain groups as priority concerns. These are men and women in the sex
3 “Wise before their time” - a confessional compilation of Positive People (published after the 5 International
Conference for People Living with HIV/AIDS - London. United Kingdom 1991)
Organisational Development assessment of Positive People GOA - PP Goa.
PP Goa, Panjim Offices
24 - 26 March and 12 - 15 April 1999
Terms of reference
Assignment with Positive People Goa to help develop their work with formation of
Self Help Groups of Positive People.
1. Methodology:
First impressions
I was met at the hotel by Shakeel, the Project Co-ordinator, and brought to the offices
of PP Goa. I was struck by the scarcity of the offices and was graciously offered the
office of Shakeel for my period with the group.
It was difficult coming into the organisation, as I had not received any prior
information about the group or about the terms of reference - so I literally came into
the office quite blind. I therefore decided to play it by ear and take it moment by
moment. The group has a customary Wednesday meeting, which was incidentally the
day that I met with them.
I was first under the impression that PP Goa was a support group for positive people
(from communication with HIVOS R/O, and articles that I had managed to read from
when Dominic D’Souza was in Amsterdam), but it soon became very clear that the
group was everything but a support group.
I was also struck by the number of staff employed by the project (19) and the amount
of programmes that they told me they were working on. I felt a state of initial panic fill
me, as suddenly this part of the mission seemed to be a lot more involved, daunting
and complex than what I had first imagined.
“It is better to light a candle, than to curse the dark”
I then decided to try and get as much information about PR Goa as was possible,
and to read and understand as much of the organisational history within the time
allowed to me. This information was received from the archives of PR Goa, and
limited news cuttings that I could read while in Holland.
I also decided that one-on-one interviews with as many staff members, and board
members would certainly give me a better picture into the insight and complexities of
this organisation. The interviews would be recorded interviews of between 15 and 30
minutes each. It was stressed to all participants that the interviews are confidential,
and would not be shared with PR Goa or HIVOS in a way that could identify them It
would be for the purposes of trying to develop an appropriate training programme for
the workshop to be conducted in April.
Indian-ness ;
When mankind's attention is directed to India, it will find a society that has, like
Europe’s, the diversities of a continent and the unities of a civilisation. Moreover,
these diversities and unities extend to the boundaries of the subcontinent which India
shares with its neighbours. Within these boundaries, as within Europe’s, political
border have changed over time and correspond only partially to ethnic boundaries
and sometimes cut across them. So, how do the unities of civilisation then give
coherence to a society so diverse as contemporary India’s? What in other words
makes an Indian society, what constitutes Indian-ness. Like European-ness of
African-nessm it is something like a complex of characteristics which those who
share identify with themselves and each other, and by which they distinguish
themselves from others and are distinguished by others.
However, first, second and permeating almost all of the sacred, both giving life to the
characteristics of Indian civilisation and living in them, are Hinduism and Islam.
(Eighty five percent of Indian’s population is Hindu). To be born into a Hindu family is
to be born into a caste. To be born into a cast is to be born Hindu, there is virtually no
other way. To be born a Hindu is to have a place according to one’s caste, in Hindu
society. Its rules are for the most part Hindu rules. For old, male and female,
husbands and wives, relationships, adoptions, inheritances; appropriate behaviour
within a caste, among its members and between castes among their members; right
deportment, occupation and exchange of goods and services within a village - all are
prescribed, thought to be prescribed, represented as being described by Hinduism.
No less than great and folk culture, is popular culture in India infused with Hinduism.
Hinduism suffuses Indian politics and some of its most popular issues, and has
provoked some of the most contentious questions in India politics. Second only to
Hinduism is Islam, and the social and religious practices of Muslims have been
profoundly, characteristically affected from their having grown over the centuries
among converts from Hinduism and in a Hindu heartland. The civilisation of India is
an amalgam of Hindu and Muslim contributions, and Hinduism and Islam in India are
analogous to Christianity in Europe in this sense : they are at once major sources of
social conflict, cultural cohesion and morals and standards by which society are
expected to live by or within.
With this limited understanding of Indian society and Indian-ness, I was privileged to
form part of a study team to India on behalf of HIVOS regional office to look into the
issues of sexual preferences as well as to do organisational development for an
HIV/AIDS NGO in GOa. What follows is a report of the various aspects of the study
tour and mission.
*
Introduction :
Of every seven people in the world right now, one is an Indian. Contemporary Indian
society is beneficiary and benefactor to one of the world’s great and enduring
civilisations, and being able to witness just one small part of this incredibly emotive,
contrasting, emotional and draining society has been difficult to put into words or
capture on film. An attempt to understand the civilisation has been made through
research and speaking to people (outside of the terms of reference). The paragraphs
that follow are therefore from a purely personal experience, in an attempt to put the
research into perspective.
From having read books, articles, searched the web and spoken to people from
varying walks of life in India, the dominant pattern of change in India could rightly be
called a “ bourgeois revolution”, and as Barrington Moor, Jnr says “Bourgeois
revolution’s essential institutional contribution is to the development together of
capitalism and parliamentary democracy In India, it began and continues as a
revolution from the top down; and increasingly it has become a revolution from the
middle up.
There is little confusion that in India bourgeois revolution’s leaders, families who have
profited by it or even experienced its changes, have come largely from the middle
classes. Accompanying bourgeois revolution in India, and congruent with it, is
substantial and accelerating embourgeiosement, i.e., the rush of new entrants into
the ranks of the middle classes.
The development in tandem, more or less, of capitalism and parliamentary
democracy has not effected any fundamental structural change in Indian society
though, because the development together of capitalism and parliamentary
democracy has brought fundamental political changes and fundamental changes in
their family economies to the rapidly growing middle classes. It has however, yet to
profit more than a minority of Indian families.
India’s development is not taking place per capita. It is taking place in its upper
quintile of households. The poor certainly outnumber the Indian middle classes, but
the poor are not directors of change, nor the major participants in it, and certainly not
its major beneficiaries. The poor are certainly not passive. They are increasingly
assertive, non-violently and violently. They affect the course of change and its pace
to some degree. They are the recipients of some varying and significant trickle-down
effects of bourgeois revolution. But the engine of change is in the hands of the middle
classes. In India’s constitution, its eight successive five-year plan, hundreds of party
manifestos, thousands of its laws and myriad speeches of its politicians there is
rhetorical commitment to a process of change whose chief beneficiaries are the poor
A remarkable statistic is that the combined population of the twentieth century’s two
superpowers was never more than three quarters of India’s. India’s population has
more than dolled since it became an independent nation, and India still has far too
many hungry people. Their plight is a consequence not of the unavailability of food
but of its m^l^j^tfibution : as poverty in the West is a product of maldistribution not of
scarcity.
-o
5^
™
1 *
STUDY ON ALTERN ATIVE SEXUAL PREFERANCES(ASP)
Terms of reference:
The main objective of the study is to assist HIVOS in making appropriate and informed choices in its
efforts to support relevant initiatives of groups with ASP. including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
.(GLBT)
In specific:
3
a) Analyse the social, economic, cultural and political context in which GLBT groups are living and
working at present
b) Identify the main constraints faced by these groups (social stigma, denial, discrimination, invisibility
etc)
y
c) Identify the various needs of GLBT groups.
d) Analyse the various issues related to GLBTg^withfl
human rights perspective
e) Assess the nature and strategies adopted by various GLBT groups, their support organisations and
appropriateness of policies and strategies in defending and realising the rights of GLBTs.
f) What is the current status and to what extent do the groups at present address isjues oMipcs and
legal advocacy? Identify what is desirable in terms of legal environment for/people
g) How do GLBT initiatives structure their work in terms of gaining public acceptance of their status, f}
identity and human rights What are the existing institutional linkages with similar groups/networks^vv^
other mainstream organisations? Do they have any links with other mainstream civil liberties or
organisations?
h) To what extent do GLBT groups consider themselves as part of or be associated with mainstream^
social movements, e.g. women's movement or tho labour movement or human rights movement: What are
the problems related to such an integration process'/
a
i) Suggest areas of work that might require support along with ^ur assessment of the most appropriate
forms of support. How does the mission see these initiatives being contextualised in the overall HIVOS
policy p^fspsObiss?.
The study team met with individual, groups and organisations working with the issue of GLBT or related
directly and indirectly to the issue of GLBT. The study was done in the cities of Bangalore, Chennai. New
Delhi, and Bombay.
GLBT
Samvada's activities include woriring for women's rights, sexuality issues and violence, child sexual abuse
--anaYbuthedi^
poUtieisc the thinking minds to-understand the powu cqnatiomi that
hey
work^with college students, encouraging free
—
exchange of ideas and encourage discussions on social constructs^ They have fortnightly discussions with
youth groups centres around contemporary issues chosen by the group. During this work they found out
prevalent child sexual abuse in our society. To get a better understanding they conducted a Child Sexual
Abuse Study in 1994. In collaboration with qualified mental health specialists they studied 350 girls in
the age group of sixteen to twenty one years. Child sexual abuse was studied in terms of mildest to
severest (touch-molestation to rape). The final report will be out in a couple on months. They discussed
/
X' /V-
Uff''
„
VQ
-
•
some of the findings which brought out the oppressive/pathological attitude towards weaker person.(some
J,____ _„z_l w_ ........
„............
„
'---*-»
of the gender biases were stereotyped?
experience was termed1’ boys need experiences A gir
stereotype^ A boy's
boy'^j^eQ^e
She-was more
affected was termed loose in spite dTbeing
----------- - often
- - made to feel worthless, ,
dirtv dishonestjTprotectors remaining silent due to various reasons, some which ranged from mitigation
-----J—
’ j on a student led,
of the
slur on character to preserving future matrimony prospects^ They are planning
■tudeM based LIFE SKILLS HEALTH EDUCATION. Samvada works with the women groups too.
.
aA/
zT/l
Aa/SaX /
7^t/L\C^V c
1™W ■
() I
sues. But
Samyada does not work on GLBT issues.
But their
their work
work with
with young
young adults
adults w wlriU^SLA aiia-sexual^ has
alternate sexual orientations^ The issuy<1
not taken forward ^em4toe asT^gjiot
deemed*criticafl
■ not fydeemed
ycriticai^This leads one
Constructs the 'normatWWeu to suchan^gnt thatjt e®V-de>any social {rtf«omc
x>vh>
orient^tions.-Thi^Swl^n bya mxjup^g.
i /v^rtL a>ctiv^
agei
^o^^eopport^tvJo^derstanding&j^usA u^c.
spots of soKualiiy education in lhe genera Ute
u.r adolescent wd
the path 'IsamKsilent
it)
sexuplities is
ijs lost
lost. rfSWlEc
'An
opportunity
for
understanding
,
empathising
and
even
bonding
of
a
non-sexual
nature
(i 6rlzt>T \>>^»
and^S^W
eMn^4 tft/l<4.
vanishes.
luag.C1 ^84440^
1S
^'<
Prevalence of child sexual abuse i
^vc^qSawiis inherent in this
\
The tensions,tdashes. ignorance, helplessness,
helplessness, silence
silence and
and
W
addressed an*
\
. structurc^iie uncoiled in the subconscious
subconscious of
of its
its
it^trf^I^i^m^g^^nng^mrouvenomousiMe the smallest
appiopriatjbWatWtifntiffiT
the power equationsJ bauble the ..family structure nrr in^wilnusopportinri^^
rtSSKl be ha^eTmig earliy^.Q!» png envivwy. A child who is
v
a Alienation’s lWfii n| the family
in
the
event
of
<
ma
TA/
u/u^
uninformed,unprotected and
idged sensitive and responsible individimfiq navigate an a^ytliieJ
cc.eption safely mid prrchirth'ply.
tt>rvvj)te^ \’rO4
-u-
-c
<7V2» .
The organisation could be useful in terms of training peer groups in sexuality education.
MANASA is a women’s group working for women’s rights and gender issuesCjhey believe fundiemg^
is a political activity which cleaves voluntary group along its fault lincsj They raise funds for activities
from the members, community and subscription money for their newsletter. They have held together for
the last 15 years and have made significant contributions in creating awareness among w’omen on political
and contemporary issues of relevance. They feel intimate issues such as sexuality cannot be discussed
openly and hence have not tackled the GLBT issues directly on their own. The personal spaces (of
sexuality) have not coalesced to public spaces and personal sexuality issues have not been brought out for
public debate. The limitation of time and resource prevents them from taking
issues forward.They have empathy with the GLBT issues and they relate closely with SABRANGWomen, they feel are
f aVA much more sympathetic to people with alternate sexual preferenceslThey have definite reservations about
taking funds for their activities from funding agencies. They fear outside agendas undermining their
/7
,
autonomy.
SABRANG is a collective comprising people from various walks of life, working together to document,
publish and disseminate information on sexuality; promote dialogue among people through lectures,
worksho^and thereby help them understand and be comfortable with their sexuality They try and bring
into public focus, issues on sexuality and sexuality identities. They have organised one workshop on SEX
AND SEXUALfl'Y IN THE TIME OF .AIDS by Ms. Anjali Gopalan of NAZ foundation Delhi. Lectures
on Emerging Gay Spaces by Dr. Balachandran and lecture on LANGUAGE, GENDER AND
SEXUALITY by Ms. Sandhya Rao of Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, Bangalore.
There is an accepted common feeling among the GLBT's and the groups working for them that the
/\
GLBTs are oppressed^he quintessence is the issue of identitv^ind relating to the larger context(the
U general community in all denominations, smallest to the biggesty fhe fight is against something which is
* unified, and has a collective mindset. It appears that the oppressor and the oppressed are without definite
contours and have a fluid identity. Initiatives have been undertaken to forge a common force among the
oppressed groups. This is evident from the linkages established between the groups working for women's
rights, GLBT groups, groups working with street children, groups w orking for human rights. They hope
the movement will gain strength from the coalition movements where the bottom line is equal space and
dignity for all. Even when there is no common agenda, sympathetic groups have mutual support.
.w
w
Much discussed film TIRE' has helped merge issues of gender equity, relationships, sexuality etc.,. For
too long issues of sexuality were seen in isolation. The film has put sexuality in the larger context and has
helped groups, to articulate a total picture to the public with clarity . The .groups fpel thatisolated
movements'^rentwork and any desired social change or at least ai^^mi^^ffiermmarginalised
issues can be brought about by movements. They have made attempts to sentise people w ho are involved f
in movements other than sexuality . Things have not changed bey ond tokenistic reference. This makes one I
infer that more political correctness has gone in to the conscious mind than a permanent change at the
I
subconscious. Sabrang feels that
barring 'gossip' on sexual orientations, people do not discuss issues of sexuality even in the spaces sweated
to discuss sexuality. Every one could be either perpetuating oppression or being oppressed alway s.
Sabrang wants to politicise the issues of sexuality. There is a fear that the some people comment on gay
culture being connected to the consumerist culture. Socio-economic stratification of the gay groups is a
reality, imply ing divisions along the lines of education, class and languages There is a perception that
lesbian groups are pus^jngjor collectivejnswers with in the large context of family . Sabrang is trying to
build bridges so that different groups can be sensitised to the issues of Gi BT, Sabrang feels they need
funds to start work on legal interventions, outreach programmes at cruising spaces, helplines, train the
counsellors and to have an office with staff and conduct sensitisation w orkshops. They have already
started documentation and dissemination of information on a small scale.
PEOPLE'S UNION of CIVIL LIBERTIES (PUCL)
PUCL is an organisation started by JP, along with few others including the citizen's for democracy with a
primary intention of promoting parti cipatory democracy . Social and economic issues of rural poor have
been the main focus along with the w orking class and minorities. Local groups have w orked to combat
communalism and promote women's representation in panchayats.
Electoral reforms, issues of
globalisation and local issuessuch as slum development have also been taken upfjhey express their
reservation about patriarchy, j
Their connection with Sabrang is on the human and individual rights in terms of sexuality and gender.
Immediate concern is repeal of Section 377, fighting discrimination in general and at the employment
levels specifically. No apparent hostility,1ms been faced by ^abrang group with PUCL, but there has not
been any enthusiasm too. Passivity/itr understanding GLBT issues by the PUCL group is felt by the
sabrang group. They might provide signature to memoranda on GLBT rights but w ould not try and make
it into a public intercourse. Oft heard excuse is. "this does not concern whole lot of people", perhaps
invisibility abets ignorance and apathy.
Dr, Shekar Sheshadri, Associate Professor in the field of child psychiatry in National Institute of Mental
Health and Neuroscience's. He w'orks with many NGOs in various fields of mental health.
It appears that even mental health professionals are quite unaware of the dynamics of alternate sexuality
and more often they are not sensitive to alternate sexual orientations. Significantly, taking 'sexuality*
history is not taught/included in formal psychiatry education. Attempts at integratirgs^u^ity aspects of
education have been met with resistance at the teacher and parent level. Question^ how can knowledge
be more harmful than ignorance. Some groups working in the field of HIV/AIDS have started working
with adolescents in schools. The educators need to^aken through emotional dimensions , personal
location, and space and legitimacy within school, ihe sessions on sexuality should help in conflict
resolution than perpetuate conflicts. Workshops/sessions could be converted into therapeutic experiences.
The conceptual framework for sexuality education could include HIV/AIDS, patriarchy. The information
may be calibrated for age and there can be a gentle way of imparting education with a multilateral spread
across issues.
Good As You (GAY) has been in existence for the past 5 years . There was an initial struggle of 2 to 3
years to get the group going. At present the group informally meets every Thursday at Samraksha
GAY gives space for Lesbigay people to informally meet ,think and act. It is an unstructured group, but
provides a safe space for the GLBT group. They bring out a newsletter called Sangha Mitra, which is
.
bilingual. The group is deliberating issues, whether to maintain GAY as just a social space to meet and /
chat or convert it to a political movement. Though GAY says it has a space for all minority sexual
identities, it has more gay population the lesbians.
/
GAY movement is for the time being restricted to socialisation, sharing and bonding. It would be
worthwhile to follow developments in this organisation so as to see the needs of the community beyond
social and physical bonding. In other words, if the needs of the GLBT constituents are just social spaces,
the groups will create the spaces by themselves without outside interventions.
Samraksha was initiated in December 1993 as a response to the growing epidemic of AIDS. The dual
objectives of this project are:
* to control and contain the spread of HIV infection among a defined vulnerable target population,
through education, awareness and the promotion of safer sex
* to provide counselling, care and support to those already infected and their taulies.
Samraksha’s primarv focus is to offer counselling and support to those people who are vulnerable to HIV
infection as well as to people living with AIDS and their families. This involves preventive, pre and post
test counselling. The people living with HIV and AIDS are followed by the counselling team.
Samraksha is not working with GLBT issues. They provide space for GAY group to meet in their
premises.
,
Their counsellors have undergone training with NIMHANS, London Light house and Gujarat Aids
Programme There appears to be glaring gaps in their understanding of issues of sexuality-. It was sad to
know that the counsellors refer the subjects(homo and bisexuals) to NIMHANS for 'behaviour therapy", if
the subject desires so. The whole endeavour of safe sex is limited to condom use and equally important
issue of negotiating skills, specially for women are not included. They are at a loss to deal with issues of
religion and condom use.
SWAMM( Society Welfare Association for Marginalised Me)
SWAMM was initiated by Mr. Sekhar with the assistance of SIAPP. The interview was an intense one and
emotionally draining as the protagonist. Mr. Sekhar gave us a recap of events of his life. He narrated his
sexual experiences, sexual orientation and finally his HIV status. His case study revealed the gay sub
culture, its networks, blackmail, helplessness of the powerless youngsters when faced with the orgamsed
groups, ignorance of family members with issues of sexuality and much more. It also revealed the short
comings of the medical services to deal with health issues bey ond the bio-medical knowledge. The
treachery of the media was obvious.
Sekhar recounted that he was molested when he was around 16 years by a medical person practising in his
area He was an athlete then and gradually developed a relationship with the doctor. Later he was coerced
into the commercial sex work, to cater to a weff developed network of the gay groups. His mamage was
fixed by his parents. A little later sekhar found out that he was suffering from herpes zoster, and sought
medical help with a STD specialist. The doctor sent him for an HIV test, with out the necessary’ Potest
counselling. When the results came the doctor asked sekhar to go to the laboratory to get his result. The
person in charge announced in the open that sekhars blood was tested positive. He did not bother to
counsel him or inform him about what HIV/ AIDS meant. Sekhar was shattered as his world collapsed
around him suddenly. He could not go back to his parents. But they had to be informed so that the
J
Jj
a7
’
marriage preparations had to cease. The information caught on in the area of his residence. Parents
accused him of bringing disrepute to them and banned him from seeing them. Sekhar was more hurt by
the social attitudes than the HIV infection. A magazine ASIDE took his interview and promised not to
publish his pictures. Thev went back on their promise and his photograph was on the cover of the
magazine. Sekhafs ostracisation was complete. He could not do anything to the magazine but his cover
was blown making him vulnerable with everyone in his own city. He was economically sound and he
could sustain himself in some way. Sekhar also narrated that with the HIV positive community the Gay
+ves are treated badly compared to other HIV +ves. The gay groups have located some medical doctors
who are sensitive to GLBT issues and seek treatment from them. They do not access help from doctors
who work with the heterosexual constructs as they found out after certain expenences, that medical
education doesn’t guarantee a sensitive, humanistic and non-judgemental medical practitioner. fflV/AIDS
has tom many family bonds and has called the bluff of social relationships. In most cases social bonds and
relationships are fine as long they are undemanding and fun. The movement the equation changes to any
demands, social support sy stems are found wanting.(Communities hold together in greatest of the
calamities and sexuality vitiates the equations.7 ?
INDIAN COMMUNITY WELFARE ORGANISATION- ICWO
The group started w orking at Mamallapuram with commercial sex workers. They are receiving funds
from USAID and the Tamil Nadu Governments AIDS Control Society
They are conducting barber's Raining programme to prevent HIV/AIDS. They distribute condoms
through barbers. They have trained 16,320 (?) auto drivers in HIV. They have mapped 72 cruising areas
in madras and have established contact groups in cruising areas to get into the community.
„
The organisation has a band of volunteers(self identified homosexuals and bisexuals) who are trained m
HIV and group skills before taking up work. They have made contacts with all the groups in the cruising
4 areas. They educate the(jnsin)gioups on condom use and provide condoms 'on spot.
The volunteers talked about the sexuality issues, mainly the sexual acts. They told us about their condom
awareness and distribution programmes. They would make ey e contact with the potential partners and
discuss things of general issues and later discuss condoms. They faced certain tricky situations too. The
client thought that the volunteer has STD! The volunteers also stood the risk of losing client to a person
who did not talk about these ticklish issues.
SIAAP
The groups met the steering committee members along with Shyamala Natarajan. SIAAP was started as a
HIV?AIDS prevention programme. It focuses on truckers, counselling and care.
It supports four programmes
Positive Action Group Echo (E.C.H.O)
Women and development society (W.A.D.S.)
AIDS action forum of the blind (A. A.F.O.B)
Society Welfare Association for marginalised me (S..W.A.M.M)
SIAAP does not deal with GLBT issues. One significant thing is that they have a huge counselling
programme where sexuality issue are included. This training programme forces the participants to look at
their own sexuality's. How far it empowers them to look at patients' sexuality could not be ascertained.
Gay and bisexual men are included in the programme. They are deemed to be much more able to deal
with the communities when they get back to their work, and hence integrate issues of sexuality in terms
ofHIV/AIDS.
SAHODARAN
.
\________
Funded by the Naz foundation, this is a drop in centre for msm. Any male who doesnot belong to this sub
group is allowed admission. They have Thursday meetings and discuss things of their interest. These
meetings are attended by the outreach workers and the communities they work with. Certain group
activities are also conducted A dance teacher teaches at the centre. The group was busy preparing for the
show, and the main concern was what to wear for a costume?' They provide training in STD and AIDS.
Community education for self esteem building and development of skills for a socially and economically
productive life are in the pipe line. They have a doctor conducting weekly clinics in the organisation.
Brokers of commercial sex trade are trying to poach on the group. Socio economic division in the gay
group is perceptible. The well educated English speaking gays are more concerned with activist issues in
sexuality and the ones with lesser or no accomplishment it is the number of conquests. Some have an (
understanding that sex with a nice man(w hat ever that means)doesnot include a condom.
Interview with Veena Mazumdar
Lesbian rights groups are very’ small and with a limited outreach. It has not draw n much media attention.
Public hue and cry was witnessed on both sides with the film 'FIRE*. *Lesbian rights are virtually
impossible in today's ground realities’. The women's groups are working for individual freedom and
freedom of expression as part of women’s fundamental rights(note’ not sexuality). This position has been
taken by the women's movement, as they would not like to get involved with other issues which could
affect the vital struggles. Their concern was more with the fascist politics against culture, liberalisation,
privatisation and globalisation contexts and its fallout on Indian democracy. There are worthwhile
struggles and not so w orthw hile struggles. In one were to add on lesbian rights the movement could get
fractured, hence the group should fight the larger concerns first. Women’s movement suffered from being
apolitical. Women are constitutionally protected but historically oppressed. The present women’s
movement is political, substantial and pretty wide spread. Also, Indian culture has been homo-erotic and
people have not been overtly hostile. Society is aware but does not speak about it.
Women's group took upon the issue of Lesbian rights indirectly when two police w omen decided to get
married and the government dismissed them from service. Women’s group went on the offensive to restore
individual rights(not lesbian rights) and got the government to withdraw the order. The GLBT groups
have kept a relatively less high profile activities. More so the demand for rights have not gathered strident
voice so far. Few' are willing to take positions of GLBT rights. One has to know' w hat the groups are
asking through research and information base. From that one can take it forw'ard for right to livelihood,
public employment. From there one can demand for right of property and progeny .. With the political and
intellectual crisis reverting things back rather than forward, general mood is reactionary. It would be wise
to get to know the micro issues involved in GLBT before others jump in and stir up issues
Interview’ with Deepa Nag Choudary (MacArthur Foundation)
MF was forced to look in to the sexuality issues in the aftermath of HIV/AIDS. They do not have a policy.
They do not have large programme but fund selective programmes doing cutting edge work. They do not
fund open groups who are just vocal about GLBT as it is a politically sensitive issue. They have funded a
'helpline* project for sexual health. Under this issues of sexuality, sexual health, including GLBT are
discussed.
Interview with Shivananda Khan
Shivananda Khan runs the Naz Foundation UK. The project has set up a few' STD treatment clinics, in
lieu of the need specially among the gay community . There is a great deal of lack of information and
awareness about anal STDs and reluctance on part of doctors to deal with it, even in mainstream hospitals
with specialists. There is need for advocacy among the medical profession for training and counselling on
STDs.
Shivananda gave the figure of condom use at 6% which if true would negate the w hole lot of work done by
HIV/AIDS. The quality of some of the condoms in the market are suspect, specially if it is used for anal
intercourse. This could have a significant bearing on the HTV prevention programme. He felt that there
was no commitment among the msm group for taking forward the gay movement. The jony from homo
affection to homo orientation has not happened. Lack of social security for ASP and lack of language lias
'retarded even the nascent movements. Emotional bonds with the family are very’ intense which has
overridden the sexual identity.
TARSffl (Talking about Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues)
TARSHI is an effort towards enabling women and men enjoy lives of dignity and freedom from fear,
infection and reproductive and sexual ill-health. TARSHI works to provide women and ;men choices I
their sexual and reproductive lives-choices about health services, contraception, actions. The programme
is addressed to people of all classes, communities, ages and sexual preferences. TARSHI runs a helpline
five days a week from 9to 5, providing easy access to information, counselling and referrals on
reproductive and sexual health issues.
It was not surprising to hear that the helpline meant for women was accessed by men(upto 80%). The
questions were related more to simple doubts on basic sexual information, erectile dysfunction,
contraception and conception, HIV/AIDS, emotional relationships and sexual abuse. The documentation
of information has helped TARSHI in advocacy, counselling, research and in increasing affirmative
sexuality.
Women's movement, sexual abuse, violence issues have not been resolved and hence this baggage comes
y in way of ration and pro-active sexuality.
NAZ foundation of India.
NAZ foundation programmes are:
a. Truckers' intervention
b. Male and Female sex workers programme
c. HTV/STD clinic
d. Peer Education Project
e. School Programme
NAZ started as an msm project but soon realised that there were allied issues of equal importance to deal
and hence expanded to address those. Naz also conducts National Training Programmes. Training of the
Trainers is on issues of :HIV and issues of sexuality, testing and counselling, care and support, ethics and
human rights. The counselling programme is done as an outreach activity in the Safduijung Hospital.
NAZ itself runs an STD clinic in its premises on evenings in a week Diagnosis and treatment are done in
these clinics.
There is an gay and lesbian helpline for counselling services run by volunteers and support group
meetings. This support is also available to parents of gays and lesbians for counselling. They have helped
establishing an informal parental network of gays and lesbians.
Interview with Geethi Thadani
Geethi started the NAZ foundation in India in 1992 with twin objectives of working on HIV/AIDS and
Gay and Lesbian aspects. The latter work didn’t go far and geethi left NAZ. Geethi felt that the onus of the
GL movement in India can happen only if the middle class involves. They are the only group privileged to
create a space, otherwise there is very little hope. Dialogues haven’t happened between the gay and lesbian
groups and very little sensitivity among the gays for lesbians. This has resulted in cleavages between the
groups and hence the movement as a whole has suffered.
Geethi has done extensive studies of Lesbianism in the Indian Art History. Her attempts at getting funds
films and documentation has not met with success and the funding agencies feel the distribution networks
for such films are unavailable. There is little space for the movement grow externally forcing some of the
activists to emigrate.
Interview with D. A.R.E( Documentation, Archive, Research, Education) and CALERIfCampaign for
Lesbian Rights)
Sexuality issues are one of the cornerstones on which the Women's movement is built. But the movement
cannot take up lesbian rights as senior feminists say this is not the right time'. CALERI avers that there
never was a right time for this or there will never be a right time for it. Is it going to be addressed at all in
this 'either or' contexts of prioritisation of women's issues. CALERI is slowly building up local solidarity
and at the same time fighting the construct of "lesbianism is an upper middle class phenomenon".
CALERI does not intent to get funded as they construe that funding will take away the democratic nature
of the organisation. Thev do not want any one clear leader as they believe in collective leadership. The
ethos of volunteerism will be lost. Agendas might get diluted and there could be clash of wills. They
would rather live on donations and they would rather cofiect money linked to a particular activity. Their
aim is to remove invisibility, to make people aware that lesbianism is as much an Indian phenomenon and
to lesbians should speak for themselves. They are willing to ally with anyone who wont say no to the
lesbian issues.
DARE is a group of people who care. They’ hope to:
a. Generate awareness on lesbian, gay and bi-sexual history in the sub-continent.
b. Counter negative stereotyping, especially the impression that homosexuality is a western import.
c. Provide information on legal, health, and psychological issues
d. Encourage academic research in various fields by providing bibliographies, source materials and
guidelines to scholars
e. Build an archive to preserve and visibilize our history.
DARE is willing take funding. At present they donot have any funding. They are working on voluntary
basis. They intend to provide a reading room, staffed full time, with felicities for photocopying materials
and referral support services.
J,
DARE organised a film festival n supported by Siddarth Gautam foundation. They gay groups didnot
participate but for one film on Oscar Wilde. piatjsbu£oneexample of the sensitivity of the gay groups.
SPARROW is working on women's issues. They are not as such involved in GLBT activities, but have
collected material on the issue. SPARROW has fought for the hijda community as there was no else
taking up the issue. Regarding lesbian rights, they have an understanding of it as a human right. They
donot ignore it nor wish it away. They feel that there are more vital issues to struggle and lesbian rights
can wait. As far as letting the lesbian groups fighting for rights with in the women’s movement they say
■lesbians have to sort out lots of things before the issue is let in'. The organisation conducts workshop of
young girls to question constructs and stereotypes. Issues of sexuality are discussed in groups, but not
much enthusiasm is show n to discuss GLBT issues.
STREE SANGAM is a support group for lesbian and bi sexual women. Their main agenda is to get
visibility for lesbian identity in many movements. Storied as an informal networking and counselling
initiative, they have been arranging retreats for the past three years. Retreat is mainly for meeting, mating,
sharing and bonding. The sangam has the twin objective of creating social and political space. Former
objective has been achieved to an extent where has there has been very little on the latter. Much of the
struggle has been to keep lesbi agenda in women’s movement. There are tensions in the groups as majority
are happy with comfortable physical spaces and minority opt for the inconvenient political focus.
They feel the basic nature of gay and lesbian movements are different and gay men are insensitive to
lesbian issues in particular gender insensitive in general. There are very few' meeting points between the
two movements. Gay movement should think more interms of intimate relationship and not just
physicalities, and lesbian movement should include more of the latter.
SS plans to start a helpline and a drop in centre. They would like to continue with their occasional
newsletter and provide space for lesbians within HIV/AIDS.
Dr. CHITRA SUBRAMANIAM is a specialist in family therapy and psychotherapy.. She has worked
with India Health Organisation for a couple of years and later started her own organisation, CASA in
1997 with funding from Ford Foundation. She has been providing counselling services in HIV/AIDS and
sexuality issues. They run a tele counselling services and drop in centre, which is open for 6days in a
week. Apart from counselling services, they also help in support services such as arranging delivery
services for HTV+ve pregnant women and financial help in certain specific cases.
CASA works closely with HUMSAFAR Trust and has a two way referral system. The issues that are most
commonly discussed in counselling sessions are: coming out to the families, lack of partners, intimate
permanent relationships, Instability in relationships, cyber sex and cyber relationships and dilemmas of
married gay men wanting to come out to their wives.
According to Dr. Chitra Subramanium the following are the current needs of the GLBT community:
a. Help line manned by qualified, quality counsellors
b. Safe spaces
c. Information services
d. Training for doctors, social workers, MSW students and institutions on sexuality and communication
with issues of sexuality.
Interview with Haseena and Naseem (AWAZ-E-NISWAAN)
They work with women in neighbourhood and deal in issues as diverse as Health, Education, inflation
and personal laws. They’ have created discussion space with in the organisation where women can cast of
their role identities and relate to each other just by themselves. They talk openly their fears, highs and
lows. They feel very much part of the group and feel energised by the association. A great amount of
bonding has happened in the group. They discuss issues of sexuality with out the usual fear of the
community.
They feel the politicians from the right wing party has done much more for the cause of sexuality by
banning the film TIRE*. This could not have been done even by the organisations themselves even if they
had worked for five years on the issue! There are many divorced and widowed women in the
neighbourhood. Many might not want to be in relationship with men. They even quoted averse from
quoran which says 'As soon as menarche is established a husband has to be searched’ and discussed at
length the implication of that on lesbian movement. They felt lesbian movement could strengthen women
in general and their sexuality in particular.
THE GLBT COMMUNITY
The quantitative assessment is difficult as invisibility is the rule and few who are openly working for it are
notable exceptions. Invisibility could be due to many reasons. The 'Denial syndrome's at the level of self,
with the immediate social circles and the community at large. This has resulted in marginalisation of
GLBT groups. The transsexual and transgender group were thought to be open and definitely defined.
But that is not the case. The group suffers deprivation and marginalisation at different stages of life
because of their sexual orientation. Fear is that the most productive years might be lived under existential
crisis/dilemmas. Statistics, even if available hardly reflect the intensity of discrimination, rejection and
physical hardships.
The interviews/ discussions offered stimulating and intense interface with GLBT groups. Sexuality is a
difficult area to study as it straddles personal, societal and public realms. To develop a certain amount of
adeptness in handling the GLBT issue is hard even if one is sensitive, non-judgemental and has total
empathy with the group.
Many organisations have began to work with determination and have secular profiles. They are trying to
create ’safe places'. Their personal interactions were the proverbial 'tip of the iceberg’. Tiying to make an
elbow' room in the ’straight' value oriented society , which recognises heterosexuality as the normal, they
have not received support.
They elaborated about the ’closet’ psychology as integral to majority of GLBT's. Immediate agenda is to
put alternate sexuality on the public agenda. Groups have had to battle on scores of issues i.e, orientation
constructs, social constructs of patriarchy, social conditioning masculinity constructs, abuse and politics
of domination and oppression. Media has helped occasionally. But many times it is largely in a
‘victimology’ strategy. This has been counterproductive by taking focus away from the issue of sexuality.
Many a times the press has sensationalised issues of sexuality without much reference to objective
information. The issues that get mentioned are more of a reaction to issues of sexuality than pro active
information on sexuality'.
Rationalists in the movement are pressing for a ’just space', and acceptance of plurality in sexuality. They
clarity’ that it is for acceptance of pluralism and not for any endorsement of alternate sexual orientation.
At this juncture the question of how does the social construct come into being? How does one construct
the knowledge of behaviour and sexuality in the absence of general discourses? At present, the available
sources are misconceptions, myths, media and pornography. So far sexuality has been in the confines of
patriarchy and in marital and procreative context, ignoring variability in a larger context. At the
microlevel the problems are guilt, depression, wanting multiple sexual contacts, inability to avoid sex
with men, fears f someone finding out, force to get married, premature ejaculation, problem with the size
of the sexual organ, gynaecomastia, gender donfusion, wTanting sex with real heterosexual men, religious
beliefs..., the list is endless.
(
The ’medical profession' is straight jacketed in a bio-medical realm. An organised histoiy taking of
sexuality is not present even in psy chiatric education let alone in the under graduate medical education.
Perhaps the sole contribution is taking homosexuality off from the list of psychiatric aberrations. GLBT
groups have felt widespread homophobia amongst medical doctors including psychiatrists. JEyen the
neutral professionals come across as taking a political location than a personal or an emotional location
bn GLBTlssues^Tiie tragedy of this lack of empathy is that most GLBT suffering from sexually
transmitted diseases don’t seek help of a qualified medical personnel. Help is sought from quacks and
outcomes of such treatments are fraught with danger of partial or wrong treatment, complicating the issue
further. There are problems even with qualified doctors as most of them are not knowledgeable when it
comes to anal STDs. It is not discussed openly and most doctors are uninformed and unprepared.
Outcomes of medical treatment are replete with omissions and commissions.
Counselling centres w hich relate to conflict resolution on issue of sexuality are very few and that too in
major metropolis. When globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation are happening at a rapid rate
presence of qualified and capable counsellors is essential. Global sexuality setting the trends through the
ubiquitous media into every household, the burden of issues of sexuality on uninformed population will be
enormous. The sensitivity of the counselling training for emerging issues and understanding of pluralism
in sexual identities is vital. It was sad to note that one of the organisations working in the field of
counselling in HIV/AIDS refers the msm to a premier institute for ’’shock therapy” to cure sexual
orientation, if the person desires so.
The public perception of alternate sexual orientations vary depending on the situation. Hidden alternate
orientations are tolerated to a large extent. But if the same person were to suffer from illness, instance
show how inadequate our counselling services are in terms of quality and quantity. HIV the reactions are
of a different magnitude. One typical case of a person infected with HTV stands as an shining example. As
long as the person was economically productive and healthy he was an equal in the family. Once he came
out with his sexuality and HIV status he was humiliated and ostracised. Families find it easier to accept
HIV status than sexuality. This would inform us the phobias that rule the social constructs. Gay men are
marginalised in HIV/AIDS care.There are many instances of community rehabilitation of heterosexual
HIV +ve persons in our country. But when it comes to a homosexual HTV+ ve persons the reactions are
qualitatively very different.
Availability and utilisation of available health services takes a quantum change when seen from sexuality
angle. There are very few medical professional providing a comfortable space for people affected by issues
of sexuality Corroborative evidence of mushrooming of quacks in the areas of 'sexology’ makes one infer
that quality sexual health services are absent. One has to just see newspapers wherein one could find many
of these specialists claiming wonder cures for all problems related to sexuality. Pasted pamphlets on
public and cinema toilets are another example of modus oparendi to gamer clientele. So far this aspect of
sexuality related problems have been pushed away from public glare as a convenient measure. If one can
imagine the loss of health, money and time spent by a chunk of suffering public with quacks specialising
in sexuality disorders time has come to put issues of sexuality on public agenda.
The reproductive health programmes has stopped short of including sexuality and sexual health issues.
This makes one question the wisdom of the programme itself and sexuality and reproduction are inter
related and leaving out one of them will seriously compromise the efficacy of the programme.
Duel existence/double fives. Many men in the gay community are married. The wives are totally ignorant
of the sexual activities of their men out side the partnership. Few would also tolerate this as an aberration.
The strands of sexual behaviour, ignorance, infidelity , insensitivity and lack of awareness of the mental
and health problems are all woven into the fabric of such partnerships. Men are scared that their wives
would desert them if they come to know about the hidden sexuality of their husbands. It would be difficult
for both the partners to hold their head high in the society. It also appears that during the time of sexual
encounter their sexual identities are delinked from their total identity.
Majid Medicine and HIV. Many HIV +ves in Nammakkal area have been treated by the perpetrators of
Majid Medicine which promises to turn HIV + ve status into a HIV -ve one. Scores of people have tried
this form of medicine and have returned with complications and lighter pockets. The response of
HIV/AIDS organisations in this field has been nil, and one person has got away with dubious claims with
pathological outcomes. Hope is an elixir for life but the person who advertises hope should be
indoctrinated with ethical values. It is sad that few family have mortgaged their belongings to get the
treatment.
Police and GLBT. The gay groups take over certain public areas for their activities. When the activities
get established more and more msm's use the space thereby attracting public attraction. The police come
into the picture on their own or due to a complaint lodged by civilians. The police use it their advantage.
The regular one’s are harassed for money or free sex under duress. Later the police use these men as
decoys to get at other men and fleece them monetarily. Police even check them bodily to takeout watch,
gold chain or whatever is on the body of the men caught. They are threatened with disclosure, which is
enough for the one caught to part with what ever the policeman wants. Many a times when police have to
file a certain number of cases they use these spaces to makeup projected number of cases.
Medical labs, profit and absence of counselling. The government and private medical lab used for
diagnosis have functioned in a narrow margin of economical concerns to the exclusion of human
concerns. Labs have done tests without the pre test counselling. Worse, they have announced results to
patients in the open laboratories and have not tried to do post test counselling for the HIV positive. A
scary scenario indeed. A big gap exists in theory of HIV work and the field realities.
Truck owners and GLBT
CSWs and gays
Female Commercial Sex Workers are not aware of alternate sexual preferences of men. In one group
interaction with a CSW, it was a surprise element in her sexual knowledge. At first, they felt why should
do men do it this way? She was full of empathy with the gays, specially kothis who assume the feminine
role in male to male relationships. One could not trace any animosity though both groups vie for the same
clientele group, though for different stratifications with in that group. They even collaborate with each
other depending of the client's sexuality and preferences.
Ethical problems with confidentiality. There was this specific case of an HIV+ve old man having sex with
young men. The volunteer privy to his HIV status didnot know ways and means of stopping unsafe acts.
Commercial Sex Trade is present in the gay sub culture. There is an organised group of procurers and
users. The pimps use blackmail in certain cases, though in most cases it is voluntary. Money is earned by
offering services. There are also times when gay, male commercial sex workers pay money to seek
pleasure.
IMPRESSIONS AND INFERENCE
The ground realities are hazy. There is a small group of GLBT urban activists hurtling towards
integration with contemporary global sexuality . Large sections of semi-literate and illiterate rural remain
untouched in their own little 'constructs' within the larger ’family constructs'. There is a constant aversion
to get into semantics of their own sexuality or sexuality in general. In most arrangements ’deceit' is an
much to the self as it is to the innocent partner. Notion of ’family* scores over the individual identity. In
circumstances of nascent individuality and a modicum of understanding of sexuality, the parental forces
subdue individual orientations. Marriage is ’accepted' and marital sex becomes a chore to be done however
infrequently and perhaps in dispassionate way. It is ironical that most are bound legally to marriage
without being totally committed.
/ It seems that the Indian psyche refuses to understand, discuss and accept sexuality as an integral to
/ personality and life. The issue is regarded as a taboo. This is at variance with the discourses available in
/ books of pre/British era, in fact centuries ago. Much maligned Manu refers on issues of indulgence: 'na
mamsa bhakshane doshah, na madhye, na cha maithune, pravruthihi yesha bhothanam nivruthisthu maha
phalah'. There is nothing wrong in consumption of meat and alcohol. There is nothing wrong in sex.
These are but natural instincts. But if one can go bey ond these it is highly rewarding. He also mentions
that pluralism is a characteristic of humanity Another great intellectual and an administrator par
excellence Kautilya says: what is present in nature and in not ’changeable' has to be regularised or
restrained. It would be matter of interest to know that Kautilya had legalised commercial sex work. He
had wide ranging regulatory measures for the trade! He had put in place a licensing system for alcohol
too. He mentions ; suppressing the unsuppressible is impossible”. As a counter point to freedom he says
that the majority sentiment should not be hurt. Awareness should be carried out in an inoffensive way!
Profound statements indeed. Whether they accepted different sexual orientations or not there was a
prevalent sense of equity. One cannot but admire the minds behind those thoughts which accommodated
\^myriad possibilities in orientations.
The present situation no different. In terms of GLBT people are at various levels of understanding. There
is a large section of population unaware of alternate sexual orientation, unless one is differently oriented.
There is a section of population who have just the information. After these two large chunks of population
there is a smaller section of knowledgeable group (knowledge is a conscious product of one's own
realisation/actualisation of the information). There is an intellechu.il group who_understand things in a ^homogenising way' i11 Ibeir subconscious. This grofip often see symmetry inasymiuetrv. Their
< philosophical outlook gives them the wisdom to analyse a situation from outside. It is a case of 'involving'
y without involvement. They stand on a bedrock ofobjectivity.jqndenstanding and appreciation. Sadly for
GLBT issues they areKua minority. An average person appearstobe basically Very attached., possessive
with own opinions and strong identification with it. This group constihites the majority’. Majority follow
the heterosexual and procreative construct. If one want to dive little deeper into this construct, one has to
go back to a different existential conditions way back Progeny was the greatest asset due to lack of
resources. Deaths and devastation’s made it imperative for people to have large families to create and
utilise resources. The Constructs were set. At present procreation element is not as vital. But the
corrections into the constructs has been very difficult. Texts say that even ethics are part of normative
science. More for the convenience and conscience. Ethics are not based on facts but conventions of
heritage, graded acceptance of a construct and observation of experiences. This is subject to change in a
dynamic and accommodating community; But the change is difficult and doesnot happen always,
immediately.
Disparity exists Exploitation is wrong. This is where our endeavour should be, that is to stop exploitation
of people with alternate sexual orientation. This is the mandate of Hivos too..
COUNTERPOINTS
On most fronts 'problem avoidance’ is a better answer than ’problem solving'.
Most of the groups we met and interacted were the urban, English speaking middle class. How much of
their observations and opinions include the realities of the rural majority of India is debatable. With
different levels of education, awareness and lack of language the needs of rural GLBT will be different
and needs to be understood, assessed and articulated.
How much 'sexual identity' contributes to the real identity of an individual could not ascertained as the
team spoke to groups and not individuals. It was not clear whether the existential, identity was
synonvnipiis with serial identily The human microcosm is made up of many identities They could be
social, cultural, materialistic, sexual and spiritual. Any endeavour for improvement has to be in all
identities. How much space is given by GLBT groups to other identities is not exactly known. One
observ ation in this mission was the age group of members of GLBT groups. Most of them were young
adults with age group ranging from 20 to 40yrs. This forces one to think about the drop outs from the
group. What do they feel? How have they come to terms with their sexuality? Have they found a via media
in the maze of sexuality ? .Have other identities scored their sexual identity ? Are they looking at sexuality
from a different viewpoint or from a different plane? Does issues of sexuality recede in priority as a
natural progression of age? Have the semantics of existential dilemma changed course7 This group could
throw light on the issues of GLBT in a much different way than the one's we were able to talk to.
Humane approach to the individuals in essential and at the same time it is vital that the larger context of
'family' as a sustainable basic unit of community/society is equally understood. Most of the development
w ork aims at sustainability w hich in other words means we are a just a link in the chain of existence. We
have a responsibility to our future generations. Do we go on dividing the community into groups of
( different denominations while crying hoarse about unity and integration? Do we work for spaces with in
the community? There are already many examples of people of alternate sexual orientations, who have
i made a mark in life without brandishing their sexuality. Could that be one of the immediate answers for
Ithe 'crisis' in sexuality ?
Clinical answers arrived at alleviation could lead to more problems than one with a sociological approach.
Sociological changes in terms of the ways in which alternate sexual orientation are perceived are
changing visibly, albeit slowly.
The institution of marriage in the 'heterosexual' construct is under severe onslaught. Equal rights as
demanded by the GLBT groups, even if gleaned cannot assure the stability and quality of family if one
understands the highly unstable partnerships in the GLBT groups.
Support/advocacy processes have not progressed much beyond 'sex’ because people inside the group
haven’t tried as it could disturb individual balances/positions they have built for themselves, specially the
socially-educationally and economically forward . Any movement cannot make any headway without
leaders and the alternate sexual groups don't have many leaders. The reasons are very much clear. It is a
very divided constituency and the constituents have contrasting interests and stakes.
There is no law that bars people of same sex slaying together in India.
There is an understanding that if the percentage of population of people from broken homes exceeds 30%
the social pathology increases. Even if the statement if hypothetical there is a grain to truth in the logic.
IMPRESSIONS
it might not be prudent to come out with specific strategies for support to GLBT groups at this stage due
to following reasons.
1. The groups working on GLBT issues are small and are trying to understand the micro issues at
personal and community levels. The understanding of issues achieved is more of their own personal
experience and outcomes of interactions with small groups they belong to or work with. More
information is needed on the micro issues as they have a major bearing on the lives of GLBT s than the
policy changes at present.
2. The ’constituency’ is not well defined. There are more estimations and projections rather than data
collected scientifically or statistically.
3. 'Constituents of this constituency are hard to define because of the vary ing behaviour at various times
in their lives. Defining terms such as: Kothi, gay, msm. panthi. depending on the sexual behaviour are
interchangeable and self defeating for the purpose of classification.
4. Schism amongst the GLBT groups is common and this division is mainly due to different identities
and ideologies. It seems that MSM groups are more concerned with physical spaces where as the lesbian
groups concerns are legal and family space.
SUGGESTIONS
There is a need to get a clear understanding of the community and assessment of its needs. A. detailed
study is essential to come out with specific needs of the GLBT community.
GLBT groups need safe space which could act as laboratories of thought processes and initiatives. The
community could decide democratically the issues that can be taken forward.
Networking is in a nascent stage. It needs to be supported so that the groups can come together for
common agendas.
Information is not available at present. Need for information is one of the felt needs of the GLBT
community all over.
Helpline and counselling are vital as it helps as an outreach programme for the community. This could
also define the contours of the problems and pressures faced by the GLBT community.
A study of the anal STDs in general and specific to the msm groups would help the groups get better
quality medical care. This would also help in educating the medical profession, who at present do not
have any information. This could help reduce the bias on information and research on anal STDs.
It appears now that a bi polar sexuality is a misnomer, ft is a multi gender society with a range of
sexualities locked in a bipolar gender world. There is more between ’he* and ’she* than at the two poles. It
is theeldstence ofmasculinity’ and femininity in various permutations and combinations. With the
resurgence and resilience of the third force the gender equations are never going to be the same. Sexuality
and gender might be recasted within self, within communities and society at large. I would like to end my
ambiguous understanding of sexuality and GLBT with this ’vachana' of Devara Dasimayy a, as translated
by AKRamanujam.
If they see breasts and long hair coining
they call it woman.
if beards and whiskers,
they call it a man:
But. look, the self that hovers in between
is neither man nor woman,
Ramanatha.
Executive Summary for the Alternative Sexual Preference (ASP) study,
(Title chanaed to GLBT study)
It is important to read this Executive Summary together with the 3 individual reports
Introduction :
Aspects and overview of the study touG.
The TOR:
The team felt that the TOR highlights the complexities of the issues involved, but the
schedule and limited time has only begun to highlight the many issues that need to
be addressed in such a study tour, (the tip of the tip of the iceberg).
As the study tour consisted of individuals, from very different backgrounds and
perspectives, it wasrtelt that it would certainly have been helpful and encouraging if
the team had time to 'get to know each other’ before the actual study tour beg
This would have given us the opportunity to read more and get a better
understanding of the situation as well as understanding the different perspectives
that we all brought to the study.
Given all of this, the team decided on the following aspects to try and make the
study as insightful and 'effective' as possible within the limitations :
We would use the TOR as a reference rather than a attempting to respond to
each of the aims within the interview and study framework
2 Each of us would concentrate on our own perspective and expertise within the
interview process, which would lead to a three part individual report
1
accompanied by a joint Executive Summary.
-
acknowledgement that HIVOS has taken on the study tour
The issue of GLBT is a sensitive and delicate issue, and one in which uninf°rm®^
choices and decisions could have a negative impact on the people and the
community that the funder is trying to ‘support. It has to be pointed out though, that
this report can only serve as a beginning explanatory reference, and a lot more
extensive dialogue would have to happen DIRECTLY with the various groups, or
representatives of the groups (as identified by the groups).
-
selection of different groups interviewed
It was felt that Calcutta had to be included vs Chenai as the groups in Chenai were
more involved in the issue of HIV/AIDS and msm related activities. Calcutta seems
to have more active gay and lesbian groups. There is also a lot of work being done
on male sexual health in this area, and this would have allowed for a wid
perspective.
The groups met in Chenai were primarily focussed on HIV/AIDS issues, which
slanted the study towards the issue of HIV/AIDS on this part of the tour. (The TOR
mentioned that HIVOS RO has sufficient information with this regard).
Some interviews were felt as not beirG nportant or contributing to the
understanding and achievement of the TOR, ' 5 there focus had little or nothing to
do with the issue.
The groups that we were fortunate enough to meet with, are only a small sample of
the many diverse groups working on this issue in India. The groups that were met
were also very specifically urban based (both in location and activities)
Organised and “well funded” organisations were represented by individuals during
the interview process, where as small, “unfunded" voluntary organisation were
represented by groups of individuals.
The willingness and openness of different groups wanting and willing to meet w
the interview team after hours, can only be acknowledged and appreciated. The
reasoning for groups willing to meet with the interview team were from different
perspectives. Some had formal links with HIVOS (partial or full funding), and
therefore felt an obligation as opposed to the importance of the issue. Other groups
were driven by the importance of the issue, and obtaining an interest and better
understanding of what HIVOS and the study team were all about.
It would have been helpful if the identification of organisations to meet was also
extended to contacts outside of HIVOS (other agencies, organisations and
individuals)
The schedule for the study tour was demanding, and a little unrealistic in terms of
allowing the interview team to process and record feelings and insights gained, and
being allowed the ‘luxury’ of having time out. The schedule was for a full 22 days
without a day off planned . Many of the interviews were emotionally draining and
difficult - and there was little time for the team to ‘offload’ with each other, before
having to go into the next interview.
Timing between different interviews was often unrealistic and had to be
rescheduled, and one was cancelled (as we had met with the partner organisation
twice), and one interview did not turn up (IWID, Chenai — Good Friday holiday).
Observations:
We met a kaleidoscope of different groups and individuals, ranging from lesbian
identified, gay identified, msm, male sexual health, sexual health, HIV/AIDS,
women’s groups, human rights, funding agency, mental health professionals and
organisations working with youth.
While there is a clear indication of some form of movement, (and what that
movement or indication is, is perceived differently amongst the team members), the
movement is very fragile and at its beginning. This needs to form the basis of any
understanding or attempt to work with and within the various components that
currently make up the ‘movement’.
This issue would be discussed in greater detail during the debriefing session, and
reference should also be made to the individual reports submitted by the team
.
.Ih.
th.
The issue of the sexuality and sexual identity has an opening within the msm
community via HIV/AIDS activities (although this is only limited to sexual intercourse
and release), whereas with women the issue of women’s sexuality has limited
space, (although this is being discussed within the lesbian groups to some extent)
and in some cases is being discussed via reproductive health. Male sexual health is
being compartmentalised as HIV/AIDS and safer sex, and women’s sexual health is
limited to their reproductive health. There needs to be discussion between the
different groups on the issue of sexual health — and more information and
understanding needs to be ‘obtained’ about projects/organisations working in
women’s and male sexual health, (and not just be an organisation with the cover of
male sexual health working in HIV and msm activities).
To make this study more insightful and meaningful it is felt that we should have met
with more organisations workingspecifically onwpmen’s health.
dk.
I
Perspectives :
-yp/Mg '■—MK.
svwvd- "
please refer to
tc individual team members reports (not yet finalised)
There is very little that has been done by lesbian and gay groups together for this to
be termed as a movement. What is clear is that there are lesbian groups, gay
groups and groups who are working within the gamut of HIV/AIDS and within that
finding space to talk of male to male sex. Then there are groups who are talking of
les-bi-gay rights and support the activities of the lesbian/gay groups. Then there are
the groups who are working with sexuality or sexual health issues or human rights
issues. The issues and concerns as well as the perspective with which these groups
work are very different.
Also the needs of the communities, which themselves are very unclearly defined and
in the case of lesbians very invisible, are very different too and need to be looked
into separately. The public and social spaces that men and women have or do not
have are very different and the issues that concern gay men and those that concern
lesbian women too are very different. It is vital to keep in mind these differences and
■7
not to link them up in the ways they are not. For example male homosexuality is
much more public and has a much wider acceptance in society, while women’s
sexuality as such is hardly on the map of public discourse. In these conditions
understanding the issues should be a priority than interventions. Then again, it will
be important to see how much of a “common “ space will be for women also. There
is a clear need for separate spaces along with associations.
Recommendations :
Based on the various conversations with groups and individuals and on their
recommendations and visions for further work that is needed in the area of les-bigay issues, have come up with the following suggestions and comments.
One of the strongest reservations expressed by some groups was with the whole
question of funding itself. We need to dwell on it in some detail to understand what
these apprehensions are and why they exist.
It is also important that the major reservations on the issue of funding came from
non-funded, voluntary based groups, especially women’s and lesbian groups. Most
of these groups have a broad perspective from which they come to the issue of lesbi-gay rights and a history of activism. One clear reservation has to do with the state
of the nascent les-bi-gay movement itself, (also need here a discussion on whether
there is any lesbian or gay movement to speak of - individual comments by team
members here.)
In this scenario funding two or three large visible projects will be a very unviable
solution, both from the feasibility and the outcome points of view. (More discussion
during de briefing). At the same time there are many small and community based
work that can be helped by funding. In the case of no other support funding can be
important for some initiatives. Care should be taken to confirm that funding does not
hinder the voluntary processes, even if small, that are already in place or endanger
the efforts being made by the community. Some steps that will be useful in this
direction:
• there should be an accountability to the community for which the work is
being done.(accountability needs to be implemented by the group and
supported by the funder). More interactive and meaningful monitoring is
encouraged by the funder.
• collective projects even if those by two or three individuals rather than huge
organisations or individuals who are likely to become icons within and without
the country. Collective processes are also more welcome as they may be
more equipped to set up guards against hierarchy and have more spaces for
multiple voices.
• possibility of small fellowship grants for research, documentation, collection
and dissemination of materials and support networks within the communities.
Care should be taken though that there is not much replication of work being
done. One guard could be to have a study on work that has already been
done or is in process.
• HIVOS RO is encouraged to have a consultation with the various
groups/individuals (or representatives as identified by the groups) in order to
ensure a co-ordinated funding mechanism and a more effective outreach and
working methodology of the various groups
• HIVOS should clearly differentiate between LBG issues and HIV/AIDS issues
in their funding criteria
• While there should be support for work that is directly on les-bi-gay concerns,
there is also an urgent need to move towards a more vocal and public
discourse on sexuality and intimate relationships with the larger population.
Most groups that we spoke to felt that much work can be done with students,
especially college students, and adolescents. Thus initiatives for materials,
film-shows, workshops, development of modules for such work with students
on gender, sexuality, and intimate relationships, will be important. While there
are many “trainers” who may be doing work like this either with students or
with NGO’s it is of utmost importance that their perspective and materials be
looked into carefully. ( in the case of the NGOs that we met in this trip their
understanding of sexuality was limited to say the least’ and gender was
something “they needed to talk about" even for the training of their won
workers and counsellors.) It should be pointed out strongly that the one
should not be at the expense of the other, as the issue of sexuality and
sexual health surely impacts on other programmatic areas of HIVOS as well.
Thus other projects like the following could also be supported to some extent or the
other
• Helplines with trained counsellors (both specific helplines for les-bi-gay
people as well as those on sexual health issues). Within these too there
must be clear separate space for women as the experience of the helplines
we spoke to shows that most of the calls are by men, even on the helplines
meant only for women.
• Counselling services for les-bi-gay people and also for their immediate
families.
• Drop-in centers for communities run by the communities that they are
meant for
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Recommendations
Based on the various conversations with groups and individuals and on their
recommendations and visions for further work that is needed in the area of
les-bi-gay issues, have come up with the following suggestions and
comments.
One of the strongest reservations expressed by some groups was with the
whole question of funding itself. We need to dwell on it in some detail to
understand what these apprehensions are and why they exist.
It is also important that the major reservations on the issue of funding came
from non-funded, voluntary based groups, especially women’s and lesbian
groups. Most of these groups have a broad perspective from which they
come to the issue of les-bi-gay rights and a history of activism. One clear
reservation has to do with the state of the nascent les-bi-gay movement
itself, (also need here a discussion on whether there is any lesbian or gay
movement to speak of — individual comments by team members here.)
Very clearly if there is any such thing as the les-bi-gay movement, it is at the
very beginnings in India. This needs to form the context of our
understanding of whatever future plans are to be looked into. Also, les-bigay rights and concerns are very difficult to speak about openly in the
present society. Thirdly, there is very little that has been done by lesbian and
gay groups together for this to be termed as a movement. What is clear is
that there are lesbian groups, gay groups and groups who are working within
the gamut of HIV/AIDS and within that finding space to talk of male to
male sex. Then there are groups who are talking of les-bi-gay rights and
support the activities of the lesbian/gay groups. Then there are the groups
who are working with sexuality or sexual health issues or human rights
issues. The issues and concerns as well as the perspective with which these
groups work are very different.
Also the needs of the communities, which themselves are very unclearly
defined and in the case of lesbians very invisible, are very different too and
need to be looked into separately. The public and social spaces that men and
women have or do not have are very different and the issues that concern
gay men and those that concern lesbian women too are very different. It is
vital to keep in mind these differences and not to link them up in the ways
they are not. For example male homosexuahty is much more public and has
a much wider acceptance in society, while women’s sexuality as such is
hardly on the map of public discourse. In these conditions understanding
the issues should be a priority than interventions. Then again, it will be
important to see how much of a “common “ space will be for women also.
There is a clear need for separate spaces along with associations.
In this scenario funding two or three large visible projects will be a very
unviable solution, both from the feasibility and the outcome points of view.
At the same time there are many small and community based work that can
be helped by funding. In the case of no other support funding can be
important for some initiatives. Care should be taken to confirm that funding
does not hinder the voluntary processes, even if small, that are already in
place or endanger the efforts being made by the community. Some steps that
will be useful in this direction:
• there should be an accountability to the community for which the
work is being done. Monitoring and accountability processes should
be set in place.
• collective projects even if those by two or three individuals rather than
huge organisations or individuals who are likely to become icons
within and without the country. Collective processes are also more
welcome as they may be more equipped to set up guards against
hierarchy and have more spaces for multiple voices.
• possibility of small fellowship grants for research, documentation,
collection and dissemination of materials and support networks within
the communities. Care should be taken though that there is not much
replication of work being done. One guard could be to have a study on
work that has already been done or is in process.
While there should be support for work that is directly on les-bi-gay
concerns, there is also an urgent need to move towards a more vocal and
public discourse on sexuality and intimate relationships with the larger
population. Most groups that we spoke to felt that much work can be done
with students, especially college students, and adolescents. Thus initiatives
for materials, film-shows, workshops, development of modules for such
work with students on gender, sexuality, and intimate relationships, will be
important. While there are many “trainers” who may be doing work like
this either with students or with NGO’s it is of utmost importance that their
perspective and materials be looked into carefully. (in the case of the NGOs
that we met in this trip their understanding of sexuality was limited to say
the least and gender was something “they needed to talk about” even for the
training of their won workers and counsellors.) The work being done on
HIV is very limiting in its scope and its practice.
Thus other projects like the following could also be supported to some
extent or the other:
• Helplines with trained counsellors (both specific helplines for les-bigay people as well as those on sexual health issues). Within these
too there must be clear separate space for women as the experience
of the helplines we spoke to shoes that most of the calls are by men,
even on the helplines meant only for women.
• Counselling services for les-bi-gay people and also for their
immediate famifies.
• Drop-in centers for communities run by the communities they are
meant for.
TARSHI, India
■
Talking About Reproductive and
Sexual Health Issues with
Youth: A Telephone Helpline
By Radhika Chandiramani
Young Adult Reproductive Health
•
. I • I I*
proiect
mqhliqhts
I
w____ VJ
I
f
TARSHI (Talking About Reproductive reproductive health needs was the
and Sexual Health Issues) is a tele most effective program strategy to
phone “helpline” based in New Delhi, meet these criteria.
India, that offers information, coun
TARSHI’s Program
seling and referrals on reproductive
and sexual health issues. It is an The helpline began in February 1996
effort to enable women and men to and is operated by a team of six fullenjoy lives of dignity and freedom time trained counselors under the
from fear, infection, and reproductive supervision of a qualified clinical psy
and sexual health problems by provid chologist. The helpline is publicized
radio
advertisements,
ing them with choices in their sexual through
jroductive
lives
—
choices
about'
‘
Msters,
press
articles,
and word of
ant’
heaitn services, contraception, and mouth. Both men and women call the
their sexual behavior. The program helpline, and it has so far received
reaches people of all classes, commu more than 25,000 calls. While the age
nities. ages, and sexual preferences,
over (iO'.’t) of whom art* between the
ages of 15 and 25.
The Theoretical Basis
TARSHI believes that reproductive
choices cannot be isolated from sexu
ality, and that sexual and reproductive
behaviors enu'rge from and have an
impact upon life contexts. Therefore.
TARSHI wanted to create a program
(hat could be gender-sensitive: pro
vide simple and accurate reproductive
and c'o.xual health information In an
intc
live, non-threatening manner;
provide people information relevant to
their particular life-spaces: explore
the pros and cons of particular
choices, while never taking away the
right of choice: refer people for par
ticular services: and be easily
approached and effectively used by
individuals.
I .
range of callers is 10 to 70 years,
over 60% are between 15 and 25
years of age. We are popular with
youth because we listen to their con
cerns and confusion with respect,
and—unlike many other adults in
their lives—we are open with them
about sexuality. Though originally
designed for women, 80% of TARSHTs
callers are men. TARSHI has
attempted to increase the number of
Additionally, we were concerned that women callers through radio adver
the program be affordable, accessi tisements. recorded messages on the
ble, confidential, simple and user- phone, press articles in womens mag
friendly. TARSHI decided that a
azines, and posters and fliers stating
telephone helpline offering informa that the helpline is meant especially
tion. counseling and referral to appro
for women. TARSHI also encourages
priate agencies for sexual and
its male callers to pass the numbers
on to their female partners and
friends.
Approximately one-third of TARSHTs
callers call more than once; continuity
of service is ensured by giving them a
code number that protects their
anonymity, but allows counselors to
reference their case number. All calls
are documented in writing in registers
and index cards. The main details of
the calls are documented to provide
continuity to the caller and also to
keep track of the nature of calls and
concerns. Youth call mainly for basic
information about things such as con
traception and HIV/AIDS, and to dis
cuss sexual concerns like premature
ejaculation, masturbation, body
image, sexual urges, conception,
abortion, relationship problems, and
sexual abuse. If they require medical
or other professional services, they
are referred to appropriate agencies.
Because of TARSHTs policy honoring
callers’ anonymity, it has no reliable
means of checking how many refer
rals are successful.
The success of the helpline lies in its
guaranteeing confidentiality and
anonymity, and providing a non-judgmental and ‘safe’ space to its callers.
Information is provided in a simple
manner, so as to facilitate compre
hension and applicability. All callers
are treated with respect and encour
aged to find their own solutions to
their problems. The number of callers
who call back and new callers who
say they have been referred to TARSHI
by their friends indicates that TARSHI
has been able to provide a service
that young people find useful. On sub
sequent calls, callers ask questions
? ‘Documentation of real
individuals ' experiences,
perceptidns. fears and
expectations is important
for advocacy and under
standing. "
■
1
1
Contact Information:
Radhika Chandiramani
TARSHI
49 Golf Links, 2nd Floor
New Delhi 110003
INDIA
Helpline: 011-462-2221,
011-462-4441
1
i
Office: 011-461-0711
i
Fax: 011-461-0711
Email: radhl@unv.ernet.ln
j
i
FOCUS is a program of Pathfinder
International in partnership with The
Futures
Group
International
and
Tulane University School of Public
Health and Tropical Medicine. FOCUS
is funded by the United States Agency
for International Development, cooper
ative agreement # CCP-A-00-9690002-00. The opinions expressed
herein are those of the authors) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of
USAID
that become increasingly ‘sophisti
cated’ and report decisions they have
made after having spoken to TARSHI
on an earlier occasion. For example,
young men report delaying penetra
tive sex. masturbating instead of visit
ing a commercial sex worker, and
adopting other less risky sexual prac
tices. Independent evaluations con
ducted annually over the last three
years have found that we are a rich
source of information and are provid
ing a much-needed service in our
community.
In addition to the helpline, TARSHI dis
tributes and displays written reproduc
tive and sexual health material during
public events such as fairs and
bazaars. It also distributes materials
to schools and other organizations,
and acts as a resource for members of
the press w hen they write about sexu
ality. The press has approached
TARSHI and quoted it on a range of
topics including sexuality education,
child sexual abuse, lesbian and gay
issues, and adolescent sexuality.
TARSHI also documents all calls to flu*
helpline (main details of the (’alls arc
documented), and presents its findings
locally, nationally, and Internationally
to contribute to the body of knowledge
and advocacy on sexuality issues. For
example, the data from the helpline
have gone towards inlluencing journal
ists to write responsible articles on
sexuality, which in turn feeds public
opinion.
“ life are popular with youth
liecause w e listen to their con
cerns and confusion with
respect...and are open with them
about sexuality." <
I
One of the problems that TARSH1
faces is being careful that its public
messages are not misconstrued. In
this age of sexlines and chatlines,
TARSHI finds that people mistake it
for an undercover “sex service.”
TARSHls public messages state that
it offers information, counseling and
referrals on reproductive and sexual
health issues, and the message on the
phone machine also states that
TARSHI is not a sexline. However,
crank and abusive callers are a com
mon occupational hazard. TARSHI has
developed ways of keeping their num
bers down to 10%; callers are dealt
with firmly and professionally, but
never rudely, as TARSHI believes in
keeping doors open for people who
might need help. This strategy has
paid off. as TARSHI has had callers
apologizing for a crank call made ear
lier and, once “converted," they act as
allies of the program by dissuading
their friends from making crank calls.
Lessons Learned
• Young adults, like anyone else,
need to be heard and treated with
dignity. Often they experiment with
risky sexual behaviors in order tc
get information that no one else in
their surroundings seems willing to
share with them:
• Those working on sexuality issues
cannot afford to lx* judgmental or
moralistic if they wish to truly
empower individuals;
• Documentation of real individuals’
experiences, perceptions, (ears
and expectations is important for
advocacy and understanding:
• Proper training, security, safety,
comfort with sexuality issues, and
understanding of ethical issues
prevents staff burnout and helps
the
program
function
more
smoothly and effectively,
• Keeping tabs on events occurring
in society and the media is helpful
as it helps staff understand what
informs public perception;
• Conventional mechanisms to publi
cize the helpline are complemented
by grateful callers who pass on the
helpline numbers to others; and
• A telephone helpline can address
the needs of many types of peo
ple—irrespective of gender, sexual
preference, class, caste, and age.
Index
Introduction
pg s
Positive People Goa
Appraisal report
P9 5
Workshop report
pg 15
Study on ASP
Terms of reference, methodology
pg 32
Opening statements
pg 33
Interviews
pg 35
Funders, funding and autonomy
pg 65
Feelings and reflections
pg 68
i
{7
I
The invisible triangle - homosexuality1, men who have sex with men and
HIV/AIDS
(and the visibility within the invisibility)
A study on alternative sexual preferences in India 2
And an organisational development review of Positive People - Goa
Report submitted by Shaun Mellors as a three part report
1 Homosexuality (in the titlepage) includes aspects of Lesbians, Bisexuals and Gays
‘ Title of the stud}' as described in the terms of reference (see comments about title)
•
funders could (and sometimes do) impose their ideologies and views onto the
organisation
•
Western funders could impose western norms on organisations
•
Objectives as stated in proposals have to meet funders expected outcomes as
opposed to real outcomes
•
Funders reporting requirements are sometimes unrealistic
•
The movement is still quite fragile, and it was felt that funding could impact on
people coming out and joining the movement.
•
Funding is seen as more than money, as it generates the issue of power and
connections. These individuals are ideologies (expressed by a few) begin to
‘represent’ the masses ahd become icons of the funders
•
Funding impacts on the issue of leadership, as in a voluntary organisation it was
felt that people come together to express their own needs and needs of the
organisation, people identify with these expressed needs and decide whether to
join or not join the organisation and from their leadership automatically emerges.
However with an individual who receives funding to begin an organisation, contact
is first made with the funder and the individual becomes the 'leader1 (in the eyes
of the funder)who tries to get people to join organisation based on fixed aims and
ideologies.
•
Womens groups cannot take up the issue of lesbianism because they have
accountability elsewhere(funders).That accountability could prevent the
organisation taking up the issue of lesbianism as it does not fall within the policy
of the funder.
•
Volunteerism will always be democratic if there is no funding
“Making money more transparent and credible”
There was strong suggestions to funders in terms of making the issue of funding
more credible and transparent.
-
-
Funders should not encourage individual proposals (both in terms of proposals
working in isolation and proposals from individuals)
‘Big funding’ should not be encouraged
Seed funding and smaller grants should be more encouraged
Grant more fellowships, as some gays and lesbians do not want (or cannot) come
out in order to work within an organisation, but can and do want to pursue
activities within the movement
Funders need to ensure that there is proper accountability of money used by
groups claiming to work in the field of Gay and Lesbian rights. Not only in terms of
funding, but also that the organisations who submit proposals are credible with
the community that they work with
“Funders, funding and autonomy”
As has been described in a number of interview “ndu^d''X™ able Io* “
feelings around the issue of funding, accepting fun mg
fr
lesbian
maintain ones autonomy. Interestingly, a lot of concern exPressed
J ^*eSDJa
or"-s g, oup - which is perhaps as a result of some lessons ieamt dunng the
women’s movement.
Concerns around funding:
Some of the ‘fears’ or concerns expressed in receiving funding are (but not limited
to):
.
conflicts of ‘outsiders' versus ‘insiders' (funders vs organisation) in thaTthe
funding agencies criteria for funding could influence the focus of the
or impact negatively on the work that the organisation is doing - especially
work?hat they wish to do is not covered by the funding agencies criteria
.
the organisation will become an organisation of full timers, activism could then
become a form of ‘professional social work
Government funding is influenced and biased, it could be seeni that the
organisation is working hand in hand with the state, and as a result loose
.
credibility
.
The reporting requirements to funders have to be discussed with ‘outsiders' in
terms of meeting the report requirement and showing the ^tveness^P
the projects work (This was mentioned in terms of writing reP°rtsJ°r 1
'
in v£ich organisations are asked to evaluate the success of thewo^p.s then
also has to be done by outsiders, which could perceive the success as ry
different to how the organisation does)
.
Funders have their own agendas and organisations couldI become ^pendanlton
funders by sometimes ‘choosing’ to change the focus of their work to meet the
funding criteria of the funders.
.
Many organisations also seem to be dependant on °ne
^60%
suddenly changes it focus or funding priority, it could effectively close an
few examples of funders changing funding focus were stated)
•
Funding brings control (on the part of the funders)
•
Money is a cause for conflict between different organisations
Q - Do you believe that there is such a thing as a gay movement ?
There is a gay men sub culture emerging, and then there are also the identities and
sub cultures of Kotis, men who have sex with men, bisexual men, phantis. We all
come from very different backgrounds and understandings and we are all trying to
come together which obviously leads to contradictions.
So there is no movement as such, (too much infighting because of various issues).
There is also more empowerment (perhaps even opportunism) amongst the various
communities with a male to male identity. With the onset of HIV/AIDS it has created
the opportunity for men to come out as gay or msm, but on the other hand it is also
disintegrating the movement.
Q - What has to happen to make it a movement ?
-
-
First, we (gay men) have to survive the HIV/AIDS epidemic. There is estimated to
be a 60% prevalence rate of HIV amongst homosexual men
The survivors have to ensure that their identities gel together, at the moment it is
emerging, but it is not gelling
There should be some kind of hierarchy, working together to create a community
within the movement
The emerging identity needs a support system
*
Q - What about the comparison between the Gay and the Lesbian Movements ?
There is at this stage no common meeting points between the movements, we do not
know each other and we cannot force the issue of working together. At the moment
we keep our social spaces separate for various reasons including the issue of the
fragmented gay movement having to sort out its own internal issues before trying to
work together with the lesbian movement. We can, and should develop the social
environment when the time is right.
f
Lesbians awareness of HIV/AIDS and its complications is very limited. The personal
impact is not being felt yet (personally or as a movement), and when more and more
gay men die from HIV/AIDS, this could be a common point to bring the two
movements together.
On the other hand the possibility of creating a gay culture is being impacted by the
HIV/AIDS issue, and we see it as important to create spaces where we can discuss
issues about being gay without the issue of HIV/AIDS.
There is a huge gulf between married gay men and single gay men because single
gay men can have a gay identity, which presupposes individuality, and that
presupposes the that the basic unit of society is in the individual, not the family - as it
is in India.
The issue of HIV/AIDS is not seen as having a positive impact on the issue of
homosexuality, and if anything it would have a negative impact as it is seen by
society as connected, (one causes the other).
The ICHR has launched a web page, which also has a sub page on gay/lesbian
issues, (and is offering other G/L organisations an opportunity to advertise on this
page), and have started a sexual minorities section within their library and
documentation centre. They are also planning to have a Indian Penal Tribunal on
the issue of homosexuality.
Interview with Ashok Row Kavi - Hamsafar Trust:
The verbatim will take the format of an interview as there is such a huge amount of
information to absorb from Ashok.
Q - You say that there is a gay sub culture emerging in Asia, why do you refer to it as
a sub culture, with specific reference to India ?
The Gay sub cultures is emerging because of parameters. These parameters are
break up of large traditional families
concept of nuclear family
industrialisation
economic power of women
All these factors lead to the empowerment and enabling of a political gay movement.
There is a growth of the lesbian sub culture (as it is seen by some that the women
now have completed their reproductive duties, and can now therefore do what they
want, as well as having the time to do it). Economic empowerment also allows
women to say no to a gay husband.
Q - What about the other side, empowering gay men not to get married in the first
place?
“What is wrong if gay men get married ?” is the question asked by some people. It is
the concept of convenience, being looked after in terms of having meals prepared,
house cleaned, clothes washed and who would look after me in old age. Women are
not that keen to get divorced, as a divorced women is a stigmatised women, and
often gets the blame for the divorce, whether she had anything to do with it or not.
On the other hand young men are more empowered to make decisions about living
alone, but as a result it has led to the fact that single men seem to be the inheritors of
culture; gay single men have to look after the home and aging parents, when the
heterosexual'siblings have moved out.
&
•r
J
possible joining issue between the two movement, and the role that lesbians would
play in terms of caring for 'gay brothers’ (See interview with Ashok), it was felt that
why does the responsibility fall on women again ? Men should learn to care as well. It
was also acknowledged that the issue of HIV/AIDS and how it would impact on both
movements (especially the lesbian movement) was not yet discussed in great detail.
There was again a lot of interesting discussions around the issue of funding, and the
effect that funding could have on the movement. There were some very clear
apprehensions about receiving funding, and also acknowledgement of the important
role that funding could play, (see section “funders, funding and autonomy”)
Funding can also have a major positive impact on the work of an organisation is
described by the following situation
“ Within our organisation it is easier to do a workshop on HIV/AIDS versus a
workshop on lesbianism, especially with regards to our board. But if HI VOS makes a
grant available for a workshop on lesbianism, this would allow discussion to happen
amongst the board and create more opportunity and scope to have the workshop on
lesbianism"
*
4
9
i
Interview with Forum against oppression of women :
The Forum was a spontaneous formation in response to a severe rape case in 1980
- and therefore started as a forum against rape. The group took up issues of rape
victims and encouraged talking and discussions around the issue of rape in various
forums. Women within the forum then started bringing their own domestic violence
issues into the forum, and it was then decided to change the focus of the group to
include all aspect of oppression against women.
Issues taken up by the forum included (not limited to); rape, violence in the family,
personal law (which the forum has been working on for the last 15 years), health, sex
determination and reproductive health. The forum also acts on issues in campaign
format as they arise.
Lesbian and bisexual issues were first discussed in the forum in 1987, when the
forum had discussions around the issues of personal laws. They decided to draft
personal laws in such a way that they reflected just laws for all women, and took all
the issues related to law and women and came up with a draft for women. In 1989
the draft was complete, and it did include issues of marriage amongst two persons,
and spoke of same sex marriages. They did not, at this stage differentiate between
heterosexual and lesbianism.
The issue of the just laws for women was ‘ put on the back burner’ during the
communal violence riots in 1992 and 1993. But in 1994 the campaign was taken up
in earnest again and the forum decided to redraft what they had drafted and circulate
it amongst a wider audience. In this draft the issue of lesbianism was mentioned
explicitly, as well as the issue of homosexual marriages.
Within the women’s movement, the Forum has been most open about lesbianism,
and has pushed for issues on family, marriage and sexuality. The forum has also
been trying to push for the inclusion of lesbian and bisexual women’s rights in the
constitution of the women’s movement.
“How do we support and maintain autonomy, while still creating space within the
women’s movement”
Admittedly there are still some homophobic reactions to the issue, and at the same
time there are also very supportive reactions (from heterosexual women as well).
Women’s acknowledgement of her own sexuality is important, and the difficulty has
been to find a way to begin talking about it amongst themselves and the movement
as a whole. It is important to create space for women from various backgrounds, and
create spaces within the women’s movement for minorities. The lesbian movement
require autonomous spaces and it was felt that it is best to provide them within the
wider movement.
“It is not just about lesbian rights, but about a women's right to her own sexuality”
The issue of the gay movement was also discussed, and it was felt that the gay
movement has a lot of work to do in terms of gender, sexuality and identifying their
own needs. When the discussion around HIV/AIDS came into the picture, as a
Funders should consider small grant
J®
focus^f funders seem to
Organisations need small amounts of se« W
jn
-
be on bigger projects with bl99®^1°"e^ tjon of projects by the funders, and little
results
Some priority areas for funding were seen as :
.
supporting and encouraging «ork on legal aspects (repeal of Section 377)
.
literature; newsletters, publications, periodicals and research in local languages
-
counselling and hotline services
-
creating social safe spaces for gays and lesbians
^7
Feelings and reflections :
“how does it feel to be a secret?
How does it feel to be invisible?
How does it feel to be unutterable?
How does it feel to be forbidden to be free?
How does it feel to choke on the truth
How does it feel to be a transgressive phenomenon?
How+does it feel to violate safe categories?
How does it feel to exist between the lines?
How does it feel to live in fear?
And yes, how does it feel to go to sleep in a heterosexual
Household and wake up each morning
Thanking God that you are gay?’*"
I have struggled with the formulation of my personal feelings and reflections.
Struggled because of the enormity of the task, and struggled because there was so
much courage, inspiration and emotions felt during the interviews that I am afraid of
not doing justice to those uniquely special moments and know that it is almost
impossible to capture ‘the moment’ in mere words.
What follows is therefore my words and my understanding of the situation, a situation
which was reflected during the interviews and through personal experiences. It is
certainly not a judgement or evaluation but merely an opinion expressed. It is also
important to stress that what we have learnt or observed cannot be taken as the
viewpoints of the different movements, identities or organisations. We only had the
privilege to meet a small gathering of GLBT organisations working in this field, and
therefore the feelings and opinions expressed are also taken from the individuals that
were interviewed and not reflective of the ‘movements’ as a whole.
There were very clear threads that were highlighted in the process, and in order to try
and maintain them I have taken the TOR as a compass point in covering as many of
them as possible. Before even beginning to attempt to capture my reflections, I feel
that it is again important to speak on the issue of terminology.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender groups :
The terms are invisible and literally foreign to a large segment of society. The terms
are being claimed, emphasised and strengthened by a few groups (especially within
the Lesbian movement). The groups/organisations/individuals that are using the
words and laying claim to the identities are from middle and upper middle class
backgrounds, and some of them are making a concerted effort in creating awareness
amongst rural populations and other populations of society about the concept and
terminology. As one woman said to me “just because we do not understand the term
does not mean that it is not happening, or that I do not love another woman”.
There is no specific word or termss in
thaTfc spade
S"iXde-Vnd are using the terms iesbian or gay in their outreach
material.
^^^2S^““s=ke‘"'
There was one Ga/(or sexuality) organisation that
ndiSie sad*
sassaa-i-ssss-gay identity runs the risk of becoming the gay/HIV identity.
The term transgender/transsexual is perhaps the most foreign.sf them alfand terms
used are Koti and Hijra. Koti’s are effeminate.men
Jme oross
(with all due respect to the Koh “tn™ *>■
P
b
preparing and
Smg ou^X on jewelry^nd sharing Serfs from the elosat to wear at this
festival.
Hijra's, traditionally did not seem themselves a^XmeS'Thennas would
x “a:; ssS’.’SX- 'S==•=~1
a bad name’and as a result
bad name, and as a result
are forcing the hijras into prostitution for survival).
We met some inspiring Koti initiatives as we!) (please refer to interview verbatims for
this)
the social, economic, cultural and political context
The context in which GLBT live and the one in which they work are very different.
The one in which they live often conforms to society, and the roles are fulfilled as is
expected of them. A number of people that we met admitted that they had the
privilege of either living alone or living with a partner. (Admittedly all these people
were self identified middle/upper middle class).
The work environment, specifically the GLBT environment is an opportunity for
people to be. Most people involved in this field do so on a voluntary basis - as their
‘other lives’ (including economical reasons, safety, acceptance) require them to have
mainstream careers, and as a result the work for and with their organisation happens
after hours.
Interesting for me was that a number of bisexual, koti, and msm identified men,
working in projects emphasised the fact that when they were at work they could be
free and express themselves within their own reality, and not have the burden of
fitting into the stereotype of being a man in society. Most of these people that we met
were employed specifically to work on the issue and were receiving a salary to do so.
Those of them who were married, or living at home did not tell their wives or families
what kind of work they were doing (some of them also had a second more
‘acceptable’ job).
There was for me, a clear distinction between the working environment of gay
identified groups, lesbian groups, koti groups and msm groups.
Lesbian groups were often working from peoples homes or borrowed spaces from
other organisations, or part of other organisations. Even when these initiatives were
housed in a well established organisations the lesbian project was working with
volunteers, almost no budget and little resources. I was impressed by how much has
been achieved by the various lesbian groups with what seems to be little
infrastructure and financial support.
Most of the koti and msm^initiatives were part of HIV/AIDS programmes or initiatives,
and as a result were part of established and funded organisations, or initiatives of
funded organisations. This allows more opportunity for these identities to identify and
develop their own needs as they have a safe space from which to operate and meet.
(This again is only from the people that we meet, and is no way reflective of the
larger koti and msm movement)
Gay identified groups are being formed within the larger HIV/AIDS organisations,
space is made available for them on certain days of the week. The focus of this is
more in terms of creating a safe social space. Gay non identified groups are working
under a broader heading of 'mens sexual health’ or ‘sexual minorities’ or ‘sexuality’
and are more political, more educated and more aware of the issues that relate to the
bigger picture of GLBT rights. There were also some gay groups/individuals who
were trying only to work on defining and developing a social space, and in most
cases the initiators of these were working on a voluntary basis or from within an
HIV/AIDS organisation.
“The movements”
To me there are dear distinctions.between the
the larger context. I do not think that therei a e strongmovement
______ Gay______ _________
Lesbian______
_____
The few
gay _____
specific groups (wifhout
Lesbian groups are closely linked to women s
involved or under the banner of HIV/AIDS) werQ
movements, and many of the lesbians have been not aligning to any movement. There was some
involved in the women’s movement for a long
discussion of becoming more proactive within the
Human Rights movement, but there still seems to
time.
be a sense of hesistantcy from both the gay
There were mixed feelings as to how the women's movement and the Human Rights movement. The
movement is dealing with the issue of lesbianism, momentum around the repeal of section 377
some individuals from within the women s
other discriminatory laws seems to be at a slow
movement were very supportive, while others felt pace There is a case pending at the Supreme
that now was not the time to take on the issue in
court, but as one Human Rights Organisaton
great detail. It was felt by some lesbians and
pointed out, “we are waiting for homosexuals to
heterosexual identified women that the women s
come to us and tell us what the next step should
movement is prepared to support the issue only in
be” ‘
principle and is reluctant to take it on as a bigger
rS’X
sprrc i« India is «»ned
of
issue
j ••• —
the majority of women who live under the poverty dictated by men. Therefore gay men have more or
line.
Lesbians do not have public space in which they
can identify, meet or socialise
an opportunity to meet each other (in terms of
sexual activities), but social activities and social
spaces defined as gay, for the purposes of social
activities, are non existent.
The lesbian movement seems to have had more
Sex (as in any other country in the world) seems
effect in raising public awareness of theJ;ss2J®#
certainly 'helped' by the screening of the I to be a
^discharge”. There is little
This was <
film called- “FIRE”.
attention paid to issues of sexuality, gender,
health in general and intimacy. This is not
The lesbian movement seems to be more activist necessarily a bad reflection on the male
with regards to what they want to achieve in
i
’'J ."^munity - it is a reflection of mans
terms of legal reform and public a25®pta"“’h(
position within Indian society, roles expectations
not refer to the ‘in your face activism, but r
P
defined by
consensus through dialogue type actMsm. Issues and dos ana^
are being discussed and being brought into the
| religion and society.
wider debate.
There is more public awareness (I would not call it
acceptance) of homo-sexuality, as it is normal to
There seems to be a greater emphasise on
see men showing affection towards and with each
encouraging lesbian writing, development and the other. It is not looked down upon by other people,
formation of a culture
as it is seen as the norm rather than the exception
- it is not seen as sexual. If it was clear that two
There is little collaboration with the gay
i men were obviously homosexual I am sure that
‘movement’ in terms of achieving a common
the reaction would be very different.
ideology. There were various reasons given for
this - please refer to interviews, and this
There is little collaboration and communication
|
emphasises the difference in needs between the
with, and understanding of the lesbian movement. .
different ‘movements’
Even in terms of common platforms and issues conferences, workshops etc have not been
It is clear that the lesbian movement is still very
successful or as successful as it could be
young and fragile, and I believe that there is
certainly some form of lesbian movement
I did not see much indication of a gay movement,
happening at the moment
grouping and this is not because of unwillingness
| - but perhaps the reality of being overtaken by an_
1\
*
The lesbian movement places a lot of emphasise HIV/AIDS agenda, with little support or
on the issue of coming out to oneself first, and
acknowledgement for the formation and
then deals with the issue in the broader context of strengthening of a movement. I refer to a
sexuality, intimacy, health and gender. (Granted
movement here as a grouping or identity working
there still needs to be gender sensitisation
together for a common cause.
amongst the lesbian community towards the gay
community as well)
The challenge for the gay community/movement
is perhaps to transpose two (or various) social
worlds and identities with similar concerns into a
common struggle.
Human rights and the issue of GLB:
In almost all the interviews conducted, where the question was posed of what would
people like to achieve in terms of the legal struggle the answers were
-
repeal of section 377
decriminalisation
anti discrimination laws
same sex partner issues (benefits, marriage etc)
It was clear to me that there needs to be more dialogue amongst the various groups
as to what it is exactly that is required in terms of the 4 issues mentioned above.
There are varying viewpoints and varying priorities, which could hinder a collective
force in bringing about change within the legal system.
Human rights organisations (as stated earlier in this report) support the issues in
principle, but are not being ‘forced’ to address the issue by the various GLB groups,
and as a result find ‘excuse’ in the fact that there are many other pressing issues.
It seems to me (from previous experience in South Africa) that one of the biggest
a lies, and most forceful and influential partners are not being used adequately and a
platform or partnership should and could be forged with the human rights
movements. It took Amnesty International until 1994 to acknowledge that gay rights
was also human rights — and that happened through a lot of community advocacy
and pressure. This does not imply that all groups should get involved with lobbying
and advocating the human rights movement, but I feel that their needs to be
discussion amongst the various groups about their respective roles and abilities,
which would lead to a co-ordinated approach and effort to Human Rights
organisations.
All categories within the Indian constitution are based on the premise of
heterosexuality. The constitution at this stage does not give gay and lesbians the
possibility to function as an identity. Even the cows have a right to exist in the
constitution, but gays and lesbians do not have that right. “Freedom of expression”
does not guarantee lesbian and gay rights, it is a right supposedly enjoyed by
everyone. But, it could make the issue of gays and lesbians invisible, if the gays and
lesbians groups do not address it in an appropriate manner. Specific rights for gays
and lesbians or sexual minorities are needed. Just as there is much discussion
around the terminology for gays and lesbians, I also think that it is crucial that there is
discussion around the issue of homosexuality being a preference, a choice or an
identity (as explained in the introduction of this section).
/
It is clear that a community that has been unnoticed (unspoken of) and isolated is
waking up to form a movement. It seems as if the movement is being driven and runs
the risk of being overtaken by the message and issues of AIDS prevention and care.
It is the latest and most significant of all their struggles, but is no more important than
that of liberation and equal rights.
“There can be no disguising the pain of change, the terror of confronting the
unknown. Transformation is as much about the fracture of old ideas and patterns as
discovery and new beginnings, but the interviews (changed text from pieces)
reflected in this report, speak for the most part, of the euphoria of possibility'^
Barrington Moore, Social Origins ofDictatorship and Democracy (Boston: Beacon Press )
Political in the sense of being aware of ones own identity, and a activist within the constraints of reality (not the
in your face type activism)
Extracts from “how does it feel to be a ‘problem’ written by V.S - Facing the mirror
Facing the mirror - Lesbian writing from India” Edited by Ashwini Sukthankar pg xxxi
Talking about Sex
Radhika Chandiramani
This paper describes a telephone helpline on sexuality based in New Delhi, India, and analyses the
language used by the men and women who have phoned the helpline to talk about sex and their
experience of their bodies and their sexuality. Eight out often callers are men and many people
phone more than once. The men seem to place their women sexual partners in certain categories,
which are defined by the activities they engage in with them, or think they can engage in, and the
social and emotional relationships they share with them. Callers' perceptions ofsexual acts and
bodily processes appear to be based on and restricted by male-centred and male-defined
assumptions. Women seem to accept these, even at the expense of their own uncertain
understandings and experience. The penis is seen as central to sex and to any sexual problems
men may have, and only penile-vaginal intercourse is considered real sex. Men commonly
complain about women's body shape and size, and how they smell and taste, but they understand
little about how women's bodies are constructed or what gives women sexual pleasure. Thus,
both women and men are perpetuating a male-dominated set of values about sex and sexuality
and classifying women's sexuality on the basis of the little they know about women's sexual
desires and needs.
"TNDIVIDUALS use language to express
themselves, make their needs known, and
relate to others. Experiences, and the ways in
which people make sense of them, inform the
usage of language. Language, in turn, is used to
give shape and meaning to experiences and
impressions and provides a framework, so to
speak, so that experiences can be categorised. It
is true that language is limited - there are only so
many words and so many accepted ways of
stringing them together. New combinations are
always possible, however; the fact that people
regularly choose to use certain words in certain
ways reflects more on people and less on the
restrictions imposed by language.
Sexuality is not confined only to a welldemarcated area of people's lives; it permeates
and impacts on so much of who we are and how
we are with ourselves and others. In turn, how
we construct sexuality impacts on so much else
in our lives. As a clinical psychologist and in my
work in the past two and a half years as the
director of a project that runs a telephone
helpline on sexuality, I have spoken to thousands
of callers, had case discussions with and
supervised other counsellors who work on the
helpline, read through case documentation and
76
browsed through the information that is compu
terised. I find that the way people use language to
categorise their experience of sex and of other
people is revealing.
My colleagues and I are all struck by the way
that phrases and words seem to crop up
repeatedly, though spontaneously, in callers'
conversations with us. I continue to wonder why
people consistently say things in one way rather
than another, and what this says about the ways
in which they conceptualise these matters. These
connections have become stronger as I go back
to what people say, re-read the documentation,
and then take more calls. This paper contains my
reflections on the language used by callers to the
helpline and what this indicates about their
perceptions of sex and sexuality, focusing on the
phrases they use and their underlying meanings,
which are far more revealing than numbers can
quantify. The actual language used by callers to
the helpline is reported here.
The TARSHI helpline
The TARSHI helpline was set up in 1996 to
address sexual and reproductive health in a
nonjudgmental manner and to provide people of
Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 6, No. 12, November 1998
all ages with a safe space in which to talk freely
about matters they may never have discussed
with anyone else. TARSHI is a non-governmental
organisation based in New Delhi.
Two phone lines operate from Monday to
Friday, 9am-5pm, providing information, coun
selling and referrals on a wide spectrum of
reproductive and sexual health concerns, in Hindi
and English. The information available includes
sexual anatomy, sexual processes, reproduction,
safe means of enhancing sexual pleasure, family
planning, contraceptive methods, STDs, HIV/
AIDS, safer sex practices, heterosexuality, lesbian
and gay issues, and so on. It is provided in a
manner that is easy to understand and apply. The
counselling is intended to create an atmosphere in
which conflicts can be resolved and decision
making facilitated. The aim is to help people to
help themselves in ways that feel right to them and
'fit' their lives. Referrals are made as and when
required, to relevant medical, psychological and
social service specialists who are known to
TARSHI. The helpline services are free and confi
dential, and preserve the anonymity of the caller.
The helpline is normally operated by a team of
four trained counsellors, ail of whom undergo in
house training for about six weeks. Following the
training, all the calls they take are supervised for
four weeks, until they have demonstrated their
ability to handle calls well. To ensure a high
quality of service and prevent burnout,
continuing training is given through presenta
tions, book reviews, discussions and monitoring.
Counsellors are encouraged to give each other
feedback on their handling of calls. Counsellors
are usually not alone when on a call - another
team member is there in case they are required,
particularly if calls are about sexual abuse or
suicide. All counsellors are trained to take all
kinds of calls, but they may shift a call to another
counsellor if they feel ill-equipped to handle it.
The four counsellors currently working at
TARSHI are women, aged 26 to 33 years old and
post-graduates in the social sciences. Although
they were recruited for their personal qualities
and skills, their academic qualifications are
definitely an asset. There have been male
counsellors in the past, but we prefer having
women counsellors since we have needed to
invest far more in training and monitoring for
male trainees, especially on gender issues and
boundary issues. We have also found that both
male and female callers are more comfortable
with women counsellors.
Who the helpline is for
The helpline was initially set up exclusively for
women, and all policy and administrative deci
sions were made on that basis. This soon
changed, however, because we realised not only
that men needed these services too, but also that
men needed to be sensitised about women's
issues for women's sake. Thus, we began to
describe TARSHI as being especially, though not
exclusively, for women. When talking to men we
make sure that we do not encourage them
continue holding stereotyped views of hov»
women are or should be. We also encourage
them to question their assumptions about gender
and power, which, although often covert, are as
important as what they say overtly.
Initially, only about five per cent of callers
were women. Given the social milieu wherein a
woman does not have enough privacy, may not
have access to a phone and has less access to
information about groups like TARSHI. this was
not very surprising. A variety of low-cost ways ol
reaching out to more women have therefore
been used. All messages about TARSHI state that
the helpline is especially for women, including
the recorded message on the answerphone.
Radio advertisements are recorded by a woman
and are addressed to women.
HowTARSHI's helpline is promoted
Publicity is mainly done through radio and son.
press advertisements. The radio advertisements
are aired in the afternoons, when most men are
at work. Even so, more men than women have
responded to these, calling from their offices,
especially when TARSHI first started. This was
because a lot of the food stalls they use play the
radio station on which TARSHI s advertisements
are aired. Further, women said that although
they had heard about TARSHI through a radio
advertisement or in the press, they did not feel
comfortable about calling until a male partner
suggested they do so. As a result, male callers
have been recruited as allies in getting more
women to call, and with this strategy the number
of women callers increased. The proportion of
women callers is now about 20 per cent.
77
Chandiramani
TARSHI has been covered in the local and
national press, and become known to a wide
range of people. One-third of callers say they got
the phone number from 'a friend', a partner or a
relative. The rest cite articles or advertisements.
Many mention more than one source.
Characteristics of callers and how calls
are documented
To date, TARSHI has responded to more than
25,000 calls from people in all socio-economic
strata. Of these, data from the first 15,000 calls
have been partially analysed and are presented in
tables below. Of these 15,000 calls, 82.3 per cent
were from men and 18.3 per cent from women.
There are an average of 60 calls per day when
publicity is low and twice that number when it is
high. They come from all educational and profes
sional backgrounds, but mainly from the middle
classes. Callers can phone in as often as they wish.
In order to preserve anonymity and confiden
tiality, counsellors never phone them, although
this makes follow-up dependent on callers. Callers
have mainly been from an urban background,
ranging in age from 10 to more than 70 years old,
of whom 20 per cent were aged 15-19, 42 per cent
aged 20-24 and 25 per cent aged 25-29. (Table I)1
Table 1. Callers to the TARSHI helpline by
age and sex*
Age of Callers
10-14
Women
Men
33
52
15-19
544
1871
20-24
1179
4018
25-29
471
2665
30-34
137
718
35-39
63
355
40-44
38
107
45-49
15
46
50-54
7
40
55-59
2
15
60-64
0
5
65-69
0
4
70+
0
2
• From a total of 12,396 calls that include caller's age, out of 15,000
records analysed. Sex unknown for nine calls.
78
Table 2. First concern raised by callers*
First Concern Raised
Women
Men
Basic information about sex
481
4072
Sexual problems
128
1951
Conception and contraception
614
943
Sexually transmitted infections
190
881
Menstrual problems
393
158
Relationship problems
168
249
Infertility
69
92
Emotional problems
TOTAL
62
72
2105
8418
* Data from 10,528 calls in which there was substantive
discussion of sexual and reproductive health topics, of the
15,000 calls analysed. Sex of caller could not be determined in
five of these.
TARSHI has built up a rich collection of data
about the practices, beliefs and misconceptions
of callers relating to sexual matters and
reproductive health. We do not ask questions
that are not directly relevant to callers' concerns,
or that might seem intrusive to them, or jeopar
dise their anonymity. Our primary purpose is to
provide help, not to collect data. However, we do
have a policy of bringing in safer sex information
when this has some connection with what the
caller has raised, even if they have not specifically
asked for this.
Every call taken on the helpline is documented
for two purposes: to enable continuity and a high
quality of service for repeat callers and to analyse
the documentation for emerging trends. If we
feel callers might need to call again, they are
given a code number for identification. The code
number system makes for easy retrieval of
information about their previous calls and also
allows the same counsellor, if she is available, to
take the call. About one-third of calls are from
repeat callers.
Each call is recorded in a short form first,
while the call is being taken. This includes the
caller's age, sex, language spoken, and the first
concern they voice, which is coded. Only the first
concern they mention is noted down at this
stage, even though this is not necessarily the
caller's only or most pressing concern. (Table 2)
Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 6, No. 12, November 1998
The category 'basic sex information' in this table
has been further broken down (Table 3) to Table 3. Types of basic sex information
indicate which types of basic sex information sex
requested by callers as their first concern
callers have asked about.
Calls often take a meandering path, moving Type of Basic Sex Information as
from one concern to another depending on what Caller's First Concern
Women
Men
is of importance to the caller. There are times
(n = 481)
(n = 4072)
when not all of this information can be taken
25
down, particularly age, because the call is dis Masturbation-male
1227
connected too soon. Thus, the caller's sex could
Masturbation-female
43
34
not be identified in 1.3 per cent of calls and the Sexual techniques and positions,
caller's age was not recorded in 17.4 per cent of
pleasure enhancement
39
418
the 15,000 calls analysed. After the call is com
Sex for the first time
19
123
pleted, a synopsis of the conversation and the
Proof of virginity in a woman
different concerns raised are recorded, with
61
58
particular phrases used by the caller being noted
Male genitals
1
373
down. All the documentation is currently being
Foreskin
4
92
computerised.
Female genitals
7
75
Most of our callers speak in Hindi, some a
loose vagina'
mixture of Hindi and English, and some only
7
30
English. The duration of calls ranges from a few
Breasts
137
95
minutes (for very specific information) to over an
Sexual and reproductive
hour (abuse, suicide, relationship problem, etc).
anatomy (internal)
3
16
The length of a call is generally determined by
External
genitalia
hygiene,
the caller except in cases of crank calls and
pubic hair, etc
5
abusive calls, or when the counsellor feels the
33
caller has begun 'chatting' and no helpful
Semen - quantity and quality
1
69
purpose is being served.
Nocturnal emission
7
405
TARSHI makes it clear that the helpline is not a
Semen in urine
1
39
chat-line or sex-line. In spite of this, some men
Homosexuality - male
'sexualise' the interaction with the counsellors and
2
69
10 per cent of calls are either crank calls (eg. giggle Homosexuality - female
7
7
giggle...the FV is not working...) or abusive calls Other sexual practices (voyeurism,
(eg. 'Can 1 fuck you?' or 'What is...pant pant...the
partner-swapping, cross-dressing, etc)
I
27
best way to masturbate? pant pant...groan...I’ve
Other information (eg. morning
come!...silence...ok, now tell me....'). In the early
erection, sex with older woman, etc)
111
882
days, there was a higher proportion of such calls,
but we have learned how to deal with and even
pre-empt them without losing our tempers or
shutting out people who might need help. The
counsellors have become highly attuned to the Sexual partners and how they are
meanings of voice modulation, ways of breathing described
and other sounds. For example, in the case of'the The men who phone TARSHI place their women
masturbator, as soon as we have caught on sexual partners in certain categories, which is
(usually when the panting starts), we say that he revealed by the language they use when
appears to be highly aroused and will not benefit
referring to the women, the activities they
from talking to us in his state of excitement, so we engage in with them or think they can engage in,
will talk to him when he is calmer. Then we dis and the social and emotional relationships they
connect the call. Some men call in later to apolo share with them.2 Unmarried, younger men have
gise and we have developed a helping relationship sex with girlfriends their own age or younger,
with them. However, such calls seem to be an and also report having sex with older, married
occupational hazard.
women, whom they call 'aunties' and who are
79
Chandiramani
from their neighbourhoods or are female rela
tives. These relationships are emphatically sexual
and only rarely is there any emotional
involvement; these young men talk about being
paid in cash or in kind by older women for sexual
favours. Most of these older women are having
sex with other men also. Young men also have
sex with sex workers.
Married men have sex with their wives, with
women they describe as 'other women' or
mistresses', and also with sex workers. The
'other woman' is a woman who is not the
married' man's own wife. Men refer to her in
English as 'the other one, not my wife', or as
'doosri aurat' in Hindi, which also means 'other
woman'. She may be married or unmarried
herself; she is not a sex worker and the
relationship she shares with the man may be
both sexual and emotional.
Homosexual relationships are not sanctioned
in the Indian context, but this is not how our
callers talk about them. Same-sex behaviours are
considered by most callers to be situational,
temporary and 'substitute' activities and are not
considered part of the person's sexual identity.
Many a time, having sex with another man is not
considered sexual by the man who has engaged
in it - rather, the term men use to describe it is
mast/ or khel (fun or play). A large number of
male callers report having engaged in homo
sexual behaviours, including anal intercourse,
but say that it was 'not real sex'. Sex between
women is seen by both men and women callers
as less threatening than masturbation on the part
of women, probably because a large majority of
men and women consider sex between women
as an impossibility:
'How do they have sex without a penis? It just
cannot happen.' (Ling bagair Raise sex karte hai?
Ho hi nahin sakta.)
Female masturbation is considered by callers as
much more harmful than male masturbation. The
sense of guilt and shame over masturbation that
is reported by women is extremely high.
Sexual relations between young men
and women
People may wonder how relevant the category of
'girlfriend' is in the Indian context, given that
80
pre-marital heterosexual relationships are not
socially sanctioned. TARSHI's experience shows
that pre-marital sexual activity is common at all
levels of society. Many young, unmarried people,
especially young men, are having furtive, frenetic
and reportedly consensual sex from secondary
school onwards - in parks, hostel rooms and
friends' rooms - either arranging these trysts in
advance or seizing the opportunity whenever it
arises. Young men who call TARSHI report
having sex with unmarried girlfriends, who are
around their own age or a couple of years
younger, and whom they may not go on to marry
because of the arranged marriage system. This is
corroborated by the calls we get from young
women inquiring about contraception and
abortion services, either for themselves or for an
'unmarried friend'.
Sexual pleasure and sexual
dissatisfaction
Not surprisingly, women have not been as
forthcoming about their views as men have been.
By and large, women call less often for sexual
information than men do. Women have tended to
call about sexual problems only when they
experience pain or physical discomfort during
sexual relations, using the helpline service in a
medicalised way.
Men who call TARSHI's helpline are very
forthcoming on the subject of sexual pleasure
and dissatisfaction, and are also more comfor
table asking for information on enhancing sexual
pleasure. Complaints from male callers of sexual
dissatisfaction, when these centre around
relations with their wives, are expressed in terms
such as: 'She does not cooperate' (Cooperate
nahin karti) almost as if there is a work project he
expects to be completed by both of them. In the
marital relationship, the man's concern is about
being deprived of a pleasure which he sees as his
by right:
'This happens in marriage, as a matter of course.'
(Shadi main to yeh hota hi hai)
The ramifications and implications of this
perception in the context of sexual rights of men
and women and the Indian legal system, which
views a woman as her husband's property,
disregards the possibility of marital rape and by
Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 6. No. 12. November 1998
implication, does not consider a man forcing
himself on his wife as rape.3
If a man expresses any concern at all that his
wife is not satisfied with him sexually: 'She does
not get sexual satisfaction' (Woh santusht nahin
hoti hain), his main fear about this is that she will
go on to seek sexual pleasure elsewhere: 'She will
go to someone else' (Kisi aur ke paas chali
jaayegi), which would be bad for his 'status'. Men
also say in such a case that they fear they will not
be seen as man enough in other men's eyes,
because they have not taken adequate care of
their 'possessions':
'What will the other chaps think of me, that I am
not in control - 1'11 fall in their eyes.' (Aur bande
mere baarein mein kya socheingein, sambhaal
bhi nahin sakta...main unke aankhon mein gir
jaoonga.)
The differences in the ways that men speak of
their wives as opposed to their girlfriends or
mistresses have led us to speculate whether this
is because a girlfriend or mistress is not
considered sexual property in the way that a wife
seems to be.
Girlfriends seem to have a different sexual
status than a wife, and a complaint of sexual
dissatisfaction with a girlfriend or a mistress is
phrased differently. The sexual relationship is
described as a somewhat more equal one, with
the man being concerned about the woman's
pleasure ('She is not satisfied' Woh satisfy nahin
hoti), wanting to please her sexually, wanting to
be desired by her and needing to know that he
can fulfill her sexual longings.
While the man's concern in the marital
relationship seems to be with his own pleasure
and resentment if his wife is not 'cooperating',
with a girlfriend there appears to be no
resentment. Instead, there is apprehension of not
being good enough, of losing someone precious.
Callers troubled about their sexual relationships
with their girlfriends are keen to learn how to
give them sexual pleasure; they ask questions
about the signs of arousal and orgasm in a
woman, and are more receptive to information
about foreplay than callers who are talking about
their wives. Further, in the relationship with the
girlfriend, there is greater weight given to her
saying 'no'. As one caller said: 'A girlfriend can't
be forced.'
According to the men, the 'other woman' is
seen as a giver of pleasure and also as deserving
of sexual pleasure, which they hope will ensure
that the partnership will continue. When men
speak of this woman, what they have to say goes
something like this: With the other woman a man
can do things that he cannot or must not do with
his wife. A wife cannot have oral sex, for
example, or try out adventurous and exciting
positions for intercourse. According to male
callers who are involved in relationships with
other women, a man has urges, wants to do fun
things sexually and cannot have these urges met
by his wife, who is a 'decent' woman. A wife
might be shocked at his suggestions and even if
she is not, no decent woman would want to do
those things for pleasure:
'With the missus one doesn't do such things - she
is a decent woman.' (Missus ke saath aisa nahin
kiya jata hai - woh decent aurat hoti hai.)
It must not be assumed that the 'other woman’
is therefore viewed by the man as 'indecent', if
this were truly the case, the questions that would
naturally arise are: What does this say about the
man himself, if he is involved with someone he
sees as indecent? Is he himself indecent to want
to engage in such things as oral sex, for example?
Exploring the construct of 'decency' with these
callers, we have found that they use the word
decency to mean someone who is and should be
bound by the social convention of a wife, as
someone who is sexually dutiful, giving and
available to her husband, but not sexually asser
tive or independent. The 'other woman' is not
bound by the same conventions and so cannot be
evaluated with the same criteria. In addition,
male callers' standards for themselves are
different from those they have for their wives:
'Men naturally want ail this, women are different.'
(Aadmi to yeh sab chahte hi hain, aurat alag hoti
hain.)
Reasons for visiting a sex worker
Women sex workers are seen by TARSHI's male
callers as a channel for sexual release:
'I badly wanted sex so I paid for it.' (Bahut sex
chada tha, to maine paise de kar kar liya.)
81
Chandiramani
1
]
I
111.
I fl
I 11-1
£
2
7
<
Some men in their teens and early twenties
seem to view sex workers as sexual trainers;
visiting a sex worker is seen as a way of getting
sexual experience before marriage, a way of
testing 'virility' or 'masculinity', and to ensure that
the male sexual equipment is in working order:
'It must be done once before marriage to see if I
can do it.' (Shaadi ke pahle ek baar kar ke dekhna
hain ki mujjhh se hota hain.)
I
i
Fears about the harmful effects of sex
Younger men having sex with older women,
including older women who pay them for this,
report being worried about 'harmful effects', not
in connection with sexually transmitted infec
tions but in terms of a weakening effect on their
bodies, as if they think an older woman could
draw out a young man's vitality or virility:
'Will having sex with an older woman have a bad
effect? Will it lessen my virility? Will I have
problems later?' (Age main baddhi aurat ke saath
karne se kuchch bura hoga? Mere shakti pe asar
hoga, aage chai ke mujjhe koi problem hoga?)
82
Perceptions of sexual practices and the
body
We have accumulated many more comments
from men about sexual practices, but even when
women talk about these issues, their views are
male-centered. 'Real sex' is seen by the majority
of callers to be an exclusively heterosexual, pene
trative interaction. In Hindi, as in English, the
word 'sex' is used to mean 'intercourse'. The cen
trality of penile-vaginal intercourse is not shaken
for men even when their female partners say they
prefer oral sex. Oral sex is perceived and experi
enced as being very exciting, yet it is seen as
second best if penile-vaginal penetration does not
also occur. Both cunnilingus and fellatio are seen
by both men and women as part of foreplay only not the real thing - and an orgasm resulting from
these is not valued as an orgasm.
'But it is not the real thing - the real pleasure lies in
penetration.' (Par woh asli baat to nahin hai - asli
mazaa to andar jane mein hi hai.)
At times, oral sex is viewed as a last resort - a
last ditch effort to satisfy the partner when all
else has failed:
Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 6, No. 12, November 1998
'Sometimes there is no option but to do it, or else
she becomes apathetic.' (Kabbi kabhi aur koi
chara na ho to woh hi karna padta hai, nahi to
woh rookhi si ho ja ti hai.)
Manual stimulation is also put into the category
of'not the real thing' by callers. This is tied up with
the popular belief that a woman's orgasm is
triggered off by, dependent on and consequent to
a man's ejaculation. And it is this that is
considered the norm in practice. A woman's
enjoyment of and satisfaction from manual or oral
stimulation arouses questions and doubts about
her sexual orientation in some cases. We have had
male callers wanting to know if their wives are
'normal' because the women enjoy manual and
oral stimulation, sometimes more than genital
stimulation. 'Does she have lesbian tendencies?' is
what these men go on to ask.
The centrality of penile-vaginal intercourse is
echoed in the English term 'foreplay', a concept
which imposes an artificial break, defined by the
act of penetration, in what could instead be seen
as a continuity. However, more than the act of
penetration, it is the involvement of the penis that
is the defining criterion. After all, the fingers, the
tongue or the toe can perform the act of
penetration, but these all seem to be viewed as
part of foreplay. In everyday language in Hindi,
however, there is no equivalent term for foreplay.
Hence, on the helpline we use a particular
combination of common Hindi words to convey
and explain the concept of foreplay (ie. describing
the activities of caressing, kissing, stroking and so
on, and the sexual excitement and pleasure these
may produce) before we are able to engage in a
meaningful dialogue with callers about it. For
example, the Hindi word aalingan means a hug
or an embrace without necessarily conveying
any erotic connotations, while chumma-chaati
(literally, kissing-licking) is considered vulgar.
Not many men are aware of the particularities
of the female genitalia and even less aware of the
different ways of creating pleasure for a woman:
'Where do we put it how many openings are
there, where do women bleed from?' (Kaun si
jagah mein daalte hain, kitni chchedh hoti hain,
aurat ka khoon kahan se nikalta hain.)
Not many women callers feel able to express
their desire for or enjoyment of certain specific
activities, for fear of being seen as wanton:
'How can I tell him? He will think I am a fast
woman.' (Main kaise kahoon? Fir woh sochenge
ki mein fast type ki boon.)
For men, the penis, what it does and how it
looks, is central and all-important. All sexual
problems are attributed directly or indirectly to
it. The most common attribution of problems
with the penis is what one man called the 'bad
habit' of masturbation. Callers believe that
masturbation has led to stunted growth or
curvature of the penis and is also the cause of
problems like premature ejaculation and erectile
dysfunction. Table 3 shows how predominantly
masturbation figures in men's concerns.
Magical properties are attributed to semen
and there is tremendous ignorance and anxiety
about basic body processes such as nocturnal
emission and pre-ejaculatory fluid:
'Because my semen has been destroyed, I have
less power.' (Veerya nasht hone ke karan shakti
kam ho gayi hai.)
Women callers complain about their bodies that they are either too fat or too small-breasted
in the eyes of men, and in their own eyes too.
However, we have yet to hear a female caller
complain about the physical attributes of her
male partner, though we have had many men
complaining about women's physical attributes:
'She does not have a good figure, she has very
small breasts, it's no fun, how can they be
enlarged?' (Uska figure achcha nahin hain,
mamme bahut chchote hain mazaa nahin aata,
unhe baddha kaise kiya jaye?)
We also get calls from women who want to
change the shape and size of their bodies,
especially of their breasts. Yet no man has ever
called because he feels that his being overweight
may turn off his partner or make sex difficult. The
following call history illustrates this difference
succinctly: A male caller phoned because he
wanted suggestions for different positions for
intercourse; his wife was fat, he said, and could
we bear that in mind. When several of the coun
sellor's initial suggestions were met with a nega
tive reception, she asked the caller about his own
83
Chandiramani
body, only to discover that he himself was obese,
which he had not thought it relevant to mention.
The smell and taste of women's body parts
and bodily fluids is a common cause of both
men's and women's concern, with men com
plaining about it and women feeling embar
rassed or disgusted by it, eg. 'There's a strange
taste'. Sometimes when we ask about cunnilingus, men say they do not engage in it because
'women smell'. When told that these smells and
tastes are natural and that semen also has a dis
tinctive taste and smell, most callers (especially
the men) act very surprised. Are the lack of
complaints or comments about male smells and
tastes because, in some way, these are consi
dered to be a given and ''natural' and are conse
quently treated as non objectionable, in contrast
to those of women? Or is it because men like their
own smells and tastes, and women feel unable to
articulate their responses to these, especially any
complaints they may have?
Bodily responses to sexual arousal are defined
in male terms; a notion common among many
callers is that when women have an orgasm they
ejaculate like a man. Although women do have a
comparable physical response, many callers
have said they are waiting for an external
manifestation of female orgasm comparable to
the flow of semen:
'There is no discharge, no outflow of semen.'
(Discharge nahin hota, veerya nahin nikalta.)
Interestingly, -many men even use the word
vee/ya, which means semen, when referring to
vaginal fluids. The other word commonly used by
both men and women to refer to semen as well as
to vaginal fluids is pani, which means water.
Arousal in a woman is also expected to occur
in the same way, with easily discernible signs
(barring erection), as it does in a man. Many men
and some women also expect a woman to
become instantly and visibly aroused when her
male partner is aroused. Most do not know what
the signs of arousal in a woman are. One woman
caller wanted to know whether there was
something wrong with her because her nipples
were not always erect; her husband thought this
was a deformity and she was not sure herself.
Sexually, men are seen as the giver (T put it in
- give it to her' - Main dalta/ deta boon) and the
woman as the receiver ('She takes it in' - Woh
84
andar leti hai). It is then difficult for a man to
understand how or why he may be at risk for
sexually transmitted infection because nothing is
entering his body. As he sees it:
'It comes out of my body, there's no place for
infection to get in through.' (Hamare sharir se
nikalta hai, andar jane ki jagah to nahin hai.)
Discussion
Among the men who have telephoned the
helpline, the language they use and their thinking
about heterosexual sex and sexuality seem to
contain a strange contradiction. At one level they
do not view women as independent, active sexual
beings. At another level, they express fears
which imply an underlying belief that women are
independent, active sexual beings who may seek
sexual pleasure outside marriage or from other
partners. Thus, men do seem to acknowledge
that women have sexual desires, but do not want
to see these as independent from themselves. In
addition, it seems that women's own perceptions
of their sexual needs and their sexuality are not
validated or affirmed by men, nor by women
themselves. Women are never described or
discussed as autonomous sexual beings, but as
delightful sex toys and often as sexual objects.
Perhaps the construct in the male caller's mind is
that women have a dormant sexuality, and there
is always the danger that it may be turned on;
therefore, this must be done only by him.
Among the women callers too, there seems to
be a belief that their sexuality is in some sense
subordinate to that of men and exists mainly for
the pleasure of men. There is no overt assertion of
the woman's own right to sexual pleasure. It is
also interesting, that even on the helpline, most
women approach pleasure in a rather circuitous
fashion, mostly through exploring ways of
reducing discomfort. Many men and a consider
able number of women do not know what might
be erogenous for a woman (unless of course they
have experienced it), and even what lies within the
labia majora. Though men complain of women's
lack of active engagement in sex, it seems that
most women would rather be passive and reticent
about their sexual desire than arouse their male
partner's suspicions regarding their 'virtue'. It is
more complicated than that, however, because at
times it also seems that this so-called inactivity
Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 6. No. 12, November 1998
during sex is perhaps one of the few ways in
which a woman can hold out against her partner.
To add to an already complex scenario is the fact
that women seem to see themselves as having to
please their male sexual partners, or at the very
least, appease their sexual appetites.
Both men and women callers expressed
dislike and criticism of women's bodies, their
shape and size and their smells and tastes, as well
as a lack of knowledge about bodily and sexual
processes and responses. In contrast, both men
and women are silent on the subject of men s
bodies, and their smells and tastes.
The reluctance to accept the necessity of
adopting protective behaviour while dealing with
the sexual reality of multiple partners, including
in premarital, extra-marital and same-sex sexual
relations, has many consequences, not least of
which is increased vulnerability to sexually trans
mitted infections and HIV. In the Indian hetero
sexist and marriage-driven society, there is no
public space for lesbian and gay relationships,
and this often leads to individuals living dual
lives, being forced into marriage and producing
the mandatory offspring, whilst surreptitiously
engaging in what so often become unsafe sexual
encounters, with potentially disastrous con
sequences for the sexual and mental health of all
concerned.
According to what is said by TARSHI's callers,
most sexual acts, experiences and perceptions are
defined from a male perspective and seen and
experienced in a male-centered way, and are im
portant only if they are heterosexual and involve
the penis and intercourse. This is a perspective
that women have also adopted, no matter how
much they have needed to twist their own think
ing or reject their own uncertain perceptions in
order to conform to that perspective. It also
contributes to the view that the penis is central
and at the same time, the source of any and all
sexual problems. Thus, both women and men are
perpetuating a male-dominated set of values
about sex and sexuality and classifying women's
sexuality on the basis of the little they know about
women's sexual desires and proclivities.
This male-centered perspective restricts the
healthy and full expression of sexuality especially
of women, but also of men. Both are trapped in
ossified ways of seeing things and dealing with
themselves and each other. Not only does this
prevent people from achieving and maintaining a
sense of personal and sexual well-being, but it
also has negative consequences on their health
because of the link between misinformation and
harmful behavioural practices. The socio-cultur
al context contributes to this by way of popular
media and so-called 'traditional' beliefs and
customs. Some beliefs are so deep-rooted and
culturally reinforced (eg. masturbation is harm
ful) that it takes many repeat calls from bewil
dered callers before they are able to allow
themselves the luxury of enjoying guilt-free
masturbation. Perceptions of the roles of men
and women are even more deep-rooted and
difficult to change, especially on a large scale.
Fortunately, culture and society are dynamic
and perceptions are slowly changing. For this to
be more than merely superficial, there must also
be change at an individual level, which again
feeds back into the social context, and thus it
goes on. We help our callers (especially the men)
to question their assumptions so that both wom
en and men can begin to move towards a posi
tion of autonomy. We also manage to sow seeds
of doubt regarding existing power hierarchies
(gender, family, society and so on).
We remain uncomfortably aware of the need
for larger systemic transformations to sustain
the positive changes in individual lives. We are
therefore also engaged in other activities such as
bringing out small publications on sexual health,
as a resource for the media, and writing a regular
column on sexuality for a youth tabloid.
The helpline is meant to be especially for
women, but by talking to many more men than
women we hope that we have been able to effect
some positive change in the lives of women
indirectly. That this has not been unsuccessful is
borne out by the fact that we have had male
callers reporting that they have postponed sexual
intercourse in an arranged marriage until such
time as both partners felt ready for it, that they
and their partners have benefited from learning
about foreplay, that women callers have reported
getting our phone number from male partners,
and similar types of concrete evidence. The 20 per
cent of women callers have been directly helped
by being able to talk at all about these issues, by
gaining access to information and by finding a
space that honours their desires, if nothing else.
They have also been able to make some decisions
and in some cases to seek further care after
talking with us.
85
Chandiramani
Acknowledgements
This paper is a substantially revised and updated
version of an article with the same title, which
appeared in Indian Psychologist, December 1996,
and is printed here with their kind permission.
The TARSHI helpline was set up with the help
of an Individual Fellowship for Population
Innovations awarded by the John D and Catherine
T MacArthur Foundation, USA.
Correspondence
Radhika Chandiramani, c/o TARSHI, Fax: 91-11461-0711. E-mail: radhi@unv.ernet.in
Notes
1. Data in the tables were first
presented at a Population
Council workshop on Men as
Supportive Partners in Repro
ductive and Sexual Health, Kath
mandu, .Nepal, 23 26 June 1998.
2. All quotes present the English
text first, followed by the Hindi,
no matter w hich was the original
language, for ease of reading for
an international audience.
i
i
i
I
I
3. Section 375 of the Indian Penal
Code, which deals with rape,
makes no mention of marital
rape. It defines rape as being
committed when a man has
sexual intercourse with a woman
against her will; or, without her
consent; or. with her consent,
when her consent has been ob
tained by putting her or any per
son in whom she is interested, in
Kes u me
L'article decrit la ligne telepllonique de secours
pour les questions sexuelles ouverle a New Dehli
Unde). Les appelants sont en grande majorile des
homines limit sur dix) et beaucoup telephonent a
plusieurs reprises. Les homines semblenl classer
leurs partenaires sexuelles feminines dans ccrtaines categories, definies par le type de rapports
qu'ils onl ou pensent pouvoir avoir avec dies, et
par les relations sociales et emotionnelles qu'ils
partagent avec dies. Les perceptions qu'ont les
appelants des actes sexuels et des processus corporels paraissent fondees sur, et limilees par, des
postulats definis par les males et centres sur eux.
Les femmes semblent les accepter, meme s'ils
vont contre leurs propres experiences et concep
tions incertaines. Le penis est considere comme
au centre des relations sexuelles et des problemes
sexuels que les hommes peuvent eprouver, et seul
un rapport penis-vagin est considere comme un
veritable rapport sexuel. Les hommes se plaignent communement de la forme et de la taille du
corps des femmes, de leur gout, de leur odeur,
mais ils connaissent mal la fa^on dont est bati le
corps feminin, ou ce qui donne aux femmes le
plaisir sexuel. Cela conduit les hommes et les fem
mes a perpetuer en matiere de sexe un ensemble
de valeurs domine par les males, et a classer la
sexualite feminine sur la base du peu qu'ils savent
des desirs et des besoins sexuels des femmes.
86
fear of death, or of hurt; or, with
her consent, when he by decep
tion, makes her believe that he is
her lawful husband; or, with her
consent, given on account of her
unsoundness of mind, or intoxi
cation, when she is incapable of
understanding the conse
quences of her consent; or, with
or without her consent, when
she is under 16 years of age.
Hesnmen
Este ensayo describe una linea de ayuda
telcfdnica sobre la sexualidad basada en Nueva
Deli, India. Las Hamadas masculinas constituian
ocho de cada diez, con muchos usuarios
llamando repetidamenle. Al parccer los hombres
clasificaban a sus companeras sexuales en varias
categories definidas por el tipo de actividad que
realizaban con ellas, o que creian que podian
realizar, asi como por el tipo de relaciones
sociales y emocionales que compartian. Los que
llamaban percibian los actos sexuales y los
procesos corporales en base a asunciones y
definiciones masculinas. Aparentemente las
mujeres aceptaban esto, incluso a costa de sus
propias experiencias y entendimiento. El pene se
ve como el eje del sexo y de los problemas
sexuales que los hombres puedan tener, y solo se
considera sexo verdadero el que incluye penetracion del pene en la vagina. Con frecuencia los
hombres se quejan de la forma y el tamano del
cuerpo de las mujeres y de como huelen y saben
pero tienen poco conocimiento sobre como es el
cuerpo de las mujeres o lo que les da placer. Por
lo tanto, tanto los hombres como las mujeres
siguen perpetuando una serie de valores
masculinos sobre el sexo y la sexualidad, y
clasifican a la sexualidad femenina en base a su
limitado conocimiento sobre las necesidades y
los deseos sexuales de las mujeres.
of ti
naive
£by u
pron
even
out
cliei
"wil
Why "Gay-sensitive" Therapists?
Radhika
Chandiramani
Psychotherapy is informed by
prevailing socio-cultural thinking. And so
are therapists. The way sexuality issues
are looked at by most people does influ
ence, to some extent, the way therapists
view and respond to these issues. Con
versely, the opinion and reactions of
therapists, and other so-called experts
shapes larger public opinion. One has
only tpNook at the way the media cites a
particular line of thinking to be the
'expert's opinion' to realise how strong a
role this thinking plays in moulding atti
tudes.
Sexuality issues themselves are
not discussed easily in a professional
setting, even when they need to be. by
most people. There is much hesitation
to talk about extra-marital affairs, casual
sexual relationships, or any sexual ac
tivities that are commonly regarded as
being somewhat risque. The fear is of
revealing to the therapist that one has
passions different from others, or en
gages in activities that might reflect a
lack of 'decency' - what if the therapist
is shocked, suprised, disapproving...?
Talking about one's sexual life is, in any
case, difficult.
In a society where heterosexual
ity. unlike homosexuality, is the domi
nant sexual style/choice/preference, so
much so that it is frequently unques
tioned and goes unchallenged, many
questions arise. If most therapists are
heterosexual and/or assume hetero
sexuality in their clients, what does this
"will
gay
thei
hav
ries
sex
niq
cor
cli
at
w
tt
fr
tr
f
mean for homosexual clients, and poten
tial clients? And what does it mean for
therapists who themselves live out a dif
ferent sexuality?
Until two decades ago, homo
sexuality was seen as a pathology and
only after intense campaigning was it re
moved as an illness category from the
DSM. Unfortunately, there are still many
mental health pifofessionals who sub
scribe to the view that homosexuality is
"unhealthy". Worse, because more in
sidiously damaging, there are those who
are informed enough to know that it is
not a diagnostic category and will state
this view, but who believe homosexuality
to be a sign of psychological immaturity,
a result of trauma, and hold other such
unexamined beliefs that are based on
the assumption of pathology. Faced with
heterosexual clients do these therapists
ever question their clients' heterosexual
ity or arrive at formulations to "explain"
heterosexuality?
The scenario is not totally bleak,
however, as there is a growing number
of therapists who are becoming more
open to looking at gay issues with an
unprejudiced eye. These are the ones
who are perceptive enough to know that
'partner' does not always refer to one of
the opposite gender. The usage of gen
der-neutral pronouns may deliberately
camouflage the gender of the person
being spoken about. Clients often resort
to these techniques to put out feelers
and check the sensitivity and openness
Radhika Chandiramani is a clinical psychologist and a Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation.
She works on sexuality issues with TARSHI. a helpline in New Delhi.
Indian Psychologist, II (l), 1997
16
I'
• '.i
I
of the therapist. Of course there are
naive therapists who unwitting''/ stumble
by unthinkingly using a gender specific
pronoun in response. This then makes it
even more difficult for the client to come
out to the therapist as it reinforces the
client's apprehensions that the therapist
"will not understand".
Just what is it that the therapist
"will not understand"? Many lesbian and
gay friends have discussed with me
their hesitation to enter therapy as they
have heard (often sensationalized) sto
nes of therapists trying to 'cure' homo
sexuality, using from their arsenal tech
niques such as aversion and electro
convulsive therapy. Even when potential
clients see that not all therapists oper
ate from a pre-70s stance, there is al
ways the desire to find a gay or lesbian
the-rapist. "Can you suggest a gay
friendly or at least a non-homophobic
therapist9" A valid request. I think, given
that in daily life there is so much demal
and erosion of lesbian and gay issues.
The issue here is not one of discussing details of the therapist's per
sonal life which, in any case, is not the
subject matter of the therapeutic en
deavour. The matter becomes clearer if
viewed through a "cultural minorities"
lens. The situation is somewhat analo
gous to finding a cultural match between
client and therapist. A Chinese client
would be justifiably nervous about enter
ing into therapy with, say, a Scandina
vian therapist. No-one would doubt that
cross-cultural variables might lead to
comprehension difficulties on both
sides. One might turn- around and say
that heterosexual clients do not worry
about the sexuality and sensibilities of
their therapists. They do not need to as
yet. In a predominantly gay subculture
they might need to if they feel that their
t
sexuality is being falsely held
ations of greater stress and also pre
vents them from using stress-relieving
mechanisms that others may use. A les
bian who is not out to her heterosexual
friends cannot speak of ups and downs
in a current relationship with the same
openness, facility and spontaneity as
they do. To conclude from this that it is
therefore the 'different' sexuality that is
the 'cause1 of the stress is not only falla
cious, but also demeaning to the client.
Similarly, lesbian and gay clients are, at
times, hesitant to discuss, or even to
mention in therapy, sexual difficulties
with their partners in case the therapist
is uncomfortable or uncomprehending.
There is a desire to. protect the therapist
from discomfort and oneself from
voyeuristic curiosity.
However, there are times when
clients themselves attribute far more to
their homosexuality than the situation
warrants. When this is pointed out by
the therapist, the client reacts by saying
that the therapist is not gay-sensitive
and does not understand. Therapists
must adequately comprehend the issues
if they are to avoid both insensitivity as
well as a bending over backwards to
appear sensitive and gay-sympathetic.
There is no way of predicting your
next client's sexuality though of course
you might wish to refer a client to some
one who knows more about, or is better
equipped to handle gay and lesbian is
sues. That does not take away from the
fact that therapists need to be sensitive
to these issues because the first contact
with a mental health professional influ
ences clients' attitudes about, and ex
pectations from, therapy.
Therapists who themselves are
gay or lesbian are few and far between
and are often not out in the larger com
munity. This may be because they do
not wish to be defined professionally by
their sexual choices. It may also be dif
ficult for them to be open about their
sexuality in a society that tends to view
homosexuality as an aberration and
might then, because of a lack of aware:
by a gay
therapist to be the source or cause of
v/hatever it is that ails them.
It is true that a sexuality and
lifestyle different from that of the major
ity does at times place a person in situ17
Indian Psychologist, II (I), 1997
Heterosexual Questionnaire
Many lesbians and gay men- in therapeutic situations, as well as in the "outside world" - are
put into situations where they have to defend their sexuality. This places a considerable burden on
people who are frequently only wanting to deal with a relationship problem, "coming out" on the job
or with family and friends, or some non-sexuality-related situation. To help non-gay people under
stand how it feels to be put into such a position, Alan K. Malyon, Ph.D., devised a questionnaire,
parts of which are excerpted here. This questionnaire is based on "heterophobic" premises, rather
than homophobic premises, which exist chronically in our society.
1.
What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
2.
When and how did you first decide you were a heterosexual?
3.
Is it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you'll grow out of?
4.
Is it possible your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of people of the same sex?
Maybe you just need a positive gay experience?
5.
Heterosexuals have histories of failures in gay relationships. Do you think you may have
turned to heterosexuality out of fear of rejection?
6.
If you've never slept with a person of the same sex, how do you know you wouldn't prefer that?
7.
If heterosexuality is normal, why are a disproportionate number of mental patients hetero
sexual?
8.
To whom have you disclosed your heterosexual tendencies? How did they react9
9.
Your heterosexuality doesn't offend me as long as you leave me alone, but why do so many
heterosexuals try to seduce others into that orientation?
10.
If you should choose to nurture children, would you want them to be heterosexual, knowing
the problems they would face?
11.
Most child molesters are heterosexual. Do you consider it safe to expose your children to
heterosexuals? Heterosexual teachers, particularly?
12.
Why-must heterosexuals be so blatant, making a public spectacle of their heterosexuality9
Can't you just be what you are and keep it quiet?
13.
Heterosexuals always assign themselves such narrowly restricted, stereotyped sex roles.
Why do you cling to such unhealthy role-playing?
14.
How can you have a fully satisfying, deeply emotional or sexual experience with an opposite
sex person, when the obvious physical, biological, and temperamental differences are so
vast? How can a man possibly understand what pleases a woman sexually, and vice-versa?
15.
Heterosexual marriage has total societal support, yet the divorce rate continues to spiral. Why
are there so few stable heterosexual relationships?
16.
Since there are so few happy heterosexuals, techniques have been developed to help people
change. Have you considered trying aversion therapy?
17.
Could you trust a heterosexual therapist/ counselor not to try to influence you toward his/her
own sexual leanings?
18.
Do heterosexuals hate and/or distrust others of their own sex? Is that what makes them
heterosexual?
19.
A disproportionate number of criminals, welfare recipients, and other irresponsible types are
heterosexual. So why would someone hire a heterosexual in a responsible job?
20.
Why are heterosexuals so promiscuous, always having "affairs", etc.?
Indian Psychologist, II (I), 1997
18
n
S
I
t
ness,
denigrate
their
professional
standing on account of their :sexuality,
There are those who feel that gay and
lesbian therapists have a r~
responsibility
to be open about their sexuality' so that
they are not reacting defensively, or operating from positions of shame, or being apologetic about their own sexuality.
Such openness would help dispel myths
about homosexuality being psychologi
cally unhealthy. Be that as it may, the
fact that a psychologist does something
does not make that action right or wrong
or healthy or unhealthy. It is true that in
dividuals in positions of power can, and
do, bring about change in attitudes by
the actions they take in their personal
19
and professional capacities; however,
these are personal struggles that each
one undertakes and ultimately resolves
for oneself.
In the Indian context, there are
many misconceptions about sexuality is
sues and problems and the lesbian and
gay community is still not strong or vis
ible enough to bring about substantive
change. Lack of visibility does not mean
lack of existence.
Existence transcends mere physi
cal existence. It implies social and psy
chological existence as well. The rejoin
der to why therapists must be gay-sensi
tive can well be a one -line question-why
must therapists be sensitive at all?
Indian Psychologist, II (I), 1997
■»
Mr. Salhish Kumar
Victory Youth Association
Ki lanipet
Arakkonam
N.A.A. District
T AMIL NADU
THREE YEAR PROJECT PLAN FOR AIDS PREVENTION IN
'
EDUCATIONAL SEITINGS
(August 1996- March 1999)
AIM:
Io
implement an AIDS Prevention Education Program in Victon- Youth
Association project, in Arakkonam area of N.A.A. District of Tamil Nadu Stale
so that by March 1999, at least 6,000 youth in educational institutions answer
correctly basic questions on HIV/AIDS.
OB| ECTIVES:
By the end of Hie first six mon ths:
all necessary permission to implement this plan i
would be sought from the
our President, E>C members, our team. Director of Health Services, CFO
AE.O Inspectors of Schools and Heads of Schools to implement the AIDS
i revention Education Program in educational settings.
*
relevant educational materials will lx? prepared / received to help in
disseminating AIDS Prevention information.
initial contact will be made with heads of at least 50 educational
Au
st1996
V‘SilS and letterS l° eXfend lheir SUPPO" f°r this W 1
ou^ubl I WO.
Workshops on AIDS education
will be conducted for Heads
institutions (2 from 20 institutions and 5 of
our staff) by end-Septernber 1996.
of
*
visit hospitals and government departments to collect 111V/A11)S related
statistics
By the end of each project year: (April' 97 ~ March '99)
TTT AIDS I’revention Education will be conducted in 5 schools, I V’TC 2
1.1.1s and 2 NhE centres for at least 2,000 population.
*
a six monthly HIV /
AIDS reinforcement will be designed and
dissemmated to the target population covered in the form of Newsletters with
help horn INSA/India, Famil Nadu State AIDS Cell, T.N.V.H.A., Voluntary
Health Services and others .
*
a facility/process/measure will be established to provide continuous
■" orn™t,o„ „„ HIV / AIDS as
„ecd
‘ I
“
establishing an AIDS Info. Cell, training of teachers, etc.)
Lf ltPlanS Will.be made tO °bserVe World AIDS Uav < Isl December) through
■and DrW,n8
DebateComPetitionin 1996; Essay Competition in 1997
, and Drama and Role Play in 1998.
'
AIDS Prevention Education sessions will be^'XnfnllTaVd^Tend 7f each session
“ssfo"s a"‘i
six monthly narrative and financial reports
.on project plan
implementation will be sent to
INSA / India.
Ibis will include an annual
audited statement of accounts of
moneys received from INSA / India.
an internal evaluation of the project will be
undertaken with the help of
the team, 1NSA team, students and teachers to
assess plan implementation ,
budget utilisation and plan onwards.
By the end of the third year:
*
plans will be made to attend INS/\ /India's follow up Workshop to sh ue
periences and make onward plans regarding this AIDS education project.
.......... ...
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•
REPORT^QF follow-up visit
Name of the Participant :
Place
Dates of Visit
Visited by
Satish Kumar
Victory Youth Asscn., (VICYA)
Palanipet, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu
♦
7th & Sth September, 1998.
Mrs. Agatha
INTRODUCTION;
SatishJ Kumar has undergone
unoergone CHDTP
uhuip at
at INSA/lndi
INSA/India after which he has
a
batish heads the organisation with
been^artitioned^o5?115^5 °Wn cam
Pus:.
The thatched hall has
campus
oeen partitioned to function as an office also. The other half
functions as a tailoring unit.
OBSERVATIONS:
Satish has taken interest to document all the proceedinqs of the
Sisit3"1"1^ bT* 2° the ^ggestions given afte? the 2nd Followup
fn-r w'-r-i
35 made use
channels possible to do A.P.E.
Tuf+Tn^1r-US + 9r0UPhmca&art’ frorn schools and colleges e.g. I.T.I
JVrvl°2 Cen*res’ NFE Centres, Tailoring Units, Women Sanghas
a fill 1 JaSi +bS^Ve^ ';/0rld AIDS Day - December, 1997 by organising
the helP of the school students and volunteers. All
Many^f^ho lor 5’roadcasted the Programme in the News Bulletin.
After the Lt? KWSPaPSf reP°rters have written about the Rally.
nhnnL1- ;/ally the general public, many of them have written or 7
A ?T in
^eir appreciation^ So far S^!sh has conducted
C^ntrL
He h of °?1S’x2 Futorials and 2 Computer Education
'
crmo+i * • xx planning to have Sex, Sexuality and AIDS Workshon
s metime in the month of October or November, ‘98. VICYA is
P
making out plans to have a human chain as a World AIDS Dav activitv
together with the State AIDS Cell and VHWs.
7 activity
Satish has good collection cf
OfLAu.di? Visual aids from different
sources. During my visit he had fixed up a follow-up visit to one
of the schools where he had done A.P.E. VICYA team was present.
One of the team members handled the session.
The students had
many more clarifications still, The team member was not so
comfortable talking about sex. A* the^end of the session, Satish
discussed about setting up peer education
r
programmes in the school.
ine students were very interested about it. Satish and I discussed
together about having a follow-up
“ '*
T - Either
x . with
..
a Newsletter, personal
visit or some questionnaire.
I
suggested
that
table speaking about sex to the students withoutone should be comfor----- : any inhibition.
CONCLUSION:
Satish is ’very. enthusiastic
‘
_1__
in the work. He enjoys working. He is
a valuable person for
INSA.
-- --- * We wish him all the best
'-- j for the future.
—O—O—O—O—O—O—O— 0-0-
AS/dcr
VICTORY YOUTH ASSOCIATION
AIDS Prevention Education in Schools sponsored by INSA/India Bangalore.
DETAILED REPORT.
Name of the organisation
:
Victory Youth Association (VICYA)
Regd.No.16/91.
Palanipet, Arakkonam-631 002
Vellore District. TAMIL NADU.
Nature of the Programme
AIDS Prevention Education in Schools
more than 3655 students covered and
Observance of World AIDS Day nearly
5000 students covered.
Target Group
School Students, Teachers, Tailoring
Students, Typewriting & Computer students
Technical students, NFE centre students,
Women sangam members and general public.
Communication method
Lecture, Question and Answer, Group
Discussion, Role play. Games, Video
and Audio/ Debate, Posters, Phamplets,
Debate, Quiz, Hand Bills, Placards,
Banners, Rally catching slogans, memmicry
etc.,
Institutions Covered
:
Resource Persons
Resource Materials usedand
produced under this programme
High and Higher Secondary Schools, ITIs,
Polytechnic, NEE, Typewriting and Computers,
Tailoring unit, Tution centres & Women
sangams.
Our Team members, Teachers,School Heads,
and other NGO persons.
:
Posters and other materials from
INSA/ India, Bangalore.
Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Socidfey Madras
Voluntary Health Services, Madras.
Tamil Nadu Voluntary Health Assn., Madras.
Christian Medical College, Vellore.
South India AIDS Action Programme, Madras.
YRG Care, Madras.
. . 2.
2 -
Media Coverage
:
Vedio Coverage, Photos, The programme
was published in all local News papers.
All India Radio & Madras Doordharsan
Permission granted
:
We got permission from Chief Educational
Officer, Vellore, to conduct HIV/AIDS
awareness programme SRally for Adolescent
students. He also issued orders to all
Government schools and private schools.
Evaluation Plan
Our team want to schools and evaluate the
students by the method of question and
answer, group discussions, and the teachers
also cooperated with us to evaluate.So that
86% of the students answered correctly the
cause, spread and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
The students thanks for our association and
the sponsoring agency for conducting such
programme they were having wrong thoughts
of these fatal disease now they well known
about HIV/AIDS and also in English II Paper
for Plus Two Exam there is 15 marks essay
anout AIDS Awareness.
Amal Susairaj James
Community Health Dept.,
Reaching the Unreached
G. Kallipaatti,Ganguvarpattl,
Periyakulam Tk.,Madurai District
TAMIL NADU 624 203
January 19,1999
Dear James,
We hope that you are keeping well. This is to let you know that the evaluation of the INSA/lndia
supported AIDS prevention education projects is underway. In this connection, Dr. Sreedhar is
planning to visit Sr. Lllyan on the 31st of January, 1999. Dr. Sreedhar will be arriving in Trichy by
the Rockfort Express {T.No 6877} and will arrive in Trichy early In the morning of the 31st of
January. He will be at Lillyan Mary’s Project the whole day and will leave that same day to reach
Dindigul before 10 pm. Would it be possible to let me know how long it takes from Trichy to
Dindigul ? Does the Chennai Kanyakumari Express { T.No. 6721} pass through Trichy ? He plans
to catch that train to go to Kanyakumari to visit another participant, Sarasam after visiting
Lillyan.
It will not be possible for him to visit all the participants, but he would be interested to meet
you for discussions. We invite you to be at Lillyan Mary’s place on the 31st of January at
2.pm noon for discussions.
The purpose of his visit is to:
♦
gauge the extent of Implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach and
its effects
♦
study the processes involved in implementing the project { e.g. the problems encountered
by you, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached, and your
feelings when carrying out this project}
♦
observe the educational materials and records you have either prepared or received from
other sources to carry out this project.
4 Speak to some of the target group e.g. Students, teachers, educational authorities, mahiia
sangha members, non forma! education groups etc.} ..not applicable in your case.
♦
discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
I have also requested three other participants in this area { Sr.Juliana, Sr. Mary Jacob and Mr.Satish
Samuel {Addresses and phone nos attached } to come to Lillyan’s place at noon of the 31st of January. It
is not possible for Dr. Sreedhar to visit every body, but like this, he will be able to meet every-body,
hopefully. You can leave in the evening for your respective place. If you require Lillyan to make
arrangements for the night , please let her superior know. Her address is as follows: Rev.
Sr.Superior,Servite Social Service Society,Keelamulaikudi, Sarcarpalayamjrichy: 620 010 TAMIL NADU
{ The phone number has recently changed }. Please write to Lillyan’s Superior to let them know of your
arrival and to find out directions to reach the place. I request you to PLEASE RING US TO CONFIRM
LHIS VISIT OR SEND US A TELEGRAM. We appreciate your support and the work you are involved with.
With best wishes from all at INSA/lndia including Sujatha who is on leave.
Yours sincerely, '
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
Training
*i •odtmi doc .'•p
■?
A
Mr. Satish Samuel
AROGYA AGAM,
Aundipatti,
Vagal V.A.M. dISTT.,
TAMIL NADU 625 512
January 19, 1999
Dear Mr. Satish Samuel,
The purpose of his visit is to:
♦
♦
"
----- ----------------------------------------------------------- -------------
Keffecte eXtent °f imp,ementalion of the AIDS Prevention education project, Its reach and
study the processes involved in implementing the project { e.g the problems encounfprpd
'‘nP'a""ed "S'"ts
f=Xs whe’nXTs‘’'“h"6'’
♦
vou h„e
prep„cd or rec.,ved from
4 Speak to some of the target group e.g. Students,
ZZ Z
L
9 9roup e g- Studentst teachers, educational authorities mahiia
ngha members, non forma! education groups etc.} ..not applicable in your case.
♦
discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
is not possible for Dr. Sreedhar t S ™
hopefully. You could leave in the eveninq for vour’
required, please let her superior know Lr addrof •
SXX"r5.l“
•" •*"iS"l"dto
PlaCe al n°On of the 31 st °f Janu^y-
L° .
Wl11 be ab'e tO meel every-body.
,f arrangements for the board at night is
» ■>"
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
Training
»re>©dhar doc/ep
Col. Abraham,
The Salvation Army,
Territorial Head Quarters
Kowdiar
Thiruvanthapuram
KERALA: 695035
January 19, 1999
Dear Col. Abraham,
As discussed in an earlier letter, this is to let you know that the Evaluation of the AIDS
prevention education projects supported by INSA/India is at present underway I have been
trying to call your telephone number from yesterday to let her know that Dr. Sreedhar ,
an external evaluator would be interested to visit Naomi, Edwin George and/or the rest of
the AIDS prevention education team and you to get to know your AIDS prevention
education programmes. He will be arriving from Nagercoil on the 2nd of February, 1999
morning. I request you to call up before the 23rd to let me know if this isn't convenient.
The purpose of his visit is to :
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS
prevention
education
project
supported by INSA/India, its reach and effects.
♦ study the processes involved
in implementing this project {e.g. the problems
encountered, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached
and feelings when carrying out the AIDS prevention education project}
observe the education materials and records you have prepared and/or received from
other sources to carry out this project
❖ speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc.; either in the
schools or in their houses}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
INSA/India values all your help and support.
Please convey our greetings to Naomi and all the staff at the Salvation Army.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of station.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sreedhat doc/ep
ec. Commissioner Mohan Masih
I
Mr. John Dalton,
Director , AROGYA AGAM,
Aundipatti,
Vagai V.A.M. dISTT.,
TAMIL NADU 625 512
Dear Mr. John Dalton,
January 19,1999
We hope that you are keeping well. This is to let you know that the evaluation of the INSA/lndia
supported AIDS prevention education projects is underway. In this connection, Dr. Sreedhar is
planning to visit Sr. Lilyan in Tiruchy on the 31 st of January, 1999. Dr. Sreedhar will be arriving
in Trichy by the Rockfort Express {T.No 6877} and will arrive in Trichy early in the morning of the
31st of January. He will be at Lillyan Mary’s Project the whole day and will leave that same day
to reach Dindigul before 10 pm.
It will not be possible for him to visit all the participants, but he would be interested to meet a
representative from Arogya Agam for discussions. We Invite you to depute Mr. Satish
Samuel or somebody involved with the AIDS prevention education project supported by
INSA/lndia tobe at Lillyan Mary’s place on the 31st of January at 2.pm noon for discussions.
The purpose of his visit is to:
♦
gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, Its reach and
its effects
♦
study the processes involved in implementing the project { e g. the problems encountered
by you, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached, and your
feelings when carrying out this project}
♦
observe the educational materials and records you have either prepared or received from
other sources to carry out this project.
Speak to some of the target group e.g. Students, teachers, educational authorities, mahila
sangha members, non formal education groups etc.} ..not applicable in your case.
♦
discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
I i have
376 also
*'s°5requested
ecluested three other
other participants in this area { Sr.Juliana, Sr. Mary Jacob and^alsusairaj
James {Addresses and phone nos attached } to come to Lillyan s place at noon of the 31st of January It
is not possib e for Dr. Sreedhar to visit every body, but like this, he will be able to meet every-body
hopefully. He/she can leave in the evening for your respective place. If arrangements for the board at
night is required, please let her superior know. Her address is as follows: Rev. Sr.Superior,Servile Social
Service Society,Keelamulaikudi, Sarcarpalayam,Trichy: 620 010 TAMIL NADU { The phone number has
recently changed }. Please write to Lillyan’s Superior to let them know of your arrival and to find out
“'C^hons toj-each the place. I request you to PLEASE RING US TO CONFIRM THIS VISIT OR SEND US
A IELEGRAM_. We appreciate your support and the work you are involved with.
With best wishes from all at INSA/lndia including Sujatha who is on leave.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA'PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
Training
srredhnr cioc/op
Rev. Sr. Tarcisia
Nirmala Hospital
Marikunnu,
Calicut
KERALA: 673 012
January 19, 1999
Dear Rev. Sr. Tarcisia,
Thank
welcome there. As discussed in
of the AIDS prevention education projects
underway. He wil! be arrivingTf^ rS L
underway He will be arriving from Trivandrum
the 3rd of February, 1999
* at present
™
Februa -
L°S
The purpose of his visit to Lizzie is to:
’
A,DS
♦ study the
processes
involved
in
implementing
this
prevention
education
nroiert
<•
the
/on
project
problems
o^“?oXP-ared and/or ,
received from
♦ Sls'°9r01"’ { StUden,S ’ youth dub memtos ett '-
the
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
you r^Bested
to make hirn t^waf^b'y'th^LadieTwa^itino
sI tarequest
tioneSI have
be easy to spot each other. Also I request JLu/^ J o9/
luxury bus from there to Bangalore for the 3rd FebruarTnight
UP
?
fr°m the
the Stati°n So that 11 wi"
Nm On " PriVate
INSA/India values all your help and support. We do appreciate the good work you do.
ZsXe'eT frOm a" 3t INSA/India' inClUdin9 Sujatha wh0 is at present out of station.
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sieedliai duc/ep
Naomi David,
The Salvation Army,
Territorial Head Quarters
Kowdiar
Thiruvanthapuram
KERALA: 695035
January 19, 1999
Dear Naomi,
How are you, foaomi ? It is a long time since I wrote but you are constantly in my
prayers. We hope that you are better now.
I write to inform you that Dr. Sreedhar , an external evaluator would be interested
to visit Edwin George and/or the rest of the AIDS prevention education team and
you to get to know your AIDS prevention education programmes.
[
.He will
....be
arriving from Nagercoil on the
•■
-2nd• of
- February,
■
1999 morning. He is very much
interested to meet you.
He will be staying for only a day and will come whenever he is free to meet you. Will
you let Col. Abraham know what time will suit you for this meeting. Maybe for half
an hour. We do not want you to strain your-self.
INSA/India values and remembers all your help and support.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of
station.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sreedhar.doc/ep
Bro James Kimpton
REACHING THE UNREACH
G.Kallipatti, Ganguvarpatti,
Peryakullam Tk., Madurai Distt.,
TAMIL NADU : 624 203
January 19,1999
Dear Bro. James,
We hope that you are keeping well. This is to let you know that the evaluation of the INSA/lndia
supported AIDS prevention education projects is underway. In this connection, Dr Sreedhar is
P'aoH'ng to visit Sr. Lilyan In Tiruchy on the 31st of January, 1999. Dr. Sreedhar will be arriving
in Tnchy by the Rockfort Express (T.No 6877} and will arrive in Trichy early in the morning of the
lo
o"„Sul bX ”p».'l,a'’ "an,'S PrOi'0'lhe mn°"
a"d
lea™ lhi»
“V
It will not be possible for him to visit all the participants, but he would be interested to meet a
bl^X* L6
^TU f°r dlscussions We invite you to depute Amal Susairaj James to
----- — Lll|yan M_ary s place on the 31st of January at 2.pm noon for discussions
The purpose of his visit is to:
~---------------------------------
C effects eXt6nt °f implementation of the AIDS Prevention education project, its reach and
4
btUXththrs°uXXirOlVed in implementin9 the Proj^t < e.g. the problems encountered
feelings wb^ oarryTng
‘ oXTenXX
Pli"’ned a"d Un'”an",!d
r”Ch'"‘'
y°-'
r0“'dS
d”
<™".
h”™
* SPe
nakhtosom^ofthetarget group e.g. Students, teachers, educational authorities mahila
sangha members, non forma! education groups etc.} ..not applicable in your case. ’
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
TELEGRAM. We appreciate your support and the work you are involved ^iTh.------- VK_bbND_US_A
With best wishes from all at INSA/lndia including Sujatha who is on leave
i ours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
Training
n>dhiw doc'op
r
Mr Satish Kumar,
Victory Youth Association
No 11, A.N.Kandigal
3rd Street, Palanipet
Arrakonam : 631 002
N.A.A. District
TAMIL NADU
January 19, 1999
Dear Satish,
Thank you for agreeing to have Dr. Sreedhar visiting you and getting to know your AIDS
prevention education programmes. He will be arriving in Arakonnam from Chennai on the
30th of January, 1999 morning. I heard about your call to the office to say that schools
may be closed on that day. This is a letter to confirm that the visit still will be as
scheduled.
The purpose of his visit is to :
gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach
and effects
study the processes involved in implementing this project {e.g. the problems
encountered, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached
and feelings when carrying out the AIDS prevention education project}
observe the education materials and records you have prepared and/or received from
other sources to carry out this project
♦ speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc.; either in the
schools or in their houses}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
He will be arriving on the 30th of January morning and will get in touch with as to the
exact time and place of arrival. It will be nice if you could pick him up.
I have also asked Sr. Lilly Matthew to come to your place in the afternoon of the 30th of
January' 99, so that Dr. Sreedhar can have discussions with her also. Can you please let
her know the directions to reach your place. Her Address is: St. Thomas Hospital, Chetpet,
TSR district, TN 606801 {PH# 04181-52263,52261}.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of station.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sreedhar.doc/ep
Commisioner Mohan Masih,
The Salvation Army,
Territorial Head Quarters
Kowdiar
Thiruvanthapuram
KERALA: 695035
January 19, 1999
Dear Commissioner Mohan Masih,
As discussed in an earlier letter, this is to let you know that the Evaluation of the AIDS
prevention education projects supported by INSA/India is at present underway I have been
trying to call your telephone number from yesterday to let her know that Dr. Sreedhar ,
an external evaluator would be interested to visit Naomi, Edwin George and/or the rest of
the AIDS prevention education team and you to get to know your AIDS prevention
education programmes. He will be arriving from Nagercoil on the 2nd of February, 1999
morning. I request you to call up before the 23rd to let me know if this isn't convenient.
The purpose of his visit is to :
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project
supported by INSA/India, its reach and effects.
♦ study the processes involved in implementing this project {e.g. the problems
encountered, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached
and feelings when carrying out the AIDS prevention education project}
♦ observe the education materials and records you have prepared and/or received from
other sources to carry out this project
♦ speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc.; either in the
schools or in their houses}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
INSA/India values all your help and support.
Please convey our greetings to Naomi and all the staff at the Salvation Army.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of station.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sreedhar.doc/ep
■|t4!UbUH beujuqx 4b
MaqieiAi Ann -JS
1
Rev. Fr, Servatius,
KSSS, Tirumalai Ashram Social Centre,
Community Health and Development Programme
Chunkakadai PO
Kanyakumari District
TAMIL NADU 629 807
January 19, 1999
Dear Rev. Fr, Servatius,
I spoke to Ms. Pushpam yesterday to let her know that Dr. Sreedhar , an external
evaluator would be interested to visit Sarasam and you to get to know your AIDS
prevention education programmes. He will be arriving in Nagercoil from Chennai on the 1st
of February, 1999 morning. I had told Pushpam to request Sarasam to call up before 11am
to let me know if this wasn't convenient. Since she did not rung, this is a letter to confirm
that the visit still will be as scheduled on the 1st of February. We request you to confirm
this assumption.
The purpose of his visit is to :
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach
and effects
♦ study the processes involved
in
implementing
this
project {e.g. the
problems
encountered, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached
and feelings when carrying out the AIDS prevention education project}
♦ observe the education materials and records you have prepared and/or received from
other sources to carry out this project
♦ speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc.; either in the
schools or in their houses}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
He will be arriving in Nagercoil on the 1st of February morning by the Chennai
Kanyakumari Express {T.No 6721}. It will be nice if arrangements could be made to pick
him up from the station. I have requested him to wait near the Ladies Waiting room for
you. We request you to make arrangements for him to stay the 1st February night . He will
leave for Trivandrum on the 2nd of February,99.INSA/India values all your help and
support.
Please convey our greetings to Fr. James and Sr. Lieve and all the staff at KSSS.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of station
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sreedhar.doc/cp
Ms. P Sarasam
Community Health and Development Programme
Chunkakadai PO
Kanyakumari District
TAMIL NADU 629 807
January 19,1999
Dear Sarasam,
I spoke to Ms. Pushpam yesterday and I hope you got my message about Dr. Sreedhar
visiting you to get to know your AIDS prevention education programmes. He will be
arriving in Nagercoil from Chennai on the 1st of February, 1999 morning. I had told
Pushpftn to request you to call up before 11am to let me know if this wasn't convenient.
Since you have not rung, this is a letter to confirm that the visit still will be as scheduled
on the 1st of February.
The purpose of his visit is to :
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach
and effects
♦ study the processes involved in implementing this project {e.g. the problems
encountered, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached
and feelings when carrying out the AIDS prevention education project}
♦ observe the education materials and records you have prepared and/or received from
other sources to carry out this project
♦ speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc.; either in the
schools or in their houses}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
He will be arriving in Nagercoil on the 1st of February morning by the Chennai
Kanyakumari Express {T.No 6721}. It will be nice if you could pick him up from the
station. I have requested him to wait near the Ladies Waiting room for you. Thank you
Sarasam for all your help. We request you to make arrangements for him to stay the 1st
February night at your place. He will leave for Trivandrum on the 2nd of February,99.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of station.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
sreedhar.doc/ep
Sr. Juliana
Bon Secours Convent
Velanganni 611 111
Tamil Nadu
January 19,1999
Dear Sr. Juliana,
We hope that you are keeping well. This is to let you know that the evaluation of the INSA/lndia
supported AIDS prevention education projects is underway. In this connection, Dr. Sreedhar is
planning to visit Sr. Lilyan on the 31 st of January, 1999.
Dr. Sreedhar will be arriving in Trichy by the Rockfort Express {T.No 6877} and will arrive in
Trichy early in the morning of the 31st of January. He will be at Lillyan Mary’s Project the whole
day and will leave that same day to reach Dindigul before 10 pm. Can you let me know how long
it takes from Trichy to Dindigul ? Does the Chennai Kanyakumari Express { T.No. 6721} pass
through Trichy ? He plans to catch that train to go to Kanyakumari to visit another participant,
Sarasam after visiting Lillyan.
It will not be possible for him to visit all the participants, but he would be interested to meet
you for discussions. We invite you to be at Lillyan Mary’s place on the 31st of January at
2.pm noon for discussions.
The purpose of his visit is to:
♦
gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach and
its effects
♦
study the processes involved in implementing the project { e.g. the problems encountered
by you, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached, and your
feelings when carrying out this project}
♦
observe the educational materials and records you have either prepared or received from
other sources to carry out this project.
Speak to some of the target group e.g. Students, teachers, educational authorities, mahiia
sangha members, non forma! education groups etc.} ..not appiicabie in your case.
♦
discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
I have also requested three other participants in this area { Sr.Mary Jacob, Mr. AmalSusjiirai z
James and Mr.Satish Samuel {Addresses and phone nos attached } to come to /f place at^
noon of the 31st of January. It is not possible for Dr. Sreedhar to visit every body, but like this,
he will be able to meet every-body, hopefully. You can leave in the evening for your respective
place. If you require Lillyan to make arrangements for the night, please let her superior know.
Her address is as follows: Rev. Sr.Superior,Servite Social Service Society,Keelamulaikudi,
Sarcarpalayam,Trichy: 620 010 TAMIL NADU {The phone number has recently changed}.
Please write to Lillyan/Superior to let them know of your arrival and to find out directions to
reach the place. I request you to PLEASE RING US TO CONFIRM THIS VISIT OR SEND US A
TELEGRAM. We appreciate your support and the work you are involved with.
With best wishes from all at INSA/lndia including Sujatha who is on leave.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
(Training)
Rev. Sr.Superior,
Servite Social Service Society,
Keelamulaikudi, Sarcarpalayam,
Trichy: 620 010 TAMIL NADU
January 19,1999
Dear Rev. Sister,
We hope that you are keeping well.This is to let you know that the evaluation of the INSA/india
supported AIDS prevention education projects is underway. In this connection, Dr. Sreedhar is
planning to visit Sr. Lilyan on the 31 st of January, 1999.1 have been trying to ring you up to find
out if this is convenient but the number seems to have changed. We would appreciate it if you let
us know your new phone number ?
Dr. Sreedhar will be arriving in Trichy by the Rockfort Express {T.No 6877} and will arrive in
Trichy early in the morning of the 31st of January. May I request you to make arrangements to
please pick him up from the station ? I have asked him to wait near the ladies waiting room of
the station. He will be at your place on the 31st and will leave to reach Dindigul before 10 pm.
Can you let me know how long it takes from Trichy to Dindigul ? Does the Chennai Kanyakumari
Express { T.No. 6721} pass through Trichy ? He plans to catch that train to go to Kanyakumari
to visit another particpant, Sarasam after visiting you.
The purpose of his visit is to:
♦
gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach and
its effects
♦
study the processes involved in implementing the project {e.g. the problems encountered
by you, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached, and your
feelings when carrying out this project}
♦
observe the educational materials and records you have either prepared or received from
other sources to carry out this project.
♦
Speak to some of the target group e.g. Students, teachers, educational authorities, mahila
sangha members, non formal education groups etc.}
♦
discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
I have also requested four other participants in this area {Sr. Juliana, Sr.Mary Jacob, Mr. Amal
Susairaj James and Mr.Satish Samuel {Addresses and phone nos attached } to come to your
place at noon of the 31st of January. It is not possible for Dr. Sreedhar to visit every body, but
like this, he will be able to meet every-body, hopefully. They will leave in the evening for their
respective places so you won’t have to make arrangements to accommodate them at night
unless they request you. I request you to PLEASE RING ME TO CONFIRM THIS VISIT OR
SEND US A TELEGRAM. We appreciate your support and assistance.
With best wishes from all at INSA/lndia including Sujatha who is on leave.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
Training
sreedhar.doc/ep
Sr. Lilyan Mary,
Servite Social Service Society,
Keelamulaikudi, Sarcarpalayam,
Trichy: 620 010 TAMIL NADU
January 19,1999
Dear Lillyan,
How are you ? We hope that you are keeping well. Lillyan, you are aware that the evaluation of
the AIDS prevention education projects is underway. In this connection, Dr. Sreedhar is
planning to visit you on the 31st of January, 1999.1 have been trying to ring you up to find out if
this is fine with you but the number seems to have changed. When you reply, can you give us
your new phone number ?
Dr. Sreedhar will be arriving in Trichy by the Rockfort Express {T.No 6877} and will arrive in
Trichy early in the morning of the 31st of January. May I request you to please pick him up from
the station ? I have asked him to wait near the ladies waiting room of the station. He will be with
you on the 31st and will leave to reach Dindigul before 10 pm. Can you let me know how long it
takes from Trichy to Dindigul ? Does the Chennai Kanyakumari Express { T.No. 6721} pass
through Trichy ? He plans to catch that train to go to Kanyakumari to visit Sarasam after visiting
you.
The purpose of his visit is to:
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach and
its effects
♦ study the processes involved in implementing the project { e.g. the problems encountered
by you, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached, and your
feelings when carrying out this project}
♦ observe the educational materials and records you have either prepared or received from
other sources to carry out this project
♦ Speak to some of the target group e.g. Students, teachers, educational authorities, mahila
sangha members, non formal education groups etc.}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation.
I have also requested Juliana, Mary Jacob, Amal Susalraj James and Satish Samuel {Addresses
and phone nos attached } to come to your place at noon of the 31st of January. It is not possible
for Dr. Sreedhar to visit every body, but like this, he will be able to meet every-body, hopefully.
They will leave in the evening for their respective places so you won’t have to make
arrangements to accommodate them at night unless they request you. They will be writing to
you also. LILYAN, PLEASE RING ME TO CONFIRM THIS VISIT OR SEND US A TELEGRAM.
We appreciate your support and assistance.
With best wishes from all at INSA/lndia including Sujatha who is on leave.
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Programme Director
Training
areedhar.doc/ep
CATS ADDRESSES.
1.
Mr. Anal SusatraJ James.
Community Health Department,
Reaching the Unreached,
G. Kalupatti,
Ganguvarpatti P.O.,
Periyakulam Taluk,
Madurai District,
'mLLL_NADU__-_624203.
STD - 04546 - 36230
Fax - 0091 - 4546 - 36282.
2.
Mr. Satish Kumar.
Arogya Agam,
Aundipatty,
Vaigai V.A.il. District,
^MiL_NADU_-_625512.
STD - 04546 - 42306~
Fax - 04546 - 44311.
5o
Sr. Juliana.
Bon Secours Convent,
Velanganni,
TAMIL NADU - 611111.
STD - 04365 - 63439 (Office)
Residence - 04365 - 63446.
4.
Sr. Hary Jacob.
Roly Cross Convent,
Caneshapuram P.O.,
Nainakka 1,
Salem District,
TARIL NADU - 637002.
STD - 04286 - 22552.
Sr. Lizzie
Nirmala Hospital
Marikunnu,
Calicut
KERALA: 673 012
January 19, 1999
Dear Lizzie,
Thank you for calling to let me know that Dr. Sreedhar would be welcome there. As
discussed in an earlier letter, this is to let you know that the Evaluation of the AIDS
prevention education projects supported by INSA/India is at present underway. He will be
arriving from Trivandrum on the Malabar Express { T No 6329 }on the 3rd of February,
1999 morning. In Trivandrum, he will be meeting both Naomi and Susan.
The purpose of his visit is to :
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS
prevention
education
project
supported by INSA/India, its reach and effects.
♦ study the processes involved
in implementing this project {e.g. the problems
encountered, the successes, your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached
and feelings when carrying out the AIDS prevention education project}
observe the education materials and records you have prepared and/or received from
other sources to carry out this project
♦ speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc.; either in the
schools or in their houses}
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
Lizzie, I request you to pick up Dr. Sreedhar from the station. I have revested him to wait
by the Ladies waiting room in the station so that it will be easy to spot each other. Also,
please book him on a private luxury bus from there to Bangalore for the 3rd February
night.
INSA/India values all your help and support. We do appreciate the good work you do.
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who is at present out of station
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
•Jrccdhar dnc.'cp
Ms.Sucila Pandian,
Community Action For Social Transformation
Poothathankuudierruppu,
Thiruviruthanpalli,
Cheranmahadevei,
Tirunelvelli District,
Tamil Nadu 627 414
Dear Sucila,
January 19, 1999
We hope that you are well. It was nice to write to you after such a long time. As discussed in an
earlier letter, this is to let you know that the Evaluation of the INSA/India supported AIDS prevention
proJects ,s at present underway. In this connection Dr. Srcedhar will be visiting the team
at K.S S.S. in Chunkakadai on the 1st of February '99. He would be interested in having discussions
with other participants in the area. Sucila, would it be possible for you to send either Murugan or
Nargis to K.S.S.S on the 1st of February ?? They could reach there by 12 noon and leave by 5pm of
the same day. I have informed Sarasam and Rev Fr. Servatius about their reaching there at noon
They have already gone there once for the CATS workshop in March last year.
The purpose of his visit to Sarasam is to:
------------------- ---
♦ gauge the extent of implementation of the AIDS prevention education project, its reach and
effects
❖ study the processes involved in implementing this project {e.g. the problems encountered the
successes your experiences, planned and unplanned results reached and feelings when carrying
out the AIDS prevention education project}
y
❖ observe the education materials and
records you have prepared and/or received from other
sources to carry out this project
speak to some of the target group { students , youth club members etc ■
cither in the schools or
in their houses}
'
♦ discuss other matters of relevance to this evaluation
them
heT7TOt ue able t0 meet the target 9roup' but through discussions, he will be able to
A^ T Ve/pX^s73^ some of
°f your visual aids,
3idS' reC
°rdS
phot°graPhs to help
records
Contact Person at K.S.S.S. is Ms. Sarasam or Rev, Fr. Servatius. Please write to them and let
them know that you are coming. Also let us know. It would be nice if you could also go but I know
Kass
With best wishes from all at INSA/India, including Sujatha who
Yours sincerely,
EDWINA PEREIRA
Asst. Program Director
Training
stevdlitir dvc/'vp
is at present out of station.
BOOK POST
<
IFI
February 1999
For Private Circulation only
Vol. 3 No. 4
■>
Points of View /
e) eJ
The HIV/AIDS Newsletter
A TREATMENT OF CARE
PROFESSIONALS FOR POSITIVE INTERVENTIONS
In August of ’97, Mr.Narayana Swamy aged
about 30-35 years reported to the
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery at the Government Dental College,
Bangalore. He was in extremely bad
physical condition. He was examined in the
OPD and it was confirmed that he had
suffered a poly trauma as a result of a road
accident. On further questioning it was
revealed that he had initially been admitted
to a private hospital where he was kept in
the Intensive Care Unit for 2-3 days under
observation and routine investigation
(including a blood test). He was suddenly
discharged without explanation which was
what brought him to a government hospital
seeking help .He underwent a thorough
general check up and was referred to the
other departments in order to get his
various problems treated. From the
examination in the Dental Department we
observed that his lower jaw was broken in
two places- known as Bilateral
Parasymphysis Fracture (compound type).
Meanwhile we did the routine blood
investigations including those for Hepatitis
and HIV.
We were not amazed when we discovered
that he was HIV+ as we had prior
experience of handling such cases that had
been rejected by the private hospitals.
Knowing well that HIV is not transmitted
through saliva, sweat or mucous secretion,
we undertook the treatment of this
‘rejected’ patient. He was treated as an out
patient and it was done without surgery
(closed reduction). The steps involved
were: the two operators used disposable
masks, gloves, gowns, eye-protection
glasses and they used bactericidal/
virucidal solution for scrubbing their hands
before and after treatment.
The lower and upper jaw were
anaesthesised by injecting local
anaesthesia using a disposable needle and
syringe.
As the patient was poor we happened to
treat the fracture with minimal expense. We
used ordinary stainless steel wires of
26-28 gauge, elastics and Erich Arch bar
which is a modified stainless steel plate
used to align the fractured jaw.
THE PLANNED TREATMENT
On the first day he was given oral hygiene
aids to enable him to keep his mouth clean.
The small intra-oral wounds were cleaned
with germicidal/ virucidal agents. The cut /
lacerated oral wounds were sutured with
great care.The patient was then rested for
2 days and was given higher antibiotics as
prophylactic and therapeutic measures.
During these 2 days proper planning was
done to promote inexpensive, good and
efficient treatment. The Arch Bar was fixed
to the upper and lower jaw using stainless
steel wires. The plates were connected
together with the elastics which brought the
jaws into position.This traction was given
upto a period of 24-48 hours. He was
instructed not to open his mouth and he
was on a liquid diet. After 48 hours the jaws
were examined.The elastics were replaced
by wires and a check x-ray was taken to
ensure that the fractured part was in
position. It was in position so it was
maintained so. Regular check-ups were
done every once in 7 days for up to 6-8
weeks and this was supplemented with
good oral fluids and hygiene aids. The
weekly progress led to an initial reduction
and later discontinuation of the antibiotics
and analgesics. After 6-8 weeks of Inter-
Maxillary Fixation, final x-rays were taken
to confirm primary/ fibrous healing after
which the jaw binding wires were removed
leaving the arch bar in place. Initially the
patient had difficulty in opening his jaw as
there was a muscular spasm due to the
prolonged period of the mouth being
closed. This in turn was corrected by
advising him to do some exercises for
15-20 days. A final x-ray revealed good
healing of the fracture.Then the remaining
Arch Bar was removed and he was on a
soft diet for a month after which he went
back to regular food.
It was wonderful and fulfilling to see
a person with a cheerful face; that
which had been robbed earlier on
due to unethical ignorance and
discrimination. We made a joint
effort to inform his family about his
condition educating them on
matters of precaution. This is just
one of the many people who come
to us shunned and hurt. We need to
stop and think. People living with
HIV/AIDS need our support and help.
This is best medication we have and
the most meaningful one we could
give them.
The whole treatment was supported,
encouraged, operated and treated by
our HOD, Dr. Jayaprasad N. Shetty,
Dept, of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery, Govt. Dental College,
Bangalore.
Assisted by Dr. V. Sreenivas Prasad,
Post Graduate student, Dept, of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgery, Govt.
Dental College, Bangalore.
Deepjyothi
- A Positive People’s Newsletter
DAYBREAK
I need to take you back to a time
before my infection. I was in my late
teens. My ties with the head of the
family was strained. I made my own
decisions relating to life and my future.
It was a carefree existence. I had a
good job overseas, worked hard
without much of a social life.
Things changed with the discovery of
my positive status. Depression,
loneliness and aloofness were my
companions. Hope was destroyed, I
was direction-less without any interest
for a while. Life was tough. Things
changed for me. I lost my job because
of my status and was immediately
deported back to India. Suicidal
thoughts plagued me and I made futile
attempts with crime. Anger towards
my family and society consumed me
and so I left home.
Life today in
Foundation ....
Freedom
Today I have my basic needs
provided for. I am now in a place
where I can provide care and support
to those in need. The different levels
of rejection due to the ignorance of
our community at large, and death of
other positive people have
emotionally moulded my suffering. I
have received encouragement and
motivation to pay a lead role in
creating awareness and facilitating
acceptance of people who are positive
with the hope of having a community
that will respond with care and
support to those who are / will be
infected. It has been a deep spiritual
journey that has induced a positive
attitude within me and has enabled me
to realize my true self. My relationship
with my family is restored and
interaction with the society
strengthened, My hope today is
focused on leading a productive life.
This has become my work ; my
commitment to the cause is primary.
I want to be an encourager. I am
involved in awareness programs
highlighting issues like : prevention,
basic human right of positive people,
the gravity of this issue. We need to
eradicate the stigma associated with
HIV and bring about behavioural
change in today's world.
forge alliances between health
professionals and various groups and
organisations outside of the health
system. A majority of those who are
infected today are young adults who
are at the peak of their productive and
reproductive lives. They generally
have dependents, young and old,
dependent on them for education,
social support and moral guidance
After their premature death, the
elderly are forced to fend for
themselves while trying to raise a
generation of orphaned children. It
threatens basic human rights such as
medical confidentiality, security of
employment, the right to privacy and
human dignity.
No other disease affects
human society in this way or
to this extent.
I do not deplore my positive status now
for being here has been a positive
experience in my life. I write this not
simply to share my life but to
encourage you to search your hearts,
look and see the light at the end of the
tunnel.
The way I see it ....
HIV/AIDS has brought about an
opportunity for positive social change.
It enables us to learn about sexual
behaviour,
gender
relations,
importance of human rights, individual
and collective responsibilities and
create a community involvement in
health care and development. It is an
opportunity to build bridges and
JAMES D.D.
FREEDOM FOUNDATION
180, Hennur Cross
Off. Hennur Main Road
St Thomas Town Post
Bangalore 560 043
Please write in with your comments / queries for information, counselling, safe blood, care and support to
AIDS FORUM-KARNATAKA
C/o Madhyam, No. 1, 10th Cross, 10th Main, Vasanth Nagar, Bangalore - 560 052.
Tel : 080 225 3889 Fax : 080 528 7903 E-mail : aidskar@mahiti.org
Website : http://www.hivaidsindia.org
J
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SfiMRHKSHH
SAMUHA is a development agency
working in the South Indian State
of Karnataka. It was formed in
1986. SAMUHAs goal is to improve
the quality of life of the people
we work with and to do this within
defined periods of time.
SAMRAKSHA was initiated by
SAMUHA in December 1993 to
combat the growing HIV epidemic.
The dual objectives of this project
are:
• to control and contain the
spread of HIV infection among
a defined vulnerable target
population, through education,
awareness and the promotion
of safer sex;
SAMRAKSHAs counsellors refer
clients to the Asha Kiran care and
support programme for other
services.
In addition, these services are
available at the following outreach
points:
• SAMRAKSHA office
• the STD clinic at Victoria
hospital;
• TB Sanatorium
• the Microbiology department
at Bowring and Lady Curzon
hospital;
In addition the counselling team
offer training in HIV/AIDS
counselling to professionals &
volunteers.
EDUCATION AND
AWARENESS
• to provide counselling, care
and support to those already
infected and their families.
Bangalore city has been the initial
operational area, and work in
Raichur district has evolved as a
separate project due to its different
needs.
COUNSELLING
r
SAMRAKSHAs primary focus is
to offer counselling and support
to those people who are vulnerable
to HIV infection as well as to people
living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and
their families. This involves
preventative, pre and post-test
counselling. PLWHA and their
families are also followed up by
the counselling team.
SAMRAKSHA is also involved with
educational programmes on HIV/
AIDS for male/female undertrials
at the Bangalore Central Jail three
time a week.
The focus for educational
programmes is on reaching those
populations who do not appear
to have access to media messages.
We are also working in garment/
tailoring units, youth hostels and
with construction workers as our
baseline information indicates that
these groups are vulnerable to
HIV/AIDS infection.
TV ads giving out HIV/AIDS
messages are being telecast on
DD1 and Siti Channel. Theatre
slides with HIV/AIDS messages
have been prepared and will be
shown in the near future. We also
conduct educational programmes
Fact Sheet
on request from other agencies
or as support to existing
programmes.
VULNERABLE PEOPLES
PROTECTION PROGRAMME
SAMRAKSHA is also involved
with a programme for the protection
of sex workers in Bangalore city.
The main activities associated with
this programme are intensive
educational work with women sex
workers, backed up with condom
distribution and STD clinic referrals.
This is one of our most challenging
programmes because the sex work
scenario in Bangalore is very
complex. There is no defined red
light area, so women are a hidden
population, scattered all over the
city in innumerable small groups
of three and four. There is no
informal or underground network
connecting them. We also educate
sex workers who are remanded
at the State Home for Women
with information on STDs and
HIV/AIDS.
SAMRAKSHA is also reaching out
to men who have sex with men
and the transsexual community
with information on STDs and
HIV/AIDS, methods of prevention,
condoms and STD referrals.
We are also aware that the clients
of sex workers are really the
consumers in condom promotion
and also the decision makers. If
safer sex practices are to become
a reality, we really need to target
this elusive and invisible population.
A project of
AJeillfJflS
SHMUHR
INFORMATION AND
DOCUMENTATION UNIT
—
■W
\T
s
The unit collects and disseminates
HIV/AIDS information. Collected
material is from books, journals,
newsletters, newspaper clippings,
video and audio cassettes and
from the Internet. A Bibliography
is also available. As part of the
"AIDS Forum - Karnataka" the
l&D unit takes responsibility for
the production of a HIV/AIDS
Newsletter, Question & Answer
column, pamphlets and posters.
Information is also given through
visits to the SAMRAKSHA offfice,
by correspondence and over the
phone.
0)
0)
*«*
c
□
o
>
ASHA KIRAN
CARE AND SUPPORT
WELL WOMAN CLINIC
5
6
This programme offers PLWHA
care and support services
according to the different stages
of their illness. The services
provided include
• A weekly medical consultation
at the Seva Clinic.
• Hospital outreach and Home
Based Care.
• Short stay residential facilities.
• Access to a self-help group.
• A network of referrals to other
agencies and institutions.
Asha Kiran staff also offer tailor
made training programmes in care
and support to PLWHA, their
families and other institutions/
agencies.
SAMRAKSHA also looks at
improving the Reproductive Health
of Women.
The Well Woman Clinic provides
clinical services for gynaecological
problems and STD diagnosis and
treatment.
It also provides
Reproductive Health Education,
counselling on STD and
implications of HIV infection.
The immediate target groups have
been women in general population
and sex worker groups.
The WWC staff have become
involved in training other NGOs
to set up similar services in other
areas of Bangalore.
Would you like to Volunteer?
Can you help us fulfill the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS?
Do you want to make a contribution ?
If you would like to know more about us, please contact R. Elango / Sulekha K.
SAMRAKSHA
Monday to Saturday 9 to 5 pm
402, G Floor, Block 4, Ranka Park Apts, 4, 5 & 6 Lalbagh Road, Bangalore - 560 027
E-mail: samraksha@samuha.ernet.in Web site : http://www.samuha.org
© 2238297
WELL WOMAN CLINIC
(ONLY FOR WOMEN)
Tuesday and Thursday 2 to 4 PM
Chellarams Maternity Hospital, 1st Floor, Opp. Abhinay Theatre,
BVK Iyengar Road, Bangalore - 560 001.
SEVA CLINIC
Every Thursday 12-30 to 1-30 PM
37, St. John's Road, Bangalore - 560 042.
© : 5512375
The tentative schedule for the GL study team is as follows:
BANGALORE:
Mr. Manohar, Sabrang will be coordinating with Good As You, Manasa, Samvada and
others.
Date
Time
Organisation/groups/
individuals
10 am to
12.30 pm
Team briefing
at Hivos
Accomodation
Hotel Rama, 40/2,
Lavelle Road, B’lore-01
Tel: (080) 2273311
Bangalore
28.3.99
29.3.99
Place of Visit
Hivos, No.20, Vittal Mallya Road,
B’lore-01
u
Tel: (080) 2210514
30.3.99
Time to be
confirmed
by the team
Samraksha,
Bangalore
L
io
30.3.99
1 pm
Samvada,
Bangalore
30.3.99
Evening
Hotel Rama,
Bangalore
Samraksha
No.402, Ranka Park Apartments,
Ground Floor, 4th Block,
4,5 &6, Lalbagh Road
Bangalore - 560 027
Tel: (080) 2238297/ 2279318
Contact Person: Mr. Ilangovan
________ S*Vj i tkfrw___________
Samvada
No.33, Grace Home Apartments
9th Cross, Wilson Garden
Bangalore - 560 027
Tel: (080) 2234475
Contact person: Ms. Anita
u
Sabrang
.
Email: sabrang@rnailcity.com
Tel: (080) 6688214
Contact person: Mr. Manohar
31.3.99
Morning Time to be
confirmed
by the team
Hotel Rama,
Bangalore
Mr. Ramdas Rao
233, 6th Main
4th Block Jayanagar
Bangalore - 560 011
Tel: (080) 663 9414
31.3.99
Evening Time to be
confirmed
Contact
Mr. Manohar
Bangalore
Ms. Saraswathi
Manasa
119, West of Chord Road
II stage, Mahalakshmi Puram
Bangalore - 560 086
31.3.99
Evening Time to be
confirmed
Bangalore
Good As You
Contact person: Mr. Mahesh
Dattani
u
Tel: (080) 665 7386
1.4.99
Yet to be
confirmed
Bangalore
Mr. Sanjay
Tel: 336 6105
1.4.99
Yet to be
confirmeJ
Bangalore
Dr. Shekar Seshadri
Yet to be
confirmed
Bangalore
1.4.99
Tel: 664 2121
Dr. Latha Hemchand
Tel: 6633116
a
1st Evening Dep. To Chennai by 9W 446 a3t 16.10 hrs. Stay at Hotel Woodlands
CHENNAI:
SIAAP will be Coordinating with SWAMM, IHWO, Sahodaran Office, Mr. Gnanasekharan
and others.
Date
Time
Place of Visit
2.4.99
Morning
SIAAP,
Chennai
2.4.99
1.30 pm to /
3.30 pm
ICWO,
Chennai
Mr. Hariharan, India
Community Welfare
v
Organisation, Plot No.1369,
yx18^ Main Road, 6th Street, I
pV Block, Vallalar Colony, Anna
Nagar West, Chennai -40
2.4.99
4.00 pm
IWID,
Chennai
Ms. Martha Pushparani
IWID
E2, B Block, 4th Floor
109, G.N.Chetty Road
T.Nagar
Chennai - 600 017
Organisation/groups/
individuals____________
Mr. B. Sekar, SWAMM
5, Natarajan Street,
Balakrishna Nagar,
Jafferkhanpet, Chennai -83
Accomodation
Hotel Woodlands
72-75, Dr. Radha
Krishnan Road, Mylapur,
Chennai - 600 004
Tel: (044) 8273111
u
Tel: (044) 826 0689
3.4.99
Morninp
V'
3.4.99
VO
Afternoon
SIAAP,
Chennai
SI.AAP
65, Kamraj Avenue
1sl Street Adyar
c
Chennai - 600 020
Tel: (044) 441 6141
u
Chennai
Sahodaran Office, 127,
Sterling Road. 13t Flooi,
Opposite Loyala College,
Chennai - 34
Tel: (044) 825 2869
u
Mr. T. Gnanasekaran, Trichy
u
u
£
4.4.99
Yet to be
Confirmed
y Chennai
s \ ft r- '’ ' V"
4.4.99
Yet to be
Confirmed
Chennai
Ms. Geeta, SNEHIDI
4.4.99
Willing to *
meet if Team
has the time
Mr. Shaun to
contact
Chennai
Mr. Ossie Fernandez
Tel: (044) 235 3503
Chennai
“ARFI
4.4.99
.
V
£ - ^4
-£>034
ouse.
4th Evening Dep. To Delhi by 9W 624 at 18.10 hrs. Stay at Maharani Gu
DELHI:
Ms. Pramada Menon will be coordinating with Stree Sangam, PFI, Dastakar, TARSHI,
Saheli, DARE and Aarambh
Date
Time
Place of Visit
5.4.99
9 am to 12 pm
Delhi
Accomodation
Organisation/groups/
individuals____________
Stree Sangam
Email:calerie@hotmail.com
Maharani Guest House,
No.3, Sunder Nagar
New Delhi-110 003
Tel: (011) 4693128 or
4693134
Contact person: Ms. Pramada
Menon, The Campaign
’Support Group
5.4.99
12 noon - to be
confirmed by
Shobha on
1.4.99
Delhi
S'V
Ms. Vina Mazumdar
CWDS, 25, Bhai Vir Singh
Marg (Near Gole Market)
New Delhi-110 001
Tel: (011) 334 5530/ 3365541;
Ffci Vet
__
Psychological Foundation of
India (PFI)
u
5.4.99
3 pm to 4 pm
Delhi
5.4.99
4 pm - tg^be
cpnfirMed by
Shobha on
367X39
Delhi
Ms. Deepa Nag Choudhari
Programme Manager
MacArthur Foundation,.
No.55, Lodi Estate
New Delhi - 110 003
Tel: (311) 461 9441
6.4.99
9 am to 11 am
Delhi
Dastakar
6.4.99
2 pm
Delhi
TARSHI
Contact: Radhika/Prabha
0" fyr
Tel: (011) 4610711
X__
6.4.99
3 jDm to 5 pm
&
7.4.99
Delhi
NAZ Foundation
Email:anjali@naz.unv.emet.in
A pl- A/
Gs
Delhi
v jo
7.4.99
2 pm to 3.30 pm
Delhi
DARE
7.4.99
4 pm to 6 pm
Delhi
Aarambh
2
a
)
'I
r
8th Morning Dep. To Mumbai by 9W 334 at 8.00 hrs. Stay at Hotel Athithi
MUMBAI:
Ms. Shalini will be coordinating with Forum against Oppression of Women, India Centre
for Human Rights and Law.
Date
Time
Place of Visit
8.4.99
2 pm to 5 pm/
Evening
Mumbai
Organisation/groups/
individuals_________
Stree Sangam
Contact person: Ms. Shalini
Tel:(022) 401 0482
9.4.99
9 am to 12 noon
9.4.99
2 pm to 4 pm
9.4.99
5 pm to 6 pm
Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai
Accomodation
Hotel Athithi, No.77,
A&B Nehru Road,
Vile Parle (E)
Bombay - 400 099
Tel: (022)6116124/25/26
India Centre for Human
Rights and Law
5th Floor, CVOD Jain High
School, 84, Samuel Street,
Dongri, Mumbai -400 009
Tel: (022) 370 2592/
379 0699_______________
Dr. Chitra Subramanian
Counselling & Allied
Services for Aids,
Lokmanya Nagar, K. Gadgil
Marg, Mumbai - 400 028
Tel: (022)444 5647
u
u
Ms. C.S. Lakshmi
SPARROW
B-32, Jeet Nagar, J.P.Road
Versova
Mumbai - 400 061
4=
Tel: (022) 632 8143
10.4.99
11.30 to 3 pm
Mumbai
Mr. Ashok Row Kavi
Humsafar Trust
Email:humsafar@vsnl.com
Tel: (022) 646 3590
10.4.99
4 pm
Mumbai
Ms. Sandhya Gokhale
Forum against Oppression
of Women, 29, Bhatia
Bhavan, Babrekar Marg,
Off Gokhale Road
Dadar (west)
Mumbai -400 028
Tel: (022) 431 0160
11th April - Mr. Shaun Mellors - Dep. To ppa and Dr. Sreedhara - Dep. to Bangalore.
A
■
16 April - Debriefing at ‘Utam in Hivos, Bangalore.
I
-----
M
GENDER JUST LAWS
bull e t i n
• •y <
.,
No. 2, April 1998
The August 1997 Supreme Court judgement on
Sexual Harassment of working women in the case
INVTMW/V TO
of Vishakha vs. the State of
has initiated de
bate on the issue not just among women's groups,
want to make this bulletin a dySnaitiic medium of exchange and netlawyers and activists; but also among women in the
•<working between groups that are comworkplace. Sexual harassment has now been explic
^rrttted to gender justice/So $end us j? itly legally defined. The guidelines are significant in
:^^:ii^m0nts^viev^, and hews of
that, for the first time sexual harassment is identi
jteyente Iri yoirarea. We hope cfiaiogue
fied as a separate category of legally prohibitive be
xbii the issues raised In these bulletins
haviour.
Considering sexual harassment a separate
■:j^ould be ongoing through such
jijftidhiceti.oriijWe would also like to ex*: ::: legal offense is important not because it is less seri
j'^perlment with the possibility of differs ous (as some have argued), but because it is taken•Siit^toype ’guest editing* the bulletin: < less seriously.
orva specific Issue, a group ' The critical factor in sexual harassment has been
:.::d0eply irivolved with the issue would
identified in the guidelines as the unwelcomenessol
iybe invited (dr could volunteer) to edit;: the behaviour. Thus it is the impact of behaviour on
::;The next issue of the bulletin will be i the recipient rather than the intent of the perpetra
;:;on WwORKERS&THE LAW, and >; tor should be considered. By doing so they conform
^jSanlaap (Calcutta) has agreed to be
:j:fhe; guest editor. Articles or news for .< to the internationally accepted standards for sexual
vjjliis.JssiOe Can be sent directly Iq; :;; harassment. However, as experiences both in India
and in other countries shows, the complainant has
<:§anlaap, or to us at ICHRL by June
to prove the "unwelcomeness" of the behaviour.
30th J998.
Anything less than a clear rejection of sexual ad
vances could then create problems. Particularly in
the absence of witnesses or other concrete proof, it often becomes the complainant's word
against the harasser's.
Also notable is the fact that the guidelines have - again in accordance with international
standards - identified sexual harassment as a question of power exerted by the perpetra
tor on the victim. Further, in addition to sexual harassment being defined as a violation of
, the right to safe working conditions, the Guidelines also proclaim it to be a violation of
women's right to equal opportunity in the workplace.
Highlights of the Supreme Court guidelines
were included in the last edition of this bul
CONTENTS
letin as a run-up to this edition. In this edi
tion, we outline the debates on sexual har
Not "just flirting"
2
assment in the international context and in
2
Landmark
Judgements
.India. We include reports of cases; and the
International Debates
3
response of women's groups and trade un
What
the
laws
say
4
ions to the Supreme Court guidelines. Po
What the women say
5
tential strategies for implementation of the
What
the
trade
unions
say
12
Guidelines , and other interventions to
"No means no" (or should!)
15
wards comprehensive legislation on sexual
Reality
check
15
harassment are presented. There is also a
Strategies for handling
pull-out pamphlet on "myths" about sexual
sexual
harassment
16
harassment, and strategies to deal with it.
NOT
"just
flirting"
The types of sexual harassment include:
I. Verbal or physical contact with the Intention of sexual relations
A. Quid pro quo - i.e., “in exchange" for favours such as promotions, employment
perks, better grades, etc; The power of the person in authority (employer, super
visor, professor, etc.) to sexually harass increases in direct co-relation to lack of
organization of the potential victim group. Women labourers m the informal sec
tor, temporary workers, students, women in institutions for the mentally / physi
cally handicapped, etc. are among the most vulnerable groups.
B. Sexual hamss^nt by col^a^ues
C. Sexual harassment byclients-particularly in professions where women's role
is‘sexually packaged’- such as air hostesses, workers in beer bars, etc
D. Sexual harassment of women In authority - to undermine the position of
women. Recent - arid increasing- cases of newly elected, active women mem
bers of panchayats being stripped naked and paraded - are examples
11. Sexual objectification of an Individual though sexual relations not intended
This includes not only work situations, but also harassment in other public or social
situations - for example, on the roads m colleges etc This can also include negative
comments like “you’re fat7 ugly* etc.
111. Hostile, anti-woman environment-(pornography in public places, foul language
etc.). This may not be directed at any woman employee in particular, but the effect on
women is one of discomfort.
1 a 11d nui rk j u d gemen ts on sexual harassment in India
OFFICIAL STATISTICS (1991): 1 WOMAN MOLESTED EVERY 26 MINUTES
These statistics refer to the reported cases. If the unreported cases were to be added, it
would probably be a question of seconds, not minutes. As women's groups know all too
well, many women who come for assistance do not register their complaints. For the women
who do, it is only in the past three years that there have been significant victories. Even
then, it has taken the women who have won these victories at least 10 years of tortuous
court process.
N. Radhabai vs. D. Ramachandran
Rupan Deol Bajaj vs. K.P.S. Gill
In 1973, Radhabai, secretary to
D.Ramachandran (the then State Social Wel
fare Minister) protested against his abuse
A senior IAS officer, Rupan Bajaj was
slapped on the posterior by the then Chief
of Police in Punjab, Mr. K.P.S Gill at a din
ner party in July 1988. Despite the general
public opinion that she was "blowing it out
of proportion", and attempts by all the top
officials in the state to suppress the case, she
pursued it through the lower courts. In Janu
ary 1998, the Supreme Court fined Mr.K.P.S
Gill Rs.2.5 lakhs in lieu of 3 months rigorous
imprisonment, for offenses under Section
294 and 509.
of girls in welfare institutions. He attempted
to molest her; and then dismissed her. In
1995, the Supreme Court passed a judge
ment in her favour, with back pay and ben
efits from the date of dismissal.
S.C Bhatia
Professor in the Department of Adult and
Continuing Education, Delhi University was
finally dismissed in 1992 after a campaign
by women's groups demanding judicial in
quiry into his sexual harassment of several
women.
International Debates On Sexual Harassment Legislation
(Source: CombatingSexualHarassment at Work, ILO Conditions of Work Digest)
Sexual harassment as a criminal offense first began to be recognized by courts in the United
States in the late 1970s. In 1980, the first prohibitory statute was drafted by the Equal Employ
ment Opportunities Commission which issued Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Harass
ment in the Workplace. Other countries followed - either through judgements or statutes - though
many of them have only been introduced in the 1990s.
The debate on where to situate the legal remedy to sexual harassment depends to some extent
on the accepted definitions of sexual harassment, as well as on legal traditions (statutes enacted
if any, or case law) in that country. In countries where sexual harassment is seen as a general
phenomenon, the legal remedy is situated in the framework of criminal laws. In other coun
tries where it is seen as a workplace phenomenon, the civil and /or labour laws framework is
applied. Within the workplace, there is the further question of whether the country's laws rec
ognize quidpro quo and /or "hostile working environment" cases of sexual harassment.
Broadly, then, sexual harassment is covered by four types of laws internationally which are
not necessarily mutually exclusive (i.e., a country can have more than one type of law).
Criminal Law
This framework holds the accused liable irrespective of the
context (workplace or general). It is necessary particularly
for cases of sexual harassment that do not fall within the em
ployment context. The disadvantages of such a law is that it
generally implies a fine levied on the accused; and does not
include compensation for the victim. Further, it does not take
into consideration the discriminatory aspects of sexual har
assment in the workplace, and consequently there is no em
ployer liability.
France is an example of a country with criminal laws prohib
iting quidpro quo harassment. Until the enactment of the Su
preme Court guidelines, India also had only specific crimi
nal statutes.
In 1986, a landmark
judgement in the U.S in
the Vinson Vs. Meritor
Savings Bank case
ruled that sexual har
assment is a violation of
an individual’s right to
equal employment op
portunities, and further
defined the employer as
liable for sexual harass
ment claims.
Civil (Anti-Discrimination) Law
These apply particularly to work situations. In addition to the accused, the employer is liable
for not providing a work environment that is free from discrimination on the basis of sex. The
complainant is entitled to compensatory damages from the employer.
This framework depends crucially on the definition of/z un welcomeness''of sexual harassment.
Each complainant determines what is offensive/ unacceptable behaviour. This has led to con
siderable debate in countries adopting the civil laws framework, on the right to freedom of
expression (pornography and offensive language in public places) vis-a-vis the right to equal
opportunity in the workplace.
Countries which have laws/ judicial decisions within this frame work include United King
dom, United States, Australia, Ireland, Canada.
Labour Law
These laws are applicable in work situations. They have primarily been used in quid pro quo
cases. In these, unfair employment practices have been shown to result from the rejection of
sexual harassment by the complainant. As in civil laws, the employer can be shown to be
vicariously liable. The disadvantage of addressing the issue through only labour laws is that
sexual harassment outside the workplace is not covered. Further the offense may not be seen as
a distinct category of illegal behaviour.
New Zealand has the most comprehensive statutes covering sexual harassment as a personal
grievance in the workplace. Other countries that have judgements on "unfair dismissals" due
to sexual harassment include Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Swe
den.
Tort Law
These are non-contractual, judgement made civil laws, used in cases of sexual harassment on
grounds of mental anguish, negligence, etc.
< 3X
wha t
the
1aws
sa y:
J
sexual
ha rassme nt
in
i nd ia
Amendments to the laws on sexual violence enacted in thd last two decades have failed to
cover sexual harassment. So far, the rather inadequate aprovisions in the IPC and labour
laws continue to be used. We have listed
the relevant sections of the Indian Penal
Analysis of the existing laws in the Indian Pe
Code (IPC) here. We have also included
nal Code by lawyers and women’s groups
other legal provisions under which prosecu
have exposed the following important lacu
tion for sexual harassment can be made nae (aside from the general problems of non
though these provisions have not yet been
implementation; and stereotypical responses
of judges based on myths) which need to be
used to our knowledge.
I.
Indian Penal Code
Section 209, IPC - Obscene acts and songsWhoever, to the annoyance of others:
a) does any obscene act in any public place
or
b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song,
ballad or words in or near any public place
shall be punished with imprisonment of ei
ther description for a term which may ex
tend to 3 months or with fine or both. (Cog
nizable, bailable and triable offense).
Section 354, IPC - Assault or criminal force
to a woman with the intent to outrage hermod
esty - whoever assaults or uses criminal
force to any woman, intending to outrage
or knowing it to be likely that he will
thereby outrage her modesty, shall be pun
ished with imprisonment of either descrip
tion for a term which may extend to two
years, or with fine or both.
highlighted:
The Victorian terminology of “outrage"
and “modesty" is vague and moralistic;
and does not cover the range of be
haviours that are sexually harassing.
The sexual history of the complainant
can (and usually is) brought on record
to disprove her credibility by the follow
ing provision in Section 155 (4) of the
Indian Evidence Act (1872)
Section 155
- Impeaching
the Credibility of witness
(4) When a man is prosecuted
for rape or an attempt to ravish,
it may be shown that the
prosecutrix was of generally
immoral character.
The “intent” of the perpetrator is con
sidered primary, rather than the “effect”
on the victim. The accused can argue
his "friendly" behaviour was misinter
preted by the woman.
Section 509, IPC - Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty ofa woman - whoever
intending to insult the modesty of any woman utters any word, makes any sound or ges
ture, or exhibits any object intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such
gesture or object shall be seen by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman,
shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or
with fine, or both. (Cognizable and bailable offense).
II.
Industrial Disputes Act
Rule 5 Schedule 5 - Cases can
(and have been) argued on the
basis of unfair labour practices
listed in this schedule of the
Shehnaz Mudbhatkal vs. Saudi Arabian Airlines
Shehnaz was subjected to sexual harassment by her boss
in 1985, and dismissed when she complained to higher
authorities. Her case was won in 1996 when the Bombay
labour court judged it to have been a case of unfair dis
missal under the Industrial Disputes Act. It ordered her re
instatement with full back payment, perks and promotions.
Industrial Disputes Act. Such
cases can be filed if an em
ployee suffers unfair dismissal
or denial of employment benefits as a consequence of her rejection of sexual harassment.
However, this would only be applicable in quid pro quo cases.
III. Civil suit
A Civil suit can be filed for damages under tort laws. Hence the basis for filing the case
could be mental anguish, physical harassment, loss of income and employ
ment caused by the sexual harassment.
IV. The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act (1987)
The provisions of this act have the potential to be used in two ways. First, if an individual
harasses another with books, photographs, paintings, films, pamphlets, packages, etc. con
taining "indecent representation of women"; they are liable for a minimum sentence of 2
years.
Second, a "hostile working environment" argument can be made under this act Section 7
of tins Act (Offenses by Companies) - holds companies, where there has been "indecent
representation of women" (such as the display of pornography) on the premises, guilty .
This is a cognizable, bailable offense, with a minimum sentence of 2 years.
wha I
the
women
Dialogues on meaningful legislation
on sexual harassment in India have
until recently been located within
the sexual assault discourse. Subse
quent to the amendments in the rape
laws in the past decade, two detailed
documents were prepared on sexual
assault: the Draft Bill on Sexual As
sault prepared in 1993 by the Na
tional Commission for Women and
the Memorandum on Reform ofLaws
relating to Sexual Offenses prepared
in 1996 by the Feminist Legal Re
search Centre (FRLC), New Delhi.
The former views sexual harassment
as an offence on the continuum of
sexual assault (see box for provisions
of the Bill relevant to sexual
harassmetn). The latter document
critiqued this formulation as dilut
ing die seriousness of the offense of
rape. It instead advocated treating
sexual harassment as an offense
separate from sexual assault. It also
recommended a separate civil law
that would treat sexual harassment
as a violation of the right to safe
working conditions.
The FRLC however, has revised its
perspectives post the Supreme Court
guidelines. (Refer to The Legal Regu
lation ofSexuality - A Double Edged
Sword in this bulletin^
say:
d ia log ues
on
re I or in
Highlights of the Draft Bill on Sexual Assault
(Ad-hoc Sub-committee of National Commission
forWomen, 1993)
❖
Emphasizes the violence aspect of sexual
assault, rather than the sexual aspect,
and articulates a gradation of categories
of violence, and punishments.
❖
Proposes amendment of Section 375 to
cover the range of sexual assault as fol
lows:
Sexual Assault
1. Person commits sexual assault
against another where such person en
gages in any of the activities set out in
sub-section 2(a), 2(e) against the will or
without the consent of the other person
against whom such offense is commu
ted.
2(a).... 2(c)
❖
❖
2(d) Where anyperson with a sexualpur
pose utters any word, makes any sound
or gesture, or exhibits any object orpart
of the body intending that such word or
sound shall be heard or that such ges
ture or exhibition shall be seen by a per
son or intrudes upon the privacy ofsuch
person.
Proposes the repeal of Sections 294 and
509 since they would be rendered redun
dant by the above section.
Proposes that the “burden of proof be
on the accused: i.e., in cases where
sexual assault has been proved, presume
that the woman did not consent in all
cases, not just in cases of custodial rape
(as is currently the law).
The Legal Regulation of Sexuality: A Double-Edged Sword
Ratna Kapur, Shomona Khanna & Shohini Ghosh, Feminist Legal Research Centre, Delhi.
The recent Supreme Court decision in
Vishaka v. the State of Rajasthan (August
1997) sets out guidelines on sexual harass
ment in the work place. The legal defini
tion of sexual harassment provided by the
Court is as follows:
"... sexual harassment includes such
unwelcome sexually determined
behaviour (whether directly or by
implication) as :
Physical contact and advances
A demand or request for sexual
favours
Sexually coloured remarks
Showing pornography
Any other unwelcome physical,
verbal or non-verbal conduct of a
sexual nature".
The Court places an obligation on employ
ers, in both the public and private sector to
"take appropriate steps to prevent sexual
harassment" and "provide appropriate pen
alties" against the offender. The criminal
law should be resorted to where the behav
iour amounts to a specific offence under the
Indian Penal Code. The Court also recom
mends that a complaint mechanism be created in the employer's organization for
redressal of the complaint made by the 'vic
tun' and that such a committee should be
headed by a woman, and not less than half
its members should be women.
The Vishaka judgement is significant at a
symbolic level for its validation of the prob
lem of sexual harassment and recognition
of the fact that it is an experience many
women are almost routinely subjected to in
the work place. As regards the definition,
there are no doubt certain clear cases of
sexual conduct that constitute sexual harassment - for instance, what has been called
quid pro quo sexual harassment, in which a
threat is made or a benefit offered in order
to obtain sex. The employer who tells his
office manager that she will receive a pre
motion if she has sex with him, and the professor who informs his student that she will
not pass the class unless she goes on a date
with him are engaging in this type of sexual
harassment In these situations, certain individuals use their positions of relative
power to coerce or intimidate others in positions of lesser power to engage in sexual
interactions. This type of behaviour, clearly
constitutes sex discrimination and a remedy
ought to be made available to the woman
who is harmed.
The Supreme Court attempts to incorporate
this experience into the law, and redefine
the lines between legitimate and illegitimate
sexual behaviour, to better capture women's
experience of consent. We are of the view
that this is a good thing, but are interested
in raising for debate the recommendation
by the Court to formulate codes, as well as
the broader implications of this decision on
women's rights. We are concerned about the
breadth of the definition and the type of be
haviour that is deemed to constitute sexual
harassment. We are also concerned about
the implications of the decision on sexual
behaviour more generally, and women's
sexual behaviour and conduct more specifically. Our concerns must be considered
within the broader political and cultural
context. This context presently includes a
conservative sexual morality, a BJP govemment at the Centre as well as the increasing
assertion of a cultural nationalism that regards sex and sexuality, their current representations and practices, as external con
taminants which are eroding "Indian cul
tural values and ethos."
Regulatmg Women's Sexual Conduct?
Our primary concern is the impact of the
harassment guidelines on women's human
rights and sexual behaviour. Harassment is
contingent on proving that the sexual be
haviour or conduct in question was unwel
come. But, the history of the legal regula
tion of sexuality should lead us to at least
question the way in which conduct is likely
to be judged. For example, in rape trials,
the courts have long focused on women's
conduct in attempting to determine
whether or not there was consent. And in
the absence of "reasonable resistance", the
courts have over and over again concluded
that the woman must have consented.
There is reason to be concerned that a wornan's conduct in the context of allegations of
sexual harassment may be judged in similarly problematic ways (even though the
standard of proof will presum-
are being uncritically invoked to protect
women from sexual harm. On the one hand,
rape is clearly the sort of sexual harm that
needs to be punished by the criminal law.
However, appealing to the repressive power
of the criminal law to stop an individual
from singing a song or staring is a bit of over
kill. Taking recourse to notions of outrag
ing a woman's modesty does nothing to
advance women's rights to bodily integrity
or sexual autonomy, but reinforce notions
The Role of the Criminal La w
The Court does not suggest that the wrong of sexual purity and honour. This is not to
of sexual harassment be treated as a crimi suggest that staring and the singing of songs
nal offence. And we endorse an approach do not, at times, constitute sexual harass
that the criminal law has only a limited role ment. But we need to ask ourselves whether
to play in regulating sexual conduct. Histori invoking the criminal law is the right place
cally, it has been seen that resorting to the to start or, more importantly, whether it can
criminal law ends up empowering the state change behaviour or help a woman at the
and its institutions, rather than empower- end of the day. Or are we content to have
the State, in par
ticular, the police
monitor the sexual
Takingrecourse to notions ofoutraginga woman's modesty behaviour of its citi
does nothing to advance woman's rights to bodily integrity zens using the blunt
orsexualautonomy, butreinforces notions ofsexualpurity instrument of the
andhonour. This is not to suggest thatstaringand the sing criminal law? The
ing ofsongs do not, at times, constitute sexualharassment. criminal law does
have a history
But we need to ask ourselves whetherinvoking the criminal not
of helping women.
lawis therightplace to start or, moreimportantly, whetherit On the contrary, it
can change behaviour orhelp woman at the end ofthe day has a long history of
Orare we content to have the State, inparticular, thepolice hurting women..
monitor the sexual behaviour ofits citizens using the blunt Mathura's case,
Suman Rani's case
instrument ofthe criminalla w?
and
Bhanwari
Devi's case are but
a few well know examples. Are we
ing women. However, the Court makes spe content with pursuing a criminal law strat
cific reference to the fact that the criminal egy in the hope that one day we will suc
law should be resorted to where the behav ceed, or do we want to take a step back and
iour amounts to a specific offence under the critically reflect upon what women have
Indian Penal Code. Several provisions un gained or lost by resorting to the criminal
der the Indian Penal Code that refer to wom law for redressing sexual harms?
en's chastity and modesty, have been
critiqued by feminists and others as being Employer Drafted Codes
based on an outmoded sexual morality. Un Another associated concern is the fact that
fortunately, several Delhi based women's the codes to prevent sexual harassment are
groups have recently advocated the use of to be formulated by the employer. If the
these provisions as a means to counter a power to evolve these codes is to be in the
range of sexual behaviour from such obvi hands of the employer, then given the con
ous harms as rape to less obvious harms such servative sexual climate in which we live,
as singing a song or staring. These provisions what is to prevent the employer from pro
include section 354 (assault or criminal force ducing a code that encourages gender seg
against a woman with intent to outrage her regation in the workplace. As one retired
modesty), and section 509 (words, gestures judge recently remarked, the codes could be
or acts intended to insult the modesty of a formulated so as to discourage gender in
teraction in the workplace, or encourage the
woman).
It is ironic that provisions based on out establishment of same sex schools
moded Victorian notions of sexual morality and universities instead of co-
ably be less stringent than the criminal
standard). A woman's conduct will be key
in determining whether or not the sexual
behaviour is welcome or unwelcome. Her
dress, speech, demur, personal history and
relationship with the harasser will all be
called into question to determine whether
or not the sexual conduct in question was
indeed unwelcome.
educational institutions. Perhaps more spe
cific guidelines are required which provide
that such sex segregation is not an appro
priate response for dealing with sexual har
assment. Employer liability for sexual har
assment could also discourage employers
from employing women. Of course, this ar
gument can be a double edged sword as it
can be used to argue against affirmative ac
tion measures more generally that are de
signed to provide substantive equality to
those who have been historically discrimi
nated against and excluded from the mar
ket. The point here is simply that sexual har
assment cannot be discussed outside of the
social climate in which it operates and the
manner in which it mediates/determines
sexual behaviour.
talk shows bear witness to the opening up
of sexual speech and the articulation of
"sexual rights". Some examples of these in
clude Bindaas Bol, Balance Barabar, and
Kaam Ki Batein,. Such a development needs
to be encouraged, not curbed. However,
we are of the view that rules and regulations
concerned with prohibiting or regulating
sexual conduct will serve to reinforce the
idea that sex per se is a bad or dirty practice
from which good and decent people ought
to be protected. Such regulations will rein
force the stigma associated with sex
(whether consensual/welcome or non-consensual/ unwelcome).
And things are not going to get better un
der a BJP regime. Indeed there is now a
greater urgency to articulate women's
sexual rights and the rights of sexual minori
ties within such a context as they are so vul
Given the conservative and censorious
sexual environment in which we live, we
submit that the codes will be drafted
and/or used in a way that will inten ...we are ofthe view thatrules andregulations
sify the moral regulation of sexual be
concerned withprohibiting orregulatingsexual
haviour. CFLR has conducted a pre
liminary survey of the possible impli conduct will serve to reinforce the idea thatsex
cations of sex codes in four university perseis a bad or dirtypracticefrom whichgood
campuses that are currently discussing and decentpeople ought to beprotected. Such
this issue. The concerns of those that regulations willreinforce the stigma associated
favour a code range from the fact that with sex (whetherconsensual/welcomeornoncampus rapes go unnoticed and are
consensual/unweicome)
not effectively addressed, to the view
that the campuses should not be a
sexual space per se. The former con
cern is already addressed by the Indian Pe nerable to restrictions and curtailment. A
nal Code under the rape provisions. The fact prime example is in the context of the In
that these provisions have not been effec formation and Broadcasting ministry, and
tive is no a reason to further regulate sexual Sushma Swaraj's controversial effort to im
behaviour, (see CFLR Memorandum on the pose a dress code on female news readers
Reform of Laws Relating to Sexual Offences, during the BJP's 13 day regime in 1996 or
March 1998). In the latter case, if sexual ac her current effort to prohibit condom adver
tivity on campus is to be completely imper tisements 'between the sheets.' Remember
missible, then the university should make also the recent disapproval expressed by the
such a declaration. However, it is our belief mayor of Delhi, Shakuntala Arya, of hug
that people will oppose such regulations or ging and kissing in public, which she regards
declarations as they will discourage rather as a debauched Western practice. Sugges
than encourage dialogue between die sexes, tions that the definition of sexual harass
ment is deficient and recommendations to
and therefore be undesirable.
the National Commission of Women that
"sexual
favours...sought by homosexual or
Wha t happened to Sexual Righ ts ?
lesbian
employers from employees of the
A further concern emerging through our
tentative survey is that when people are same sex" also be included, seem to validate
asked to identify sexual wrongs, their lists our concerns that the sexual harassment
are endless. However, when they are asked cod es\ regulations will be used to reinforce
to identify sexual rights, that is, what kind a conservative sexual morality. And the cur
of sexual conduct should be allowed on cam rent right wing context will only intensify
pus, there is a debilitating silence. The in this approach.
ability to speak about consensual sexual re
lationships, or consensual sex is not new. But A Tool for Censors?
things are changing. Television and radio Another concern is the extent to
which sexual harassment laws and codes sexual autonomy, the right to freedom of
will end up being a tool in the hands of the association, and the right to freedom of ex
censors. The application of these laws in pression, which includes speech and attire.
other jurisdictions has revealed that sexual Arguing in favour of rights at the end of the
harassment is a lot more about sexuality and day is a necessary step towards women's
a lot less about harassment than might first empowerment Without it, any argument in
appear. The experience of a hostile work favour of sexual restrictions will invite
environment depends on the subjective ex greater moral surveillance and state scrutiny
perience of the complainant. If the com of the citizens' sexual behaviour.
plainant is offended by pic
tures of the Mohenjodaro
dancing girl put into a diary,
We need to promote a culture ofsexual rights that
or the display of M.F.
Hussain's nude Saraswati,
women are entitled to enjoy, [which] wouldinclude the
under such codes, it can be re right to bodily integrity, the right to sexual autonomy,
moved for offending the sen the right to freedom ofassociation, and the right to free
sitivities of the employee.
dom ofexpression
These examples are all too re
cent and too real for us to ig
nore.
The questions that still require greater de
We need to learn from our experiences in bate amongst lawyers, judges, human rights,
lobbying for reforms in the rape law and and women's groups, is that in constantly
domestic violence laws. The law or legal raising issues of sex and sexuality in the con
regulations will not be interpreted accord text of violence, harm or injury, are we not
ing to a feminist understanding. The mean just reinforcing the stigma associated with
ing ascribed to such rules will depend on sex and the broader attitudes towards sex
the traditional perceptions about sex and as something bad and corrupting? What is
sexuality, in particular, female sexuality. We the responsibility of these different constitu
need to question whether we are not argu encies towards contributing to the creation
ing for sexual rights from the wrong end of of a healthy sexual environment, by sup
the stick in constantly focussing our argu porting women's sexual rights? The Vishaka
ments on the need for curtailment and re judgment marks an important first step in
striction of sexual behaviour and conduct. addressing concerns that affect most
Are such arguments not more appealing and women. There is a need to ensure that wom
seductive to those in favour of a more puri en's rights to equality in the workplace are
tanical sexual environment?
not secured at the cost of or set up in oppo
sition to their rights to sexual autonomy,
Questions for Debate
freedom of speech and association. The
We need to promote a culture of sexual questions being raised in this article are in
rights that women are entitled to enjoy, and tended to ensure that sexual harassment
our efforts should consciously be directed concerns are effectively addressed in sup
towards that end, and not focussed exclu port of and not at the cost of women's hu
sively on sexual wrongs. This would include man rights.
the right to bodily integrity, the right to
TESTING Ground
Ammu Abraham, Women's Centre, Bombay
The sexual harassment of a female crew mem- dence to substantiate their penal action:.:;>;<
Per of Air India by a male crew member in De- The points to be noted here are that the:legal
cember 1989 in Rome has ted to what could be representative the workman sought to bring In
a test case for many aspects of the problems was a prominent criminal lawyer in Bombay and
faced by working women.-It raises a number of that the aim was mainly hostile cross-examinaissues about the odds that have to be faced by tion of the complainant. The status of the com
aworking woman who decides to register a corn- plainant in the inquiry is only that of a witness,
plaint: and fight the case. It also brings up ques- She does not have the right:to: be represented
tions about the interaction of criminal law. Jabour by her own lawyer and cannot even get a copy
law and worker's rights and the Supreme Court of the proceedings. This is indeed the principle
guidelines seeking to prevent sexual harassment in criminal lawproceedings A rape victim 1$ only
in the work place.
a witness and the public prosecutor leads the
In early 1990, after a protest demonstration or- evidence for the State white the defendant’s tewganized by several women's groups and organi- yer cross-examines the “witness”, trying to take
zations at their main office in Bombay, ^0:^: ? her story and her past to pieces. But shobld the
India management charge sheetedthe employe^ ; same procedure and principles apply also to a
and conducted a domestic inquiry. Wpnijbh-0T domestic inquiry on the complaint of a working
groups had demanded at that time that the man- woman so that prominent criminal lawyers can
agement should consider sexual harassment at be brought in to “cross-examine’' the complainthe workplace to be serious misconduct and spell ant, presumably questioning her character and
it out as such in the Rules and Regulations. Air conduct and pastsexual history, thus effectively
India, without changing anything in their
: putting the complainant tethedock? Why is repand Regulations, brought to bear on thp Jncirj resentation that workmen and women get dur* >
dent an existing clause about misconducfand ing inquiries for other forms of mispb.d^u^ not
indecent behaviour. The in-house inquiry unani- sufficient in this case? In the Air India case, a
mously found the workman guilty of serious mis- criminal complaint has also been filed, though it
conduct and his services were terminated.
has not come up in the courts all these yeafS;
Eight years later, this inquiry is going to be con- Does the complainant / witness have to go
ducted all over again in the Labour court. The through the humiliation of the domestic inquiry,
male crew member had challenged his termina- the criminal proceedings in the court if any and
tion and the inquiry findings before the Central also labour court inquiry? Will any working
government industrial tribunal in 1996 on mainly woman or any woman stand up to three inquirsix grounds
tes spread over 8 years? In shorty itis not clear
1) that he was not allowed legal represenwhy in-house inquines have to proceed along
tatlon at the inquiry,
the same linesas proceedings in a criminal
2) that he had not been provided copies of
court This will not empower women workers to
ail pertinent documents,
register complairits pr leadtogenderequality-lri'::
3) thafthe inquiry committee filled up
;:
the workplace<The Bombayfiigh Cpu^a^nlacunae in the case by asking prolonged
firmed the need for re-conducting the inquiry on
clarifications from the main witness,
the ground that the Air India inquiry committee’s
4) that the complainant/witness had tarnprocedure for eliciting clarifications from the witness runs into a lot of pages, that therefore it
pered with the evidence,
5) that the charge sheet was converted
was an attempt to fill up the lacunae In the management case and ftis ’’vitiates0’ the whole in
from Regulations to Standing Orders
quiry. The Supreme Court judgement asks for a
and
whole mechanism of grievance procedure to be
6) • that the inq uiry report was given to him
set up by managements to give justice to vicalong with conclusions of the punish
ment to be imposed denying him the tims of sexual harassment at the workplace,
chance to challenge the findings.
Penal action is called for, but not prescribed. If
He argued that the inquiry was against the prin- all penal action in such cases can be chaldples Of natural Justice and the findings of the lenged in the labour courts and freeh inquirinquiry officer perverse and that he should be ies ordered on technical grounds, there is
re-instated with back wages and continuity of need for much greater clariflcat/ons about
service. While rejecting most of the workman s the points raised here. The questions raised
arguments, the tribunal accepted that principles by this case point to some of the lacunae in the
of natural justice were indeed violated when the Supreme Court judgement at the level of impleworkman was not allowed legal representation mentation. TheAfrlndia case^
and that the findings were "perverse" because edent for the: vVay. infwhicti cri^^^
there was no "proper’ cross-examination. The law and the procedure for ddnipsticjhqulries
tribunal wanted the hearing to be re-held in the teract in future cases of sexual harassment of
Labour Court with the management leading evi- women workers.
Questioning The Guidelines
widening
Since the onus for setting up the Commit
tee appointed for investigation of sexual har
assment complaints is on the employer, the
uppermost concern of women's groups is
whether these cases will be taken seriously.
Another important question is legal basis of
the inquiry conducted by the Committee.
Would it be based on criminal law proce
dures (where guilt has to be proven beyond
all reasonable doubt) or on civil law proce
dures (where the less stringent "balance of
probabilities" is used to establish guilt)? In
Supreme Courtguidelines discussed at the Sixth
National Conference of Women's Movements
(Ranchi December 1997)
THE
SCOPE
At a meeting called by Sakshi (Delhi) and
Forum Against Oppression of Women
(Mumbai), the guidelines were shared with
60-65 women. Identifying ways to widen the
scope of these guidelines to include other
institutions and contexts was at the core of
the discussion.
It was suggested that the
phrase "other responsi
ble authorities" be inter
preted broadly when
Within the rural context, thepossibility ofelected mem constituting the Com
bers ofthePanchayatsetting up such Committees to in mittee - that is, not just
quireinto cases ofsexualharassmentin the village/block restricted to "employ
ers". Within the rural
wassuggested. Anothersuggestion was the Construction context, the possibility of
Workers Tripartite Boards (employers, workers, andgov elected members of the
ernment) currently being constituted shouldset up the Panchayat setting up
such Committees to in
Committeefor women construction workers.
quire into cases of sexual
harassment in the vil
lage/ block was sug
either case, inquiry into the victim's mor gested. Another suggestion was the Con
als and sexual history has not been explic struction Workers Tripartite Boards (em
itly prohibited as admissible evidence.
ployers, workers, and government) cur
Further, the lack of defined criteria by which rently being constituted should set up the
the NGO for the Committee will be selected Committee for women construction work
could be a loop-hole. This could be used by ers.
employer's to set up dummy or "stooge" There was also some debate on whether
NGOs to cater to their requirements.
women's groups should, with the guidelines
Women's groups are also looking for ways as support, push for enacting a bill on sexual
to include sections of women who have not harassment. However, representatives of
been explicitly covered in the guidelines - Sakshi were against this move. They argued
particularly women workers in the informal that until the guidelines are actually imple
sector, women in institutional settings such mented and its scope tested, it would be dif
as schools & colleges, homes for orphans, ficult to offer a comprehensive critique and
mentally & physically handicapped etc, and alternative suggestions.
even women sexually harassed within fami
lies.
TKAIN CAMPAIGN TOK WOMEN'S
SAEETY
WHILE
TRAVELLING
Returning from the Ranchi conference, a woman was
assaulted on the train. A common experience for women
travelling. This time though, she, and the women with
her protested. And they continue to do so in an ongoing
campaign launched by Jagori, Nirantar, Sakshi and other
women's groups in Delhi this March Sth. New Delhi Rail
way station was the venue for a unique celebration of
International Women's Day. Women spent the day past
ing posters inside train compartments and handing out
pamphlets to travellers and railway employees. They
have urged the Railway trade unions to actively take up
the issue.
what
I he
I raclt'
Within the formal sector, trade unions have
largely been the guardians of male working
class interests. Women's concerns therefore
have a low priority on their agenda, and
sexual harassment has not been taken up as
an issue until recently. However, it is only
in cases where an employer or manager is
accused of sexual harassment that the issue
might be addressed by the union. Male trade
union members perceive a "conflict of in
terest" in cases of worker-worker complaints
of sexual harassment. That is, they fear that
such cases would be used with punitive or
divisive purpose by the management. Fur
ther, often the victim herself may be too
scared of the union to complain to the man
agement
Public Sector Units and Government depart
ments can now be forced to implement the
Supreme Court guidelines but given
u mons
say
their disempowering working conditions,
woman unionists are afraid of the male
backlash if stringent punishments are applied. As the women employees of
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited said
in an interview to Jyoti Punwani: "If the
committee [on sexual harassment] has the
guts to punish those who tease us, who will
protect us from them when we go home at
night?" (Jyoti Punwani, "A Welcome Rec
ognition." The Hindu)
Punwani canvassed the opinions of law
yers and trade union activists and found a
genera) skepticism about the value of the
guidelines. Some saw its usefullness as a
deterrent, and as a measure for creating
awareness at the workplace. Others em
phasized the need for training of women
to recognize sexual harassment and guard
against it, and for training of men on what
is offensive behaviour.
TKADC UNION RCSPONSIBILITY TOWARDS WONCN
WORKCRS - TH€ CASE OF SCXUAL HARASSMENT
Sujata Gothoskar
Women and Trade Unions - the background
Trade unions have historically been an im- opened out to women. (Rohini, Sujata and
portant organizational form for workers, Neelam, 1983). However, the attitude and
including women. They have over the years structure of the trade unions were no less
struggled for issues that concern the work- patriarchal here than elsewhere.
ing as well as living conditions of workers. For women, work has always meant much
Yet unfortunately, the history of trade un- more than the eight or nine hours at the facions is also a history of exclusion of various tory, office or farm. It means a large part of
sections of workers, including women. In the time spent at home as well. The work as
the earlier period, trade unions worked well as the anxiety involved in translating
against the interests of women — by exclud- the wage earned into a cooked meal, a clean
ing them from membership, by campaign- home and healthy household members is
ing against their entry into wage work, and neither shared nor taken into account, nor
by isolating them. (Lewanhak, 1977). Where is the impact of housework on paid work
it was no longer possible to continue with considered seriously by unions. So, "work
this exclusion, due to pressure both from the issues" in a broad sense a kept beyond the
women and form the employers, men at purview of unions.
tempted, often successfully, to confine and On the other hand, work issues in a nar
segregate women to jobs which were graded rower sense as restricted to paid work are
lower than those of men. (Walby, 1986). The taken up only conditionally as we saw in the
early twentieth century therefore witnessed earlier period. By conditionally is meant that
the formation of several women's trade un they are addressed when they do not con
ions in Britain as a reaction to women's ex flict with the interests of other sections of
union membership.
clusion from the existing trade unions.
Trade unions in India were strongly influ- Hence, in effect what gets addressed in trade
enced by the labour movement in Britain unions by and large could be considered the
and were formed at a time when the major lowest common denominator of
British trade unions were already being problems faced by workers, i.e..
not the specific issues that concern the less
dominant but only the most general issues.
The result is that trade unions end up sup
porting the existing social hierarchy with
out challenging any of the elements that
constitute it. It is in this larger context that
we must examine the response of trade un
ions to the Supreme Court Guidelines on
sexual harassment
The Issue ofSexual Harassment
In a meeting organized by a newly formed
central trade union in March 1998, one ex
perienced trade unionist, who heads a un
ion which used to have a large membership
of women till the recent Voluntary Retire
ment Scheme introduced by the manage
ment, said about the recent Supreme Court
Guidelines on Sexual Harassment : "They
are attacking the working class by different
methods. Now they are bringing a new Act
against sexual harassment of women. When
there are not enough jobs, where is the ques
tion of sexual harassment?"
There are several strands to this statement.
There are several strands that this statement
ignores.
A legislation that purports to "protect"
1.
women workers and give them rights
against being sexually harassed is seen
as an attack on the working class and
trade unions. This could mean that
women are not a part of either and it is
only male workers who are represented
in both. It could also mean that man
agement will also "use" women to vic
timize male workers and unionists.
There seems to be no recognition that
2.
till today employers and male workers
have been victimizing women without
any compunction.
There is also no recognition of the fact
3.
that in a situation where jobs are scarce,
women are most vulnerable and will
be forced to tolerate any sort of harass
ment for the sake of retaining the job.
(Gothoskar, 1990).
This is happening today, especially in
the unorganized sector where women
have to keep quiet whether the perpe
trator is the employer, the supervisor
or a colleague. It is a common experi
ence with women whose jobs are inse
cure that they are forced to agree to and
put up with inhuman and undignified
written and unwritten rules inorder to
continue to earn for themselves and
their households. The large majority of
women are today in work situations
where they are more or less completely
4.
unorganized. No trade unions repre
sent the interests of these sections of
women.
The assumption is that where trade
unions do exist, they represent the in
terests of all or at least the majority of
workers and protect the interests of all
sections of workers or at least the more
dominant or vocal ones.
By and large, historically as well as in
the current scenario, organized work
forces are dominated by men workers,
except in very few sectors like nursing
.Also, historically, unions have been
dominated by men. This more often
than not, tilts the power equation
against women.
Not many actual cases have been reported
where unions have taken a stand on the is
sue of sexual harassment. Here we will look
at a few of those that were either "discov
ered" in the course of discussions with
women workers, or those where women
took the initiative and fought it out at vari
ous levels.
In a large multinational company in Bom
bay, a woman employee who was not a un
ion member was being continually harassed
by one of her male colleagues who was a
union member. The harassment reached
such a level that she had to lodge a police
complaint. The evidence against the man
was overwhelming, and he was suspended
from work. The union demanded that the
suspension be revoked or alternately, the
woman who had complained because she
was harassed be also suspended. Ultimately
the man was taken back to work.
(Gothoskar, 1992)
In another diamond processing company in
SEEPZ, where there were two factions of the
union, a woman worker was targeted and
sexually harassed by demeaning graffiti on
the walls of the women's toilet. The "mo
tive" apparently was to silence her and
make her withdraw from being active in the
union.
The common experience of women work
ers in several industries has been that "....go
ing to trade unions or other men has not
helped; whilst their employers have at
tempted to curb sexual harassment or bring
the culprit to boom. Trade unions have
taken the issue lightly with either a repri
mand or with indifference. This is true of
other unions as well. Older work
ers especially women usually
help out by reprimanding and appealing for
better behaviour. But complaining to the
boys never works. He and his friends will
challenge and pick up a fight with the eve
teaser...." (Gandhi, 1997)
This leaves women rather vulnerable. Given
the "special interests" of women in the case
of sexual harassment, in terms of being dif
ferent and possibly antagonistic vis-a-vis
those of at least some male colleagues as well
as vis-a-vis the employer, separate pressure
groups within unions possibly with the co
operation of women's organizations - need
to be instituted. This may ensure that wom
en's voices are not lost when they need to
raise them the most.
REFERENCES
1. Gandhi, Nandita. The DiamondProcessing
andJewelleryIndustiy-a Report Monograph,
WWOS of FREA-ISS, Bombay, 1997.
2. Gothoskar, Sujata. Declining employmentof
women in the organizedsector. Workers Solidarity Centre, Bombay, 1990.
3. Gothoskar, Sujata. Struggles ofwomen in the
Pharmaceuticalindustiyin Bombay, in Struggles of Women at Work, Vikas Publica
tions, 1992.
4. Gothoskar, Sujata. Women workers and la
bour unions in Sites of Change, FES, New
Delhi, 1996.
5. Lewanhak, Shiela. Women and trade un
ions, Ernest Benn, London and Tonbridge,
1977.
6. Rohini, Sujata, Neelam. My life is one long
struggle Pratishabd Publications,
Belgaum, 1983.
7.
Walby, Sylvia. Patriarchy at Work,
Polity Press, London: 1986.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Anonymous. "How elite is elite: Women in the Civil Services." Manushi, No.56,1990,
pp 18-21.
International Labour Organization. Combating SexualHarassment at Work Conditions
of Work Digest, Volume 11, ILO, Geneva: 1990.
Kapur, Naina. "Equal but different Sexual Harassment in India". Symposium on Wom
en 's Rights at the Workplace: Emerging Challenges and LegalInterventionsProceedings and
Select Papers/Presentations. Ed. Asha Bajpai; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 1997.
Kishwar, Madhu. "Sexual Harassment: Ways to Obtain redressal at the workplace."
Manushi, No.69,1992, pp 17-19.
Kishwar, Madhu. "Sexual Harassment and Slander as Weapons of Subjugation."
Manushi, No.68,1992, pp 17-19.
Kapur, Ratna & Shomona Khanna. Memorandum on Reform ofLaws relating to Sexual
Offenses. Centre for Feminist Legal Research, New Delhi: 1996.
Mackinnon, Catherine. Sexual Harassment of Working Women. Yale University Press,
New Haven: 1979.
Punwani, Jyoti. "A Welcome Recognition." The Hindu (Madras), 7 September, 1997.
Sandler, Bernice. "Strategies for Handling Sexual Harassment" from About Women on
Campus, Excerpted in Women's International Network News^2>-A Autumn, 1997, pp 37.
Seddon, Vicky. "Keeping Women in their place." Marxism Today, June 1983.
Vetticad, Anna. "Workplace Nightmare." India Today, December 15,1996.
This edition ofthe GenderJust La ws Bulletin has beenprepared by Bina Fernandez.
Acknowledgements are due to MihirDesai Nandita Shah, and GomathyN.Bfortheir
comments and contributions.
Published by: India Centre for Human Rightsand
INDIA
CENTRE
FOR
HUMAN ’RIGHTS
AND
LAW
5th Floor, CVOD Jain High. School, 84 Samuel Street, Dongri, Mumbai 4000 009
Tel.: 370 2592, 379 0699
E-mail: huright@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in
"no means no" (or should!) : myths about sexual harassment
a
"She's saying no, but she really means yes"
- the Hindi film heroine image re-inforced
in film after film where the hero chases an
initially reluctant heroine around the trees,
singing and dancing - ultimately persuad
ing her to fall into his arms. Men are "ex
pected" to make the first moves in court
ship, and women are equally "expected"
passively receive male attention. This is the
most pernicious myth about sexual harass
ment - it's just "normal male flirting" and
women are being "over-sensitive". All
women are supposed to "like" this male at
tention. Women who are beautiful, western
ized, wear revealing clothes, are single or
divorced supposedly "ask for if'. To con
sider such "attention" as unwelcome and
offensive to a woman would require a shift
in thinking for many men.
Even when sexual harassment is accepted
as inappropriate behaviour, it is often seen
as a "personal problem" - i.e., a problem
between the two individuals involved. If
anything, it is viewed as the woman's prob
lem in not being able to maturely handle the
situation. The reality is that it is a pervasive
public problem, needing public solutions. It
is also an employer problem because of the
costs of sexual harassment to employers of
absenteeism, low productivity, employee
turnover, legal fees and damages to victims
in the case of law suits.
Another common assumption is that
women use sex to get ahead - i.e. sleep their
way to the top. A variation on the theme is:
women misuse claims of sexual harassment.
In other words, "she said yes, and now she's
saying she meant no - she's doing it for per
sonal gain". Some have argued that it is
women's subordinate position within the
workforce that compell some women to use
sex to further their careers. Further, while
this may be true for a handful of women,
the majority of women suffer sexual harass
ment in silence.
Linked to the idea of women using sex as
coinage is the myth that prostitutes cannot
be sexually harassed. Sex is their work, and
quite literally they "ask for if'. In reality, sex
workers are regularly harassed by the po
lice who extract sex as a form of blackmail.
Further often a sex worker can be harassed
by a client with whom she may chose not to
have sexual relations. Women sex workers
too, should - but don't - have the right to
say no to sex.
"Men cannot be sexually harassed" - is an
other notion that needs debunking, since
sexual harassment is inextricably a question
of power. A harasser is usually someone in
a position of power. While incidences of
men actually being harassed by women are
few - primarily since the percentage of
women in positions of power over men re
mains small in a patriarchal society. How
ever, there have been cases of men being
sexually harassed by men. In a recent case,
Joseph Oncale a young entrant to an all male
oil rig in the U. S was sexually harassed by
his supervisor (The Telegraph, Calcutta, 28
January, 1998). Ruling in Oncale's favour,
the Justice department argued that the pur
pose of the law prohibiting sexual harass
ment was to make a person's sex irrelevant
in the work place.
reality check: the effects of harassment on women
Loss ofjob - A woman may quietly quit or protest and quit Most women are ulti
mately forced to the point where they leave their job or are dismissed because they
resisted. For some women however, changing their situation by changing their jobs
is not an option due to the fear of unemployment.
Psychological rape- in many cases, women go through the same reactions as they do
post rape: nervousness, loss of self-esteem & confidence, humiliation, avoidance,
changing dress and behaviour, guilty feeling that somehow they "caused the behav
iour"
Restriction on women's mobility vis-a-vis late night shifts and public transport
Victim turned into wrong doer as her complaint is invariably turned on its head by
slander against her morals and character. The threat of being pushed from the
"izzatdar bahu beti samaj" to the "patita samaj" by slander effectively
silences w om en (K ishw ar, Manushi, No.68).
S'
st rat cedes
t. )
for
handling
sexual
harassment
By: Bernice Sandler; Excerpted in Women's International Network News23-A Autumn, 1997, pp 37.
The idea behind many of these strategies is to break the cycle of sexual harassment by
doing something unexpected. Not everyone will be comfortable with all of these responses,
nor are all appropriate for every situation. Some harassers will keep on harassing no mat
ter what you do or say.
The Sexual Harassment Notebook: Buy
a notebook and write in bold letters on
the cover "Sexual Harassment". When
the behaviour happens, take out the note
book and casually state, "Could you say
that again? I want to write it down."
Make a big show of asking for the date,
time, etc.
The Sexual Harassment Research
Project This is a variant of the Sexual
Harassment Notebook and is particularly
helpful in dealing with recurrent sexual
harassment, including by a group..
7 Writing a letter to the Perpetrator.
This technique has been extraordinarily
successful in dealing with sexual harass
ment as well as other forms of interper
sonal conflict. The letter is in three parts:
-first the writer describes what happened
in a very factual manner.... Next the
writer describes how she feels about the
incidents), again without evaluation... Finally, a very short description of what
the writer wants: "I want this behaviour
to sop at once". The letter is sent by certi
fied mail, return receipt requested.
7 Create a Witness to the Beha viour- in
form a trusted colleague and try to insure
that s/he is an eye or ear witness to an
situation where you are being sexually
harassed. This will be useful later if you
chose to file a formal complaint.
7 Naming or Describing the Beha viour.
"That comment is offensive to women; it
is unprofessional, and probably is sexual
harassment. That behaviour has to stop,"
or "This is the third time you have put
your arm around me. I don't like it, and I
don't want you to do that anymore".
7 Pretending Not to Understand. This is
particularly useful with sexist or sexual
remarks and jokes. Keep a deadpan ex
pression and state that you "don't get the
point of this" or "I don't understand what
this means". You follow up by asking the
person to repeat what they just said, and
again claim that you don't understand...
7 The "Miss Manners " Approaclr. "I beg
your pardon!" This coupled with strong
facial expressions of shock, dismay and
disgust can be used whenever you can
not think of anything else to say or do. A
variant of this is "I can't believe you ac
tually said that!"
7 Keep a diary or some sort ofrecord if
sexual harassment happens more than
once or ifyou experience a serious inci
dent write down the date, time, place,
witnesses, what happened and what was
your response. Months later it might be
important to remember these details.
7 Don't ignore sexual harassment in the
hope that it willgo away. It won't'. When
women ignore sexual harassment, it is of
ten interpreted as a sign of approval
7 Talk to others:. You are probably not
the only one who is being harassed by this
person. Virtually all harassers are serial
harassers...
7 Readyou institution's or office policy,
brochures and any other materials pub
lished oii sexual harassment. This may
help you understand more about sexual
harassment and help you decide how to
deal with it.
7 Send a copy of the institution policy
brochure to theperson who is makingyou
uncomfortable, with the appropriate sec
tions underlined
Ifyou are a member ofa labour union,
talk to your union representative
V Report the beha viour to the appropri
ate person, such as the individual in
charge ofsexualharassment atyourplace
of work. You can bring a friend with you
if that will make you feel more comfort
able. The person in charge should be able
to offer you options about how the situa
tion could be handled, including formal
and informal actions.
7 File a formal complaint - If informal
methods such as those outlined above,
have not stopped the harassment, you
should file a formal complaint Generally
this is done within the institution / busi
ness. If there is no action file charges with
the appropriate government agency or
explore what other formal actions are
available.
c
NEWSLETTER ON GENDER
JUSTICE & LAW
Issue No. l.December, 1997
INTRODUCTION
At a workshop on Gender Just Laws held at
Mumbai in June 1996, the need was felt to have a
wider debate and discussion on the concrete
aspects of Gender Just Laws and to have an All
India Network of like minded groups to work towards
debating, drafting and campaigning for Gender Just
Laws. Despite very few women having access to
the legal system, the laws have been affecting
various aspects of their lives whether it is
inheritance, streedhan or sexual harassment. It
has been a shared experience that neither the
present laws nor the legal system in its operation
are of much help. At the same time these individuals
and groups, on many occasions have to keep on
coming back to courts for redressal. From time to
time, the courts also do provide some solace to
the women, but by and large the existing laws are
often insufficient and women have been struggling
to change the laws For instance, cases have been
filed challenging the discriminatory provisions
concerning divorce in the Indian Divorce Act,
demanding rights for tribal women in ancestral
property, for repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal
Code, for equal rights for Hindu women in
Mitakshara Joint Hindu Property, for equal
remuneration in various jobs, etc. On some
occasions the courts have also reacted favourably
as happened recently in the Supreme Court
decision concerning sexual harassment. The
legislature has been also promising from time to
time changes in the law concerning women (egs.
Bill of Reservation for Women).
In the following discussions held by some
members of the two Mumbai based groupsForum Against Oppression of Women and
Human Rights Documentation Centre, it was
felt that one of the steps in this direction should
be starting a periodic Newsletter on the issue
, of Gender Just Laws. The object is to initiate a
national level debate on the concrete aspects
of Gender Just Laws so that the discussion
shifts from its present adhoc scattered level to
a more practical, meaningful and relevant plane.
The Newsletter can also act as a link between
various groups interested in working towards
Gender Just Laws. The Newsletter will discuss
the existing laws, its lacunae, the impact of
these laws on women, judicial and legislative
•responses and the proposed changes in these
laws. The Newsletter will also publicise and
report on activities of various organisations
around issues concerning Gender Just Laws and
report on important meetings involving these
issues. We also see the Newsletter as playing
the role of a platform for debate on changes in
law and ultimately as a campaign weapon for
these changes.
The Newsletter will be published as a
quarterly in English. At a later date we would
like to expand this initiative to other languages.
Each issue will be devoted to a specific subject
- such as sexual harassment, matrimonial
property rights/disputes, divorce, reservation,
rights of tribal women, gay and lesbian rights,
etc. We would very much appreciate responses
on the content as well as format of the
Newsletter.
Realising the importance which law plays in
the life of women and the number of groups which
are involved in this struggle, we felt the necessity
of providing a platform where concrete issues
concerning the recent developments as well as
proposed changes in laws can be debated at the
national level so as to make a concerted effort to
react to developments and bring about changes.
This involves two things. Critically examining the
attempts of the legislatures and the judiciary
concerning women related legal issues and to
publicise and discuss various concrete efforts made
by women's groups in the direction of formulating
Gender Just Laws.
In November 1997, at Workshop on Gay &
Lesbian Rights was held a Mumbai, in which
both organisations collaborated. The issue is
becoming increasingly important and legal
challenges have also been mounted. It was felt
that the first issue should be devoted to gay
and lesbian rights. The next issue will be on
sexual harassment and the following issues wil’
be on reservation and women. Any contributions
will be welcome.
i
Situation In Other Countries
In India, male homosexuality has been
criminalised and lesbian relations are not
recognised at all. The question of granting any rights
to homosexuals does not even arise. The situation is
quite different in Western countries where some
countries besides, decriminalising homosexuality
have also enforced anti-discriminatory legislation
while at least 5 countries have gone ahead and
legalised partnerships and marriages between
homosexuals.
with anti discrimination laws. Only the following 11
countries have anti discrimination laws: (I) Canada,
(II) Denmark, (III) France, (IV) Netherlands, (V) New
Zealand, (VI) Norway, (VII) Slovenia, (VIII) South
Africa, (IX) Spain, (X) Sweden. (XI) Finland.
DECRIMINALISATION
South Africa’s new Constitution has a clause
which prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual
orientation, making it the first Constitution of its
kind. Finland made a Constitutional amendment in
1995 making it clear that equal rights to all meant
that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
was prohibited. New Zealand enacted the Human
Rights Act in 1993 which prohibits discrimination
on the grounds of sexual orientation i.e.
heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian or bisexual
orientation. The prohibited areas of discrimination
are as follows: (a) employment,(b) goods and
services, (c) access to public places; (d) education;
(e) land/house and other accommodation (f)
partnerships; (g) vocational training bodies; (h)
qualifying bodies; (h) industrial and professional
associations. Similarly, Canada included sexual
orientation in its human rights act.
France was the first country to decriminalise
homosexuality. It did this in 1791 followed by.
Belgium
and
Luxembourg
in
1792.
Decriminalisation in Hungary and Czechoslovakia
took place in 1961. In England the decriminalisation
took place in 1967 and in Russia in 1994.
In Nicaragua, homosexuality was permittedduring the Sandinista period but after the
conservatives took over, they criminalised
homosexuality again.
Most of the West European countries had
decriminalised homosexuality by mid 20th Century.
Ireland was the last country which decriminalised
homosexuality in 1993, after it was convicted by
the European Court of Human Rights in 1988.
In East European countries the situation is
different but changing. Homosexuality is a crime
in Romania with sentences up to 5 years and at
the moment 50 persons are in jail on the crime of
homosexuality. In Albania homosexuality entails
imprisonment up to 10 years. In BosniaHerzegovinia, Macedonia and Serbia, homosexuals
face up to 1 year of imprisonment.
The situation in most of the third world
countries continues to remain bad. For instance, in
November, 1995 in a Middle Eastern country a man
was ordered to be stoned to death for Sodomy.
Homosexuality continues to be a criminal offence
in most of Asia, Africa and Latin America - the
notable exceptions being Israel, South Africa, Peru,
Hong Kong, South Korea.
ANTI DISCRIMINATION LAWS
In India, homosexuality is a criminal offence
and hence discrimination against homosexuals is
implicitly sanctioned in law. The Constitution
prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, but
does not prohibit discrimination on grounds of
sexual orientation. Under the present law, it would
not be illegal if homosexuals are discriminated in
the matters of housing, jobs. etc.
Norway was the first country to establish such
laws in 1981. France enacted this law in 1985
followed by Denmark, Sweden and Holland in 1993.
Spain has the anti-discrimination law since 1995.
In 1996, the statutory convention of Buenos
Aires adopted a resolution forbidding discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation.
PARTNERSHIP LAWS
Only four countries in the world have
partnership laws for homosexuals. These are:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Denmark;
Norway;
Sweden;
Iceland.
At the same time, the Parliaments of a
number of countries such as Belgium, Finland
and Netherlands are presently discussing
partnership laws.
The Swedish law is a narrow piece of
legislation which was enacted in 1988 which granted
protection to the common house of the couple and
inheritance rights for the partner who survived the
other. Denmark enacted a wider law in 1989
allowing registration of partnerships and by 1994
more than 3000 couples had got married under the
Act, 80% of them being males. In Belgium and
Holland some of the cities have already started
registering marriages between homosexuals.
Even countries which have decriminalised
homosexuality, have not necessarily foliowed it up
2<
Gay & Lesbian Legal Rights
Through this Newsletter we are trying to project
a new perspective about individual rights. Because
we believe each individual’s sexual orientation and
preference concerning companionship is entirely
the choice of the individual concerned. The State
should in fact act in a manner to give much more
freedom for these expressions. At the same time
we should not be misunderstood as meaning that
we are trying to justify gay and lesbian rights out of
a principle of toleration of all kinds of individual
behaviour. Such would be the case if we believed
that homosexuality is unnatural but is to be tolerated
on the basis of individual freedom. This is possibly
the position of some of the human rights organisations
throughout the country. We do not believe that there
is anything deviant or unnatural about being
homosexual but in fact it is as much ‘straight’ as
heterosexuality. It is in this context that we talk not
of liberties and concessions to homosexuals but of
the rights of homosexuals.
Individual freedom and privacy need complete
protection and we do not recognise the State as
the moral big brother. Any law which tramples on
this freedom is a violation of human rights. It is in.
this context that we understand and respect rights
of gays and lesbians. We believe that it should be
an important task of any human rights organisation
to help preserve these rights and to fight against
any curtailment of these rights.
people. An example of this is the following incident
in Delhi which is just one of many such incidents
taking place all over the country.
“There has been a well planned effort by the
Delhi police to arrest gay men under a “Clean up
the Parks” drive. In July 1992, for almost a week,
plainclothes policemen acting as decoys roamed
around Central Park, one of the popular cruising
spots for gays in the heart of Delhi. They
approached gay men - inviting them for a cup of
coffee or a walk and other such seemingly harmless
'acts. When the men accepted, they were arrested
and taken to a police vehicle waiting nearby. In
total. 18 men were arrested within 3 days
This time the police did not use Section 377,
but Sections 92, 93 of the Delhi Police Act for public
nuisance. The campaign ended with a press
conference hosted by the Delhi police. At the press
conference, the police provided to the press the
names and work addresses of those arrested
To protest against the campaign the AIDS
Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (ABVA) an HIV/AIDS
activist group held a demonstration outside the
police quarters. This was the first public
demonstration in defence of gay rights to be held
in India. When the officer in charge was presented
with the memorandum, he was unable to hide his
amusement at what he felt was a non-issue .
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
"Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse
against the order or nature with any man, woman
or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for
life or either description for a term which may
extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to
constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the
offence in this section”
This Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
(1860) criminalises homosexuals acts. This statute
based on the British - Offences Against the Person
Act - (1861) which was subsequently imitated in all
colonised countries including India and Ireland.
In the entire history of this statute from 1860
to 1992, there have been only 30 in the High Court
or the Supreme Court of which,
18 were non-consensual
8 were unspecified
4 were consensual of which 3.were before 1940
15 out of 30 were assault on minors
The current usage of Section 377 is primarily
by the police to sexually harass and blackmail gay
men whom they catch in public areas; despite the
fact that it is a criminal offences to blackmail
With lesbians the situation is even worse.
Though gay men are harassed by police in the parks,
they at least have access to public space, something
which is completely denied to lesbian women. The
silence surrounding lesbians is in itself powerful
evidence of the violation of their rights."
(Excerpts from Anuja Gupta s testimony at the
International Tribunal on Human Rights violations
against Sexual Minorities. October 1995)
Section 377 has also been used especially by
families to intimidate women - particularly in the
cases of women who have run away together, or if
they make their relationship known.
April 18th. 1990, India Today carried the story
of Tarulata/ Tarunkumar who in 1987 underwent a
female to male sex change operation and married
Lila Chavda in 1989. They had met five years
previously, when Tarulata's sister who was running
for elections was campaigning in Dasade. Muljibhai
Chavda, Lila’s father has gone to the Gujarat High
Court saying that it is a lesbian relationship and
that the marriage should be annulled. The petition
contends that, "Tarunkumar possesses neither the
male organ nor any natural mechanism of
cohabitation, sexual intercourse and procreation of
children. Adoption of any unnatural mechanism
does not create manhood and as such Tarunkumar
3
is not a male." Muljibhai has called for criminal
action under Section 377. The Gujarat High Court
has accepted the petition in this case.
August 8th, 1995; The Bombay Times (Times
of India) reported “Another tutor, student ’scandal’" in
which two young women - Parul and Mehernaaz
(names changed in report) ran away from their
respective homes and spent 10 months roaming
around the country (Madras, Calcutta, Siliguri) trying
to live together. Finally they returned to Bombay only
to be put in custody, as a case of kidnapping had
been filed against Mehernaaz by Parul’s father.
Some comments on Section 377
1. It does not distinguish between consensual
and coercive sex.
2. The act of sodomy, and not homosexuality
per se is a cognizable offence.
3. It has not been used in cases against
lesbian women, except for intimidation, and in the
exceptional case of Tarulata / Tarunkumar
described earlier
4 Heterosexual couples engaging in sodomy
can be indicted under Section 377, and this is often
cited by women as a cause for divorce.
5. It is currently being used most actively by
groups working to register cases of child sexual
abuse, since the rape laws do not have the scope.
“Against the order of nature" is broad enough to
include the abuse of children.
The Case for the Repeal of Section 377
First of all, the definition of “unnatural acts" is
Victorian and obsolete. Consensual sex between
two adults (over 18) should be protected by an
individual’s constitutional right to privacy. Further,
section 377 violates Article 14 of the constitution
since it discriminates against persons on the basis
of sex and therefore sexual orientation.
In fact, the extent to which this statute is
antiquated is proved by the fact that it has been
repealed even in Britain, the country of its origin.
Along with the repeal of Section 377, there is
an urgent need for the enactment of a
comprehensive Sexual Assault Law which firstly,
broadens the definition of sexual assault beyond
the limited scope of “penile penetration"
(heterosexual or homosexual); and secondly
differentiates assaults on minors and adults. Such
a law should also determine a common Age of
Consent (18) for sexual activity (lesbian, gay or
heterosexual).
The history of the public debate on the repeal
of Sec 377 begins soon after the release of ‘Less
than Gay', when a petition was moved by Aids
Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan in the Petitions
Committee of Parliament. This has, however,
remained dormant till date for want of a member
of parliament to argue the petition in parliament.
Meanwhile, in 1994, media attention focused on
Tihar Jail where Inspector General of Prisons Kiran Bedi - refused to allow distribution of
condoms to the male prisoners on the grounds that
there was no homosexual activity in the prisons,
and even if there was, the prison authorities would
be encouraging a crime. Aids Bhedbhav Virodhi
Andolan used this incident to initiate a public
interest litigation in the Delhi High Court for the
repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
challenging the Constitutional validity of Sec.377
of the Indian Penal Code.
While Section 377 explicitly criminalises
homosexuality, there are a host of other civil laws
that also violate the human rights of lesbians, gays
and bisexuals on two specific grounds.
One, the way in which the law defines "family"
as a heterosexual unit. As a result, lesbians, gays,
and bisexuals are denied custody, adoption,
maintenance and acquisition of property rights as
in inheritance and succession from partners In
addition, they are also denied several benefits at
the workplace such as gratuity, provident fund,
pension, insurance, compensation for accidents/
death, and health.
Second, under obscenity laws homosexuality
is considered offensive to public morality This
leads to misuse of several civil laws to persecute
lesbians, gays and bisexuals. For instance, the
summary termination of Leela and Urmila, two
policewomen from Bhopal who wanted to live
together was on the grounds of ..."conduct
unbecoming of public servants"
Therefore, the debate within the lesbian and
gay rights struggle is not confined to Sec 377 alone.
There is already a debate and dialogue on
recognition to homorelational partnerships and
families. This was evident at the meeting on
‘Gender Just Laws’ held in June 1996 and in the
national workshop “Strategies to AdvanceLesbians, Gay, and Bisexual Rights” held for the
first time in India in Mumbai. This was organised on
7th- 9th November 1997 by Forum Against
Oppression for Women, Stree Sangam, Human
Rights Law Network, and Counsel Club. It was
attended by 30 participants from lesbian and gays
groups, women's groups, human rights groups and
groups working on AIDS, as well as individuals,
lawyers and activists.
“In the last decade there have been several
reported cases (like Leela and Urmila’s) of people
in same sex relationships wanting to live together.
But they have been denied legal and social sanction
to do so. The discussion at this workshop sought to
redefine the concepts of marriage and family to
include same sex relationships which are a lived
reality for many people.
Besides a nationwide campaign for the repeal
4
of Section 377. other strategies agreed upon to
increase the visibility of lesbians, gays, and
bisexual lives and the movement were:
PETITION FOR THE REPEAL OF SECTION
377 OF THE INDIAN PENAL CODE
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code:
a) To document lesbian, gay. and bisexual
events, activities, histories, etc.
b) To network for solidarity amongst lesbian,
gay. and bisexual groups, women's groups, human
rights activists, health activists and other
progressive groups.
c) To step up support activities for isolated
lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.
d) To initiate a public debate that would create
awareness and remove biases against lesbians,
gays, and bisexuals."
(Excerpts from the press release given after
the national workshop)
We give below the petition drafted for the
signature campaign initiated at this workshop. Please
collect signatures on this and send them to us as soon
as possible preferably by the end of January. If as an
organisation you agree with the petition please write
it on your letterhead and send that to us.
NAME
Violates a person's liberty and privacy
guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
Is arbitrary and oppressive and is therefore
violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.
Criminalizes sexual practices between two
consenting adults.
Is currently being used to blackmail, harass and
intimidate same-sex adult partners.
Is also being used to deny prisoners access to
condoms which is necessary for the prevention of
HIV/AIDS which consequently has serious
implications for public health.
Is an archaic law passed under the colonial
government. It was repealed in England in 1967 and
most countries have repealed similar statutes.
Hence we demand its immediate repeal. We also
ask for enactment of laws for addressing all cases of
sexual assault and non-consensual sexual acts.
INDIVIDUAL/
ORGANISATION
5
ADDRESS
CONTACTS OF GAY & LESBIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN INDIA
(LG) - Lesbian & Gay (L) - Lesbian only (G) - Gay only
Arambh (LG)
P.O. Box 9522,
Delhi
India 110095
Stree Sangam (L)
Post Box No. 16613
Matunga
Mumbai 400 019
Bombay Dost (LG)
105, Veena Beena Shopping Ctr.
Bandra(West)
Bombay, Maharashtra
India
Women’s Network (L)
P.O Box 142, G.P.O
New Delhi 11001
Counsel Club (LG)
C/O Pawan
Post Bag No. 10237
Calcutta. West Bengal
India 700 019
Good As You (LG)
C/O Samraksha
201, 2nd floor. Royal Comer
1&2 Lalbagh road
Bangalore, Karnataka
India 560 027
Humsafar Centre (LG)
P.BNo.6913
Santa Cruz (W)
Bombay 400 054
Voice Mail 91 (22) 972-6913
Friends India (G)
Post Box - 59
Mahanagar
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
India 226 006
Men India Movement (G)
C/O Nikhil
Post Box 885
Cochin, Kerala
India 682 005
Saathi (G)
Post Box No. 571
Putlibowli PO
Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh
India
Sahayak Gay Group (G)
C/O Naresh Bhatti
Laxmi Narayan Sadhan
Prasad Colony, Jathar Peth
Akola, Maharashtra
India 444 004
Sakhi (L)
P.O Box 3526
Lajpat Nagar,
New Delhi 110 024
SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS IN
INDIA
Siddartha Gautam Trust for
Sexual Minorities and
Survivors of Sexual Abuse
85/207 Sajdarjung Enclave
New Delhi
India 110 029
AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi
Andolan
Post Box 5308
New Delhi
India 110 053
Naz Project (India) Trust
Attn : Anjali Gopalan
D-45 Gulmohar Park
New Delhi
India 110 049
SOUTH / ASIAN GAY & LES
BIAN ORGANIZATIONS
Nepal Queer Society
Attn. K.P Sharma
GPO 8975
EPC 5203
Kathmandu
Nepal
Asian Lesbian Network (ALN)
P.O. Box 7-760
Taipei
Taiwan 106
Women Supporting Women
Committee, WEDPRO
Giney Villar, Co-ordinator,
44-43 U.P. Shopping centre
Diliman, Quezon City
Phillipines
Shamakami (L)
P.O. Box 460456
San Francisco
California
USA 94146
Sami Yoni (L)
P.O.Box 891
Station “P"
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5S2Z2
Trikone (LG)
P.O.Box 21354
San Jose, California
USA 95151-1354
Khush Khayal
P.O Box 6172
Station A
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5W1P6
Pazy Liberacion
P.O Box 66450
Houston, Texas
USA 77266
Trikone - Atlanta
787, Ponce de Leon Terrace
Atlanta, Georgia
USA 30306
MASALA
P.O. Box 1182
Cambridge. Massachusetts
USA 02142
SALGA - (Philadelphia)
c/o Action AIDS
1216 Arch St, 4th Fl,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
USA 19107
SALGA
P.O Box 50. Cooper Station
New York, New York
USA 10276-0050
Trikone - Los Angeles
c/o The Center
Admin Box 400
1625 Schrader Blvd,
Los Angeles. California
USA 90028
NAZ PROJECT
Palingswick House
241 King St
London
United Kingdom W6 9LP
SHAKTI
BM Box 4390
London
United Kingdom WC 1N 3XX
6
Sangat
Box 268463
Chicago, Illinois
USA 60626
The following is a summary of the sexual harassment guidelines
judgment passed by the Supreme Court of India on August 13. 1997
prepared by Sakshi (New Delhi):
Sexual Harassment: Definition, Prevention & Related Matters
Alliance for South Asian Alda
Prevention
399 Church Street, 3rd floor
Toronto, CANADA
Of Colour
c/o Gay Lines Calgary
201-223 12th avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta
Canada T2R0G9
INTERNATIONAL GAY & LES
BIAN ORGANIZATIONS
International Gay& Lesbian
Human Rights Commission
1360 Mission Street,
Suite 200
San Francisco, California
USA 94103
International Lesbian
Information Service
Nieuwezijds Voorburgual 68-70
NL 1012 SE Amsterdam
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
International Lesbian &
Gay Association
c/o Administrative office
81B Rue Marche-au-Charbon
B-1000, Brussels
Belgium
In view of the increase of cases reported on sexual harassment of
women, the Supreme Court of India, on a writ filed by women’s NGOs,
has laid down guidelines to obviate such harassment at places of work,
and at other institutions including universities, hospitals and other
professional bodies. In the absence of any legislation, the court has held
that these guidelines shall be legally binding and enforceable. With respect
to employment, the guidelines are applicable to the government, public,
and private sector, and cover women drawing a salary or an honorarium
or working as volunteers. The court has directed all employers and other
responsible persons in workplaces and other institutions to ensure the
prevention of sexual harassment of women and to provide procedures
for resolution, settlement and prosecution of acts of sexual harassment.
Most significant, the Supreme Court has brought sexual harassment within
the purview of human rights violations.
Definition: Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexually determined
behaviour, direct or by implication, and includes physical contact and
advances, a demand or request for sexual favours, sexually coloured
remarks, showing pornography, any other unwelcome physical, verbal or
nonverbal conduct of a sexual nature.
Acts of sexual harassment can be humiliating, can create a hostile
work environment and may constitute a health and safety problem for
women. Employers and responsible persons need to ensure that a woman
objecting to harassment is not disadvantaged in respect to her employment
and promotion.
Prevention: In order to prevent the occurrence of sexual harassment,
the Court has directed employers and persons incharge of the workplace
to take the following steps -
(a)
(b)
International Lesbian &
Gay Youth Organization
P.O. Box 542
NL-1000, AM
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
(c)
(d)
Express prohibition of sexual harassment as defined above at
the work place should be notified, published and circulated in
appropriate ways.
The Rules/regulations of Government and Public Sector bodies
relating to conduct and discipline should include rules/regulations
prohibiting sexual harassment and provide for appropriate
penalties in such rules against the offender.
As regards private employers steps should be taken to include
the aforesaid prohibitions in the standing orders under the Indus
trial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.
Appropriate work conditions should be provided in respect of work,
leisure, health and hygiene to further ensure that there is no hos
tile environment towards women at work places and no employee
women should have reasonable grounds to believe that she is
disadvantaged in connection with her employment.
Complaints:
Employers are expected to set up within their organisation an
appropriate complaints mechanism. The Court has recommended
provision for a complaints committee, a special counsellor and other
support services for handling complaints. With respect to the committee,
the following guidelines have been laid down:
The committee is to be headed by a woman. At least half of the
committee members should be women. To prevent undue pressure from
within the organisation, the committee should include a third party
representative from an NGO or any other body conversant with the issue
7
of sexual harassment. The complaint should be
handled confidentially and within a time bound
framework. The committee is required to submit an
annual report to the concerned Government
department. Employers and persons in charge are
required to report to the appropriate Government
Department regarding compliance with the aforesaid
guidelines.
Disciplinary Action:
Where such conduct amounts to misconduct in
employment as defined by the relevant service rules,
appropriate disciplinary action should be initiated by
the employer in accordance with those rules.
The second issue of this newsletter is being
worked on for publication in February 1998. If you
have views, queries, relavent information and/or sug
gestions please correspond at this address:
India Centre For Human Rights & Law
C.V.O.D. Jain School,
5th floor, 84 Samuel Street,
Paia Gully,
Mumbai 400 009
Tel: 3702592
email: huright@giasbm01 .vsnl.net.in
Other Provisions:
In addition to preventive and remedial measures,
the Court has also stressed the need for awareness
raising in the workplace:
Employers should be allowed to raise issues of
sexual harassment at workers’ meetings and in other
appropriate forums. Sexual harassment should be
affirmatively discussed in employer - employee
meetings. The guidelines stressing the rights of women
workers must be prominently notified.
Criminal Law: In addition to the above the court
has also addressed sexual harassment and criminal
law remedies.
Where such conduct amounts to a specific
a)
offence under the Indian Penal Code or un
der any other law, the employer shall initiate
appropriate action in accordance with law by
making a complaint with the appropriate au
thority.
In particular, the employer should ensure that
victims, or witnesses are not victimized or
discriminated against while dealing with complaints
of sexual harassment. The victims of sexual
harassment should have the option to seek transfer
of the perpetrator or their own transfer.
Contents
Introduction
Situation in Other Countries
Gay and Lesbian Rights
Petition For Repeal of Sec 377
Addresses
Sexual Harassment
Where sexual harassment occurs as a result of
an act or omission by any third party or outsider, the
employer and person in charge will take all steps
necessary and reasonable to assist the affected person
in terms of support and preventive action.
These guidelines are binding and enforceable in
law until such time as the Government passes
appropriate legislation.
1
2
3-5
5
6- 7
7- 8
Editor:
Hasina Khan,
Editorial Team: Mihir Desai,
Chayanika Shah
Ganesh Nochur
Production:
India Centre for Human
Publisher:
Rights & Law
Should you require any further information with
respect to the guidelines, please contact Sakshi at
the following:
Sakshi B-67 South Extension Part-1
First Floor, New Delhi-110065
India
For Private Circulation Only
Suggested Contribution Rs. 5
Tel/Fax: (91-11) 464-3946 Fax: (91-11) 338-1041
e-mail: sakde!@sakshi.unv.ernetin
8
_______ INDIA CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND LAW (1CHRL)_____________
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India Centre for Human Rights and Law is a collective of people's groups, citizens, activists, lawyers
and judges who have come together to form a comprehensive resource centre which focuses on
human rights and law. The Centre looks at human rights in the widest possible way. Human rights as
defined by us include civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights. We are
particularly concerned with human rights issues relating to women, children, tribals, rural poor, dalits,
lesbians, gays, slum and pavement dwellers, unorganised labour, prisoners, consumers and those
affected by environmental degradation and retrogressive development policies.
The Centre's thrust areas are 1) Investigations, 2) Crisis Response and Legal Aid 3) Campaigns, 4)
Training and Education, 5) Documentation and Research, 6) Publication of Educational Material.
1.
INVESTIGATIONS
Contact people: Preeti Verma & Deepika D’Souza
The Indian People’s Tribunal on Environment and Human Rights (IPT) the secretariat of which
is housed at the Centre does investigations into major human rights abuses followed by campaigns.
The Tribunal was established as an alternative “ People’s Court” in 1993 by a collective of social
activists and lawyers who were fed up with the general apathy towards human rights in the judicial
system. Retired Supreme Court and High Court Judges associated with the Tribunal conduct
investigations into crucial human rights violations and environmental degradation. The reports
published are then used by the local groups strengthen their struggle or form the basis for publication
interest litigation. The IPT has undertaken 13 investigations and has been a part of several factfinding commissions.
2.
CAMPAIGNS
• Campaign for Gender Justice
Campaign Co-ordinator: Bina Fernandes
In May 1996 the Centre in co-ordination with the Forum Against Oppression of Women and others
organized a workshop on Gender Justice and the Law. This workshop was organized to draw up a
consensus on removing the inequalities in various laws concerning women including personal laws
and to propose a new legislation.
The ICHRL is actively involved in the follow-up Campaign for Gender Justice. The campaign
concentrates on the following:
• Identifying strategies for advocacy
• Creating and atmosphere for discussion of new ideas and for the implementation of laws
• Information dissemination about Gender Just Laws
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•
•
Establishing issue based networking and linking to existing networks
Collection of resource materials
In the coming year the Campaign will organise workshops as a medium through which dialogue can
be facilitated between various groups, lawyers and activists on issues of women’s rights in the
country As a part of the larger campaign for gender justice, we are also actively part of a Mumbai
level Campaign for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the workplace. The Centre has produced a
poster delineating the Supreme Court Guidelines on Sexual Harassment for the use of the campaign.
As part of the campaign the Centre publishes a quarterly bulletin on ‘Gender Justice and Law’. This
bulletin is the first of its kind in the country and aims at generating a debate on women’s rights.
The Mumbai MedWaste Campaign (MMW)
Medwaste Team: Conan Pereira, Mehzabeen Hoosein & Deepika D’Souza
Medical waste management is a crucial issue as it has the potential to affect the health of the
community, hospital staff and waste handlers. Unsegregated and incorrectly disposed off medical
waste is a hazard to the community. The Centre along with a collective of citizen’s groups initiated
the MMW Campaign. The main objectives of the campaign are:
• To promote worker and community health.
• Through socially and environmentally responsible waste management practises
• By involving all the stakeholders - doctors, administrators, health care workers, ragpickers,
citizens, students, government, and the municipality - in the process.
This is done by creating an awareness about the issue, campaigning for the implementation and
formation of laws and by conducting training sessions for health care facilities to enable them set up
safe waste management systems within their facilities and to conduct research and maintain a database
on the issue.
•
THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUDICIAL REFORM
Campaign Co-ordinator: Dilipkumar Bhaskaran
The Centre in collaboration with the Justice and Peace Commission will be looking at all aspects of
judical reform with special regard to campaigning for speedy justice and judicial independence. The
campaign will initiate a nationwide discussion on the issue and plans to mobilise public opinion
through workshops, meetings and conferences held throughout the country. On the basis of these
discussions a strategy will be developed to get judicial reform implemented.
•
•
The Centre is also an active member of the core group of the following campaigns:
a) Campaign for the Right to Information
b) Campaign to Repeal Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
c) Campaign for the Voice of the Exploited (VOTE)
d) The Campaign Against Nuclear Testing & Armaments
3.
CRISIS RESPONSE, SUPPORT AND NETWORKING
The Centre functions primarily as a crisis response centre by offering victims of human rights
violations and environmental degradation by immediately sending a team or organising a team to visit
the area and reassure the affected people. ICHR1 also helps the affected groups through legal
intervention and advocacy, organising protest meetings, press conferences and by mobilising public
opinion.
The ICHRL is also offers space for various organisations to function from. Some of the organisations
who work from the Centre are as follows:
• The Centre has helped to put up a study centre - REHNUMA - for underprivileged women in
collaboration with Awaaz - E - Niswan. Rehnuma provides a space for women to study, read and
I earn and to grow. For details contact: Hasina Khan, Yasmin Aga, Naseem, Mubina Sheikh.
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4.
CHILDREN’S LAW CELL: The cell focuses on child rights, child sexual abuse and child
prostitution and child labour. The Cell provides legal assistance to all organisations working with
children. It also handles specific cases dealing with the general issue of law enforcement in
relation to street children and children in conflict with the law. Apart from the legal aid the Cell
networks with groups in the country and organises training sessions for these groups on issues
related to children and the law. For details contact. Larissa Fitter & Krist Pereira
TOXICS LINK - Mumbai Branch which functions as a database and clearing house for
information related to Toxics contamination of the environment and occupation. For details
contact: Mehzabeen Hoosein
The Centre works closely with the Human Rights Law Network, Forum Against Oppression
of Women, Stree Sangam, Jagrut Goenkar Chi Fauz, Lawyers Collective as well as large
network of social activists and lawyers dedicated to the struggle for the implementation and
extension of human rights.
In collaboration with the Human Rights Law Network the Centre provides legal aid and
assistance to victims of human rights violations. In the near future the Centre will also be
providing on-line legal aid.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Co-ordinator: Dilipkumar Bhaskaran
The Centre alongwith the YMCA - Central Branch has formed a ’Forum for Social and Political
Debate. The Forum has a monthly debate on issues of contemporary social and political
relevance. This platform is used to voice people's protests, form public opinion and to launch
campaigns. The debates are usually held in the last week on every month. Issues covered till date
have been the Bombay Rent Act, to atrocities on women and children in Kashmir, encounter
deaths in Bombay City and other such issues.
A) For Human Rights and Law: The Centre conducts specialised training sessions for lawyers
and judges on certain aspects on human rights and environmental law. For example people
working with children will be invited for a session on children and the law, application of the law,
international law and the changes required.
B) For Activists and others: In slum areas housing activists are legally trained to oppose
demolitions and to deal with issues such as voter’s rights, ration cards and amenities in slums.
Women activists are trained in family law and property rights; to oppose violence against women,
discrimination and sexual harassment and generally on the legal aspects of gender justice.
In rural areas the legal rights of tribals, agricultural workers and forest workers are taught
particularly in respect of displacement, minimum wages, malnutrition, rights to food and right of
access to natural resources.
Social workers are trained on the rights of children, child labour and on the legal issue relating to
the sexual exploitation of children.
Labour lawyers and trade union activists are trained in the law relating to contract labour, bonded
labour, casual workers and domestic workers particularly in respect of permanency and better
working conditions.
For the enforcement of legal provisions and internationally accepted standards in respect of
prisoners. Sessions are held for lawyers and social workers particularly in respect of torture,
prison conditions and the fundamental rights of prisoners.
Consumers rights education with special emphasis on the rights of the poor such as rights
regarding the public distribution system.
Training environmental groups and activists on environmental law.
Health activists are trained to do public interest litigation and a special emphasis is placed on the
rights of HIV positive persons, the aged and the disabled.
Special human rights lectures are conducted in colleges to generate awareness among youth
students on human rights issues.
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DOCUMENTATION
Documentation Team: Chandana Shetye, Deepa More, Rash mi Divekar,
Urmila Salunke, Amarjit Singh & Rajiv Jadhav
• A special collection on books on the theory and practice of human rights donated by the British
Council
• Dr. A R Desai’s personal collection of books/ documents on human rights
• On human rights violations, that takes place in India and abroad.
• Landmark Public Interest Petitions and judgements
• Publications of human rights organisations such as the U N., Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch, and SOS Torture including international instruments, reports and resolutions.
• Books, periodicals, reports and newspaper clippings on human rights and law.
• Biographies of social reformers, political thinkers and philosophers.
• Publications on philosophy, politics, economics, history, sociology and other social sciences.
• A collection of books on gay and lesbian rights.
• Documentation labour, tribals, women, dalits, housing and children in relation to human rights
and law.
For further details on documentation contact the documentation team: Chandana, Urmila, Deepa,
Rashmi and Amarjit
5.
WEBSITE: www.altindia.net
Web Master - Abhay Mehta
The Centre has created a website to offer space for the voices the Other India. This website is unique
in that it is one of the few which has judgements on leading public interest litigations, the reports on
various human rights and environmental groups, information about people’s groups from all over
India and the work they do. It also has links to various related and interesting sites as well as a chat
room and notice board for posting notices.
6.
PUBLICATION OF EDUCATION MATERIAL
• The Centre is associated with a publication unit, which publishes posters, books and pamphlets
and fact-finding reports on law and human rights.
SPECIAL SERVICES OFFERED:
Apart from the services and activities mentioned above:
• Legal Aid especially for women
• The judgements, petitions and information on prominent public interest litigations.
• Crisis support for people/ groups affected by human rights violations.
• The Centre offers peoples’ groups the facility of putting information about the group, their
reports, activities, campaigns on the World Wide Web through the website run by the Centre.
• Support in form of organising investigations, public meetings and press conferences.
• Research facilities on human rights and law.
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FEEDBACK REQUIRED:
FOR FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT ANY OF OUR ACTIVITIES DO CONTACT THE
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE ACTIVITY
DO PLEASE WRITE BACK WITH YOUR IDEAS, ADVICE AND SUGGESTIONS
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOU VISITING THE CENTRE
TIMINGS: 10:00 a.m, - 7:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00p.m., Sunday Closed
Nearest station: Sandhurst Road Station - Central & Harbour Railway, Grant Road - Western
Railway. Prominent landmark: Budhia Surma Building, Paia Gully of Dongri Char Null
SUPPORT FORM
1 would like to be a member of India Centre for Human Rights and Law
Written below is my name and address: (Please print clearly)
I want to be informed and to participate in your activities
Write your particular field of interest
I would like to volunteer to help the ICHRL with the following work:
If you would like to financially support the ICHRL please send a cheque in the name of Socio Legal
Information Centre. The Socio Legal Information Centre is registered trust with 80g certification.
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PUBLICATIONS LIST
Books:
1)
Women and the Law
lids: Chorine Christine, Desai Mihir, Consalves, Colin,
2)
I lumjinsi - A Resource Book on lesbian. Gay & Bisexual in India
Edited and Compiled by Bina Feriiande^
3)
Towards A National Coalition For Gender Justice, Published in English 1997
Proceedings Of The National Workshop On GenderJust Lmws Held At Bombcy Between
MI5I96 - 2/6196
Rf. 1W.M
4)
Prisoner’s Rights Handbook, Published in English 1996, Revised Edition
fcds: Gonsalves, C., Sakrani, M., & Fernandes, A.
Complementary
S)
Cases On Indian Labour Law, Published in English 1996, Vol. 1 & 2
Eds: Gonsalves, C., Bhatt, R & Matthew, M.
Complementary
6)
Leading Cases On Contract Labour, Published in English 1994, Revised Edition
Ed: Gonsalves, Colin
Rf- 100.00
7)
Rs. 700.00
Rs. 70.00
Leading Cases On Occupational Health And Safety, Published in English 199^
Eds: Gonsalves, C., Bhatt, R, Adenwala, M
Anklesaria K
Rr. 50.00
8)
Environmental Activist’s Handbook, Published in English 1993, Revised Edition
Rj. 200.00
Eds: Singh, Gayatri, Anklesaria Kerban & Gonsalves Colin
9)
Freedom Of The Press, Published in English 1989
Eds: Desai Shobha & Gonsalves Colin
Posters:
Rr. 20.00
Rs. 10.00 (each)
Know Your Rights Posters
Sexual Harassment Posters
Contract Labour Publication: Marathi
a) Communalism Publication: Hindi
b) Criminal Law Publication: English & Marathi
c) (The) New Pension Bill Publication: English
d) Occupational Health And Safety Publication: Marathi
e) Rights Of Under-trials
Proposed Publications:
1) Reservation and the Law
2) Teachers and the Law
3) Environmental Activists Handbook - 3rd Edition
4) Children and the Law
To order any of the above publications please make a demand draft in favour of Socio Legal Information
Centre. For the books that are complementary please could you send us a demand draft to cover postage
only.
THE INDIAN PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON
ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS
tJST OF REPORTS OF FACT FINDING COMMISSIONS
The Plight of the Bargi Oustees
First Report:
By Justice S.M. Daud (Retd. Judge, Bombay High Court)
Second Report:
The Status of the Manibeli Oustees
By Justice B.G. Kolse Patil (Retd. Judge, Bombay High Court)
Third Report:
The Marathwada Earthquake Report - An Enquiry into the Relief
Measures
By Justice R.A. Jahagirdar (Retd. Judge, Bombay High Court)
Fourth Report:
Rajaji - A Preliminary Report on the Rajaji Park
By Justice P.S. Poti (Former Chief Justice, Kerala High Court)
Fifth Report:
Forced Evictions - An Indian People’s Tribunal Enquiry into the
Brutal Demolitions of Pavement and Slum Dwellers Homes
Justice Hosbet Suresh (Retd. Judge, Bombay High Court)
Sixth Report:
Dispossessed, Hunted and Cast Into Oblivion: The Fate of the
Gujarat Oustee.
By Justice S.M. Daud (Retd. Judge, Bombay High Court)
Seventh Report:
Wounded Valley.. .Shattered Souls
An All Women’s Fact-Finding Commission into the Plight of
Women and Children in Kashmir.
Eighth Report:
Jabalpur Earthquake - An Enquiry into Relief and Rehabilitation
Measures
By Justice B.N. Deshmukh (Retd. Judge, Aurangabad High Court)
Ninth Report-Part I: The Attack on the Catholic Hospital Association of India’s
Workers of Nandurga, Maharashtra
Team Members: Deepak Lokhande & Sudhakar Kamble
Ninth Report-Part II: The Report of the Fact-Finding Committee into the Attack on
Pilgrims of Pali-Naigon, Maharashtra
The prices for all the above reports is Rs. 10.00 each except
Jabalpur (English) is Rs. 20.00 and Hindi is Rs. 15.00 each
THE INDIAN PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ENVIRONMENT
AND HUMAN RIGHTS
5th Flooi^ CVOD Jain School, 84 Samuel Street, Dongri, Bombay 400 009
Teh +91 22 3759657/ 3790699 Email: huri^it^^asbmOl.vsnhnetin
The tribunal was established in 1993 as an alternative ^Teoplris Court” by a
collective of judges, lawyers, social activists and NGOs who were disillusioned with
the general apathy m the judicial system towards human rights and environmental
issues. June 5, 1998 marked the fifth anniversary of the IPT.
Retired Supreme Court and Hgji Court Judges associated with the Tribunal
conduct investigations into crucial human rights violations and cases of
environmental degradation. The reports published are then used by the local
groups to further their campaign and strengthen their struggle. On the basis of
these reports, public interest litigations are filed to obtain relief for the victims.
OBJECTIVES
1. To bring environment and human rights issues centre stage and to provide an
alternative vision for both the judiciaiy as well as the public.
2. To investigate cases of gross human rights violations and environmental
degradation and to report, campaign and litigate.
3. To highlight the plight of the oppressed and in particular children, women^
tribals, slum dwellers, workers, prisoners, and to encourage victim communities
to fig^ht for their rights.
STRUCTURE
1.
1.
3.
4.
A Panel consisting of eminent retired judges, academicians, economists,
journalists and others.
From among these individuals, benches are
constituted to enquire into the various issues brought before the IPT. Justice
S.M Daud, JtEtice B.G. Kolse Patel, Justice RA_ Jahagirdag Justice Suresh,
Justice B.N. Deshmukh, Justice Gulab Gupta, Justice Rambushan Mehrotra,
and Justice Basu are some of the members of the IPT Panel
A General Body of supporters comprising of struggje organisations,
professionals, and activists and citizens.
A Council consisting of representatives appointed by the people's groups.
This council guides the affairs of the IPT. The council consists of
representatives of each region of India.
A Secretariat to execute the mandate of the CouncfL The secretariat is
responsible for co-ordinating local stnggje groups, arranging meetings,
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'i'.
i
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The FI FI H REPORT: An Enquiry into Forced Evictions of Shim and Pavement
Dweller and Other Related Issues - by Justice H Suresh (Former Judge Bombay
Hgh Court).
This enqmry was undertaken to expose the brutal evictions of slum and pavement dwellers as well
as thepathetic conditions under which t'ney tive-.
The SIXTH REPORT: Dispossessed, Hunted and Cast into Oblivion: The Fate
of the Gujarat Oustces — by Justice SAT Daud (Former Judge Bombay High
Court).
in b:s report justice Daua narrates h:s experiences at the various rehabilitation sites in Gujarat
and the state of rehabilitation of the Sardar- Sarvvar Project Oustees in Gujarat
Ihe SEA ENIH REPORT — October 1997: XXbmen’s Fact Finding Commission
Probing into Army Atrocities on Women and Children in Kashmir by Katy Irani,
Dr. Strata P, Dr. Kamakshi Bhate, and Ehsina Khan
lhe EIGHT H REPORT — February 1998: Ihe fabalpur Earthquake — An
Enquiry into Rehabilitation and Disaster Management - by Justice B.N. Deshmukh
(Former Judge, Bombay H^i Court).
i he report helped revive an issue that had been sidelined The local groups are usin^ this report to
ask for a complete reassessment of the damage caused, and to ask for a revaluation of the
rehabilitation and compensation schemes offered by the government Justice Deshmukh who
conductea tae investigation emphasised the need for a comprehensive national disaster management
ulan.
j.
The NINTH REPORT (Part I) March 1998: The Attack on the Catholic
J-fospital Association of Indians Workers of Nandurga, Maharashtra - by Deepak
Lokhande and Sudhakar Kamble.
The NINTH REPORT (Part II) T^Xpril 1998: The Report of the Fact-Finding
Committee into the Attack on Pilgrims of Pali Naigaon^ Maharashtra - by a factfinding team of journalists^ academicians. All India Catholic Union and
representatives from dalit oigamsations.
These reports n^ere filed with the National Minorities Commission
REPORTS AWAITED
TENTH REPORT (PART I)
In April 1998 Justice B.N. Deslunukli (Retired Judge, Bombay Higji Court)
accompanied by local activists and members from the TPT undertook an
mvestigahon that covered three national parks - Pachmari, Boh and Pench. The
focus of the investigation was on the rigjits of forest dwellers in national parks and
sanctuaries. The investigation also covered the Multai massacre.
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TENTH REPORT (PART II & III)
In June 1998, the IPT conducted an mvestigatiem on the rigjits of forest dwellers
and the need for conservation in the Seetanadi national park MP. A similar
enquiry was also conducted at Nagarhole National Park in Argust
The
infonnation gathered by these enquiries have been used to file a caige in the
Supreme Court case asking for the customary lights of forest dwellers and tribals to
be recognised as well as the rigjit of forest dwellers to five witlun national parks and
sanctuaries to be recognised. These IPT investigations also helped form the aefivasi
ngjits centre. This Centre will be co ordinated by Raajen Singh and Sarbani Sarkar
P’LI'A'EN Tl I REPORT (PART I & II)
Justice GuLib Gupta (Retd. Justice Hmachal H12J1 Court) accompanied by Sarbani
Sarkar of die IPT conducted an encpatty tn Akvar, Rajasthan on the water rights of
the villagers m Akvar and on illegal mining within national parks and sanctuaries in
that region. Subsequently Advocate Venkatramam undertook an enquiry in Akvar
on the effects the shifting of polluting industries fromEtelhi to Akrar.
TWELFTH REPORT
In January7 1999 Justice Suresh accompanied by a team of thirteen experts
undertook a detailed enquiry into chemical pollution in Valsad, Vapi, and Baroda Nandesaii Region. The investigation was conducted to guage the effects of
chemical pollution of the local residents, the workers and on the environment.
Tins report will be used to challenge the present model of unrestricted and
hazardous industrialisation and so called development
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THIRTEENTH REPORT
Justice Wane accompanied by Raajen Suigji conducted an enquiiy into the status of
bondage among the sugarcane cutters of Maharashtra. The report ’will be used to
challenge the government of Maliarashtra's statement that there exists no bonded
labour in the state.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
The IPT organises public meetings, discussions and debates to create awareness
and concern for environment and human rights issues. It also interfaces with other
legal aid institutions and attempts to make people aware of their rights under law.
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IPT NEEDS YOU
As a SUPPORTER. Your donations will assist in on-going investigations
and legal aid work, participate in protest, meetings and press conferences.
You will be invited to attend meetings and other programs of the IPT.
The IPT is housed within the Socio Legal Information Centre. Cheques and
Drafts must be drawn in fiivour of the Socio Legal Information Centre, which is a
registered charitable trust. Donations are tax exempted under section 800 of the
Income Tax Act.
---- Tear Here----
SUPPORT FORM
1 would like to support the IPT
Enclosed is a cheque / draft in the name of the fCSocio Lcgjd Information Centre”
for
Rs.____________________________________________________ ___________________
Cheque
No.
DraxmGTn
Date:
Name of the Ctepnisation / Supporter
Address
Pin
City
Fax No.
Telephone No.
Email:
I am particularly concerned with the following issue/s:
Ffelp that I could extend to the IPT:
5
r
Men uho have
recreational Sex
with other men
Self Identified
Panthis
T
V
Self Identified
Gay Men
Self Identified Kotis
/
Men Who Have Sex With
Self
Identified
Bisexual Men
Men
Self Identified Hijras
(Nirvana)
/ Male
Commercial
Sex Workers
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Self Identified Hijras
(Akhva)
DARE
Documentation. Archive. Research. Education.
A RESOURCE CENTRE FOR LESBIANS, GAYSAND BISEXUALS
Help Write Our History: Help DARE
Remember growing up with the feeling that you were the odd one?
That being attracted to a member of your own sex was abnormal or even a perversion?
That you could never have a normal happy life unless you married and had children?
That people like you had never existed before, at least in India?
That you had no one to talk to, and nothing to read on the subject of your sexuality?
Remember your helplessness when you could not help someone who felt like this?
Now you can help ensure that people today do not have to grow up overwhelmed by such feelings.
That they can read about the present and the past, histories, creative achievements and
contributions to society, of people inclined to same-sex love. DARE is the first of its kind in India
- a resource center to generate, document and make available information on same-sex love in a
friendly and safe environment to all those interested in the subject. This includes lesbians, gays,
bisexuals, and anyone who is concerned and wants to be better-informed.
DARE is a group of people who care. People who hope to :
1. Generate awareness on lesbian, gay and bi-sexual history in the subcontinent
2. Counter negative stereotyping, especially the impression that homosexuality is a western import
3. Provide information on legal, health and psychological issues
4. Encourage academic research in various fields by providing bibliographies, source materials
and guidelines to scholars
5. Build an archive to preserve and visibilize our history.
DARE has no funding at the moment, and we are working on a purely voluntary basis, out of an
office space belonging to one member, with materials donated by individual supporters. We
hope eventually to be able to provide a reading room - staffed full-time, with facilities for
photocopying materials, with referral support services.
We urgently need contributions in terms of cash. kind, and your time. The kinds of material
especially requested are:
1. Books and Journals
2. Academic papers
3. Newspaper. Magazine clippings
4. Films
5. Diaries. Letters. Oral histories on tape
6. Photographs, Drawings. Posters
(Individuals donors can specify terms of confidentiality with respect to any personal material)
7. Stationery: Files, Folders. Paper, Pens, etc. for office use
8. Monetary contributions, big or small
Do write to us with your comments, suggestions and enquiries. Also, please tell your friends,
students, classmates and colleagues about DARE, and help us reach all those who are isolated,
frightened, ashamed, or searching.
Post Box No. 7180, Indraprastha HPO, New Delhi 110002.
)
DARE (Documentation, Archive, Research, Education) is planned as a center that will
generate, document and make available information on same-sex love in a friendly and safe
environment to all (hose inlcresled in the subject. As is evident from the media, both print
and audiovisual, .there is a great deal of curiosity, concern, and confusion in India today
around issues related to sexuality, and especially same-sex sexuality, amongst large
sections of the educated population. With the introduction of certain words such as
“homosexual”,’’gay” and “lesbian” into the vocabularies of increasing numbers of people,
many are not sure what exactly these words mean. People have many questions regarding
the gay and lesbian communities which are emerging in different parts of the country as
well as about individuals who claim a gay or lesbian identity. These questions are often
directed to agony aunt columns in popular magazines or to talk shows on radio and TV.
Sometimes these queries receive sympathetic and informative replies, but often they receive
negatively biased and misleading replies. A number of stereotypes are beginning to come
into circulation, especially in the climate of AIDS, which can only add to the anxiety and
self-hatred that society generally inflicts on homosexually inclined people as well as the
anxiety and fears of heterosexually inclined people.
At this nascent stage when lines have not been sharply drawn and most people are in an
enquiring rather than an actively hostile frame of mind, it is very important that information
be generated and disseminated by concerned citizens who have equipped themselves for
this purpose. While there are in Delhi and other metropolitan cities a number of
organizations that deal with AIDS and other health problems as well as with sexual
problems such as molestation and rape, there is at present no organization in Delhi devoted
to providing accurate information that can help homosexually inclined persons to develop a
positive self image and heterosexually inclined persons to understand alternative sexualities
in a non-fearful manner.
There is therefore an urgent need for a center such as DARE that will perform the following
functions:
1. Provide information of the following kinds:
(i) Information on sexual identity and behavior: There has been a great deal of research
done by psychologists, sexologists, sociologists, historians and others on same-sex love in
various times and places. Uniortunatcly,even well-known and acclaimed woik such as that
of Alfred Kinsey or John Boswell, is not easily available in India. No library in Delhi
catalogues such material under entries like “homosexual”, “same-sex”, “gay or ‘ lesbian ,
nor does any library have a gay studies section as do libraries in other parts of the world.
As a result, several information-seekers who have visited these libraries have been unable
to access this material. The absence of reHable information fosters the dissemination of
false and damaging myths. DARE will provide access to information on existing research
and theory which would enable the individual to come to a rational understanding of the
issues involved.
(ii) Information on legal and health status: The center will also provide information on the
legal status of homosexual persons and activities in different countries and at different times
in history. It will provide information on sexual and psychological health and on safe sex
and protection against AIDS, and will direct people to resource centers or professsionals
who provide specific kinds of help, for instance, legal aid, health facilities and
psychotherapeutic counselling on a regular basis.
(iii) Academic guidance: The silence and ignorance on same-sex love prevaihng in Indian
academies constitutes a a major lacuna in comparison to academies in most other democratic
countries. Indian university students are at a serious disadvantage when they travel outside
India, because they find that research on this area in many disciplines such as literary
studies, history, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, psychology, religious studies,
legal studies, is highly advanced and sophisticated. The absence of such work in India has
severely stunted Indian understanding of civil society and its institutions. In addition,
homosexually inclined students at Indian universities feel isolated, invisible and silenced.
Research on same-sex love in India is beginning to emerge, and needs to be made available
to all interested persons so that further research can be encouraged. DARE will make
available books, journals and documents to be studied on the premises and, where
possible, photocopied by researchers. It will also put scholars working on related subjects
in contact with one another so that they can build on and learn from each others research.
Hopefully, universities, research institutions, libraries and bookstores will gradually
become aware of the need to provide similar space to work in this area.
2 Build an archive: There are many individuals who have built up private libraries and
collections of documents. DARE hopes to centralize some of this information and make it
available to the public. We also intend to build an archive around the subject of same-sex
love, encouraging individuals to donate documents such as letters, diaries and manuscripts
that will shed light on the history of homosexually inclined people in India. We intend to
undertake research projects such as recording oral histories of individuals who may not
have written their own lifestories. There are many such individuals in all walks of life in
India who are now ageing and whose experiences constitute a valuable resource for all of
us.
There is an urgent need to record the histories of homosexually inchned people in this
country and to visibilize their positive contributions to society in all areas of life, so that
they are not stereotyped as misfits or as problem-ridden, sick persons. A healthy positive
self-image for all individuals, especially those belonging to stigmatized groups, is essential
to developing a healthy and confident society. Such an image can only be developed when
every individual has a sense of his or her own positive connections to the past. A group
without a sense of its own history is a group without a viable present or future.
3. Generate public awareness: It is anomalous that although India is the largest democracy
in the world and shares with other democracies a concern for the rights and status of
oppressed and stigmatized groups such as women, the poor, and religious and cultural
minorities, yet Indian politicians and social activists maintain an almost total silence on the
rights and status of homosexually inclined people. Civil rights groups the world over are
concerned about gays and lesbians along with other groups such as women and blacks, and
with the right to freedom of sexual orientation along with other rights, but Indian civil
rights groups have not taken cognizance of this particular group or this area of human
experience. Consequently violations of the rights of people of alternative sexuality are
perpetrated with impunity, and violence is often inflicted on them without any public
protest.
Homosexually inclined people constitute a potentially uniting force in Indian society today
since they are found in all classes, castes, professions, communities, regions, and in both
genders. DARE will generate public awareness on the importance of creating a tolerant and
informed atmosphere around different types of sexual orientation and will encourage
political and social activists to take cognizance of human rights violations against persons
of alternative sexualities.
Illi
3
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The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Pi
J
140 South Dearborn Street
THE JOHN D. AND CATHERINE T.
Chicago, Illinois 60603 USA
MacArthur Foundation
(312) 726-8000
The Population
Program
e-mail: 4answers<« macfdn.org
Complete information about the
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MacArthur Foundation is available on the Internet.
'.‘•I
The URL is: gopher://gopher.macfdn.org:30i6/
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The MacArthur Foundation_______________
The Population Program
T he MacArthur Foundation established its
I Population Program in 1988 to advance
the search for new ways to address the com
plex and evolving challenge of global popula
tion growth.
The Foundation perceives population issues
as a set of diverse and multidimensional
problems, encompassing traditional concerns
of population studies and broader social and
economic circumstances. Consequently, the
program supports efforts to address popula
tion growth that take this larger context into
account, including the roles and status of
women, poverty, human rights, the role of
men in reproductive decision making, and
the environment. In forming the Population
Program, the Foundation recognized that
appropriate responses to population problems
consider the interactions among social, cul
tural, economic, and environmental conditions
and will vary significantly among different
local settings.
The program is designed to respond to
needs as defined by people in developing coun
tries. It seeks especially to suppon locallygenerated initiatives that may have potential
for broader impact and applicability. From the
outset, the Foundation's actions have been
guided by an international adxisory committee
comprised primarily of leaders from Latin
America. Africa, and Asia.
The Population Program
The Population Program_______ __________________ _
Women's Reproductive Health
and Reproductive Rights
The Foundation is concentrating its grant
making at present in four selected focus countries:
Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, and India, nations
with varied population problems. In each of
the focus countries the Population Program
developed a national strategy through consulta
tion with local advisors, including demographers,
activists, anthropologists, journalists, public
health researchers, and medical practitioners.
To pursue these objectives, the program has
established five distinct but interrelated areas on
which it focuses:
Women’s Reproductive Health and
Reproductive Rights
• Population, Consumption, and the Environment
• Men, Sexuality, and Reproduction
• Communications and Popular Education
• Leadership Development
Objectives: To promote creative strategies for improving
women's reproductive health and reproductive rights and
to encourage thefull participation of women in decisions
that affect their health and reproduction at all levels
ofpolicymaking.
T he role of women is universally recognized
I as central to the health and well-being of their
families. Their perspectives and needs as individuals
have not, however, been addressed by many
programs and policies. The range of issues affect
ing women’s reproductive health goes well beyond
their childbearing role and includes such factors
as their legal rights, household responsibilities,
and access to education and employment.
The program supports action, advocacy, and
research concerned with the reproductive health
and well-being of women and girls, particularly
adolescents and poor women who are underserved
by current programs. It places priority on programs
initiated by women from the focus countries
that emphasize the importance of social, cultural,
and economic factors in influencing individual
reproductive choices and behaviors.
In this context, the program makes grants
for the following purposes:
I
• helping women to make informed decisions
about sexuality, marriage, and childbearing;
• supporting programs of research and action
on neglected aspects of women’s health,
including reproductive morbidities, infertility’,
abortion. HIV/AIDS, and the accessibility
of safe, quality’ health care.
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The Population Program_________________
Population, Consumption,
and Environment
Objective: To improve understanding of the linkages
among population, consumption, and the environment
through collaborative multidisciplinary research.
The goal of this initiative, a joint activity of
I the Foundation’s World Environment and
Population programs, is to increase understand
ing of the demographic and economic aspects
of human-environment interactions, especially
the links between human welfare and the degra
dation of land and water. To this end, the pro
gram supports research on the environmental
nifications of economic change, consump
tion, and production patterns in developed and
developing nations.
Proposed research may be conceptual or
empirical in nature. Priority is placed on multi
disciplinary work that draws on expertise in both
the social and natural sciences. It also favors
projects that involve pannerships and networks
consisting of scholars from institutions in both
developed and developing nations.
Priority’ is given to research in the Population
Program’s focus countries (Mexico, Brazil,
Nigeria, and India) or in the World Environment
Program’s global priority regions (more
detailed information about these regions is
available from the Foundation’s Office of
rants Management, Research, and
Information).
The Population Program
Men, Sexuality,
and Reproduction
Objective: To encourage and support research and experimental reproductive health programs that incorporate the
participation of men.
TF he program encourages partnerships between
I men and women to improve reproductive
choice and health. Through grants for social science
and sexuality research, and through experiments
with service models, the Foundation hopes to
increase understanding of how to involve men in
reproductive decision making and parenting.
Special attention is given to projects involving
male adolescents, since young men are often more
receptive to change and role experimentation. The
program places priority on projects that go beyond
traditional areas of investigation, such as male use of
contraception, and that build on recent advances in
thinking about men in the context of sexuality
education, HIV prevention, family planning, and
family responsibilities. Funding is also available to
identify successful program models and projects
that seek to develop alternative male and female
roles. All proposals should have a rigorous evalua
tion component.
1
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'I
The Population Program
The Population Program__________________ ________
Communications and
Popular Education
Fundfor Leadership Development
Objective: To support experimental projects that use
diverse communications media and local participation
to inform people about issues related to (heir repro
ductive health, sexuality, and reproductive rights.
Objective: To identify and encourage a new generation
of leaders in the population field whose work is marked
by creativity, vision, and commitment to improving the
quality of life, especiallyfor the most vulnerable people,
in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, and India.
T he popular media possess great potential to
I affect attitudes toward family size, gender
>•
roles, health, and reproduction. In this area, the
program supports organizations that merge inti
mate knowledge of local needs and perceptions
with the most appropriate methods of popular
communications. The program will consider a
variety of approaches, including music, drama,
and folk art as well as publishing, broadcasting,
and film production.
The program supports communications efforts
that take into account the social, cultural, and
economic factors underlying individual choices
and behaviors regarding reproduction. It gives
priority to programs that use communications
media to provide accurate and complete infor
mation about sexuality education, including
HIV prevention.
The program also seeks to facilitate networking
among individuals and organizations engaged
in the use of popular communications tor edu
cational and social development. Emphasis is
placed on enhancing local capabilities of
women’s groups, health care providers, and
policymakers regarding these issues.
.■
6
T his component of the program is designed to
I strengthen and diversify leadership in the popu
lation field by supporting individuals who have
demonstrated unusual initiative, pragmatism, and
dedication to comprehensive responses to popula
tion issues. Those persons selected for support,
generally at midpoint in their careers, work on
the interrelated problems of reproductive health,
reproductive rights, and the role of men in repro
ductive decision making. Grant funds support a
variety of individually tailored projects designed
to advance individual grantees' careers, including
(but not limited to) new program development,
training, research, and travel.
Detailed guideEnes for this program are available
on request.
Individuals apply directly to the Fund for
Leadership Development by contacting the country
offices:
In Brazil:
Programa de Bolsas
MacArthur No Brasil
Alameda Ministro Rocha
Azevedo 1.077
4° andar, conj. 42
Sao Paulo, SP 01410-003
Brasil
Tel: 55-11-852-4586
Fax: 55-11-280-0548
7
The Population Program
The Population Program
General Application Guidelines
In Mexico: Programa de Becas
La Fundacion MacArthur
AP. 11-617
Col. Hipodromo
Mexico, D.F. 06100
Mexico
In Nigeria: Fund for Leadership
Development
MacArthur Foundation
2 Oshin Street
U.I.P.O. Box 22483
Kongi, Ibadan
Nigeria
Tel: 234-2-810-0139
Fax: 234-2-810-0095
In India:
The MacArthur Fellowship
for Population Innovations
MacArthur Foundation
India Habitat Centre
Core VA, First Floor Palm Court
Lodi Road
New Delhi i io 003
India
I
T o pursue its objectives in the Population
I Program, the Foundation provides grant
support to not-for-profit organizations, univer
sities, research institutes, and networks of such
institutions.
Although the Foundation recognizes the value
of many existing efforts, the Population Program
does not provide support for basic research in
reproductive physiology, clinical studies, research
and development of contraceptive technolo
gies, standard demographic research, or routine
provision of family planning services. As a gen
eral policy, the Foundation does not solicit and
will not consider proposals which seek any of
the following:
• support of programs or activities that are
among the routine or accepted responsibilities
of government;
• support for political activities or campaigns,
attempts to directly influence legislation,
or the development or dissemination of
propaganda:
• contributions to capital campaigns, plant
construction, equipment purchases, endow
ment funds, debt retirement, or completed
projects;
• general support of other philanthropic foun
dations or of regular development campaigns,
annual fund-raising drives, institutional
benefits, or honorary functions or similar
appeals; and
• grants exclusively designated for publications
or conferences.
8
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The Population Program
The Population Program
How to Apply
rant proposals to the Population Program
are reviewed throughout the year. A brief
letter of inquiry, not more than four pages in
length, serves as a preliminary application. No
formal proposal should be submitted until it is
requested. Letters of inquiry’ should include:
• a succinct statement of the problem and its
significance, and of how it relates to the
objectives of the Population Program:
Letters of inquiry should be addressed to:
The Population Program
c/o Office of Grants Management,
Research, and Information
The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
140 South Dearborn Street
Suite 1100
Chicago, Illinois 60603
• a description of the proposed program initiative;
• the amount of funds needed for implementa
tion, including a breakdown of how the funds
would be used; and
• a brief description of the applicant organization
and its appropriateness for the undertaking, includ
ing a summary of the organization's budget.
The Foundation will request a proposal and
provide specific guidelines tor proposal develop
ment trorn applicants whose work fits the pro
gram's priorities. It is not necessary for applicants
to meet in person with the board ot directors.
Proposals will be evaluated by program staff
with the assistance of consultants with relevant
expertise. The board of directors makes final
decisions on funding authorizations. Applicants
will be notified in writing of action taken on
their proposals.
io
For further information, call (312) 726-8000
and ask to speak to a staff member of the
Population Program, or contact program staff via
telex (213929 map ur) or fax (312) 917-033 4.
Complete information about the Foundation is
available on the Internet. The Foundation's gopher
URL is: gopher://gopher.macfdii.orgtjoid/
The Foundation's e-mail address is
4ansiuers@ma(fdti.org
All material submitted becomes the property’
of the Foundation. When appropriate, the
Foundation may submit inquiries or proposals
to outside review.
i i
The MacArthur Foundation
About the Foundation
if'
f
A
T he John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
I Foundation is a private, independent grant
i
making institution dedicated to helping groups
and individuals improve the human condition.
The Foundation makes grants through eight
major areas: health, education, environment,
population, international peace and cooperation,
individual creativity, mass communications, and,
in Chicago and Palm Beach County, Florida,
the arts and community development. In addi
tion, the board encourages collaborative work
on problems that cross program boundaries.
Several assumptions underlie the policies of
the Foundation: that the most important efforts
to improve the human condition are those that
seek systematic and sustainable change; that
human progress requires reducing inequities in
the distribution of power and resources; that
the healthy, educated, creative individual is an
essential instrument of constructive change;
and that the Foundation’s effectiveness depends
in part on its capacity to learn from others,
including grantees, about the problems con
fronting global society.
The Foundation seeks to create and sustain a
culture within the Foundation that is diverse
throughout all levels of professional responsibil
ity, and to form relationships with other organi
zations and persons who are committed to
incorporating a variety of perspectives into their
work. The active involvement of a wide diversity
of people and viewpoints is consistent with the
Foundation’s belief in the importance ot pluralism
and is essential to the fulfillment of its mission.
2.
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I
I
HIVOS IN ASIA
Policy Framework
1998-2002
V
HIVOS IN ASIA
Policy Framework
1998-2002
Jum 1 998
1
Introduction
1.
Asia's Political and Economic Context
4
4
7
9
1.1. Economic Developments
1.2. The Asian State and the Political Context
1.3. Civil Society in Asia
2.
Hivos in Asia in Retrospect
12
12
18
2.1. a qualitative assessment
2.2. a quantitative assessment
3.
Hivos interventions 1998 - 2002: General Outline
3.1. Basic premise
3.2. Sectoral opportunities
3.3. Geographical choices
4.
Sectoral Choices
26
26
27
29
30
31
4.1. Economic Empowerment
4.2. Culture and Development
4.3. Democratisation and Human Rights
4.4. Gender, Women and Development
4.5. Environment and Development
5.
22
22
23
25
Parameters of intervention
5.4. Additional support
33
33
33
34
36
6.
Country Focus
39
7.
Hivos and Asia in the North
44
8.
Implementation and Organisation
46
5.1. Output and Impact
5.2. Accountability
5.3. Financial support
Annex 1: Hivos in Asia, countries and number of partners
Annex 2: Hivos in Asia, expenditures per country, all sources 1986, 1991,
47
48
1 997 (in Dfl. millions)
Annex 3:
Hivos in Asia per sector 1992, 1996
& 1997, all sources
49
Annex 4:
Hivos in Asia per type of organisation,
1992 & 1996
50
Annex 5:
Hivos Budget Cat IV/Asia's share anddistribution per country
51
1998-2002 (according to allocations and projections dated 23.10.97); in Dfl.Millions
Annex 6:
Hivos Asia per sector/expenditures &allocations 1996 - 2002
52
(in Dfl. Millions)
Annex 7: Regional Economic Performance Figures
Annex 8: Asian Performances, Human Development Index and Gender Development
53
54
Index
Annex 9: List of references
2
55
List of figures:
Figure 1 : Hivos in Asia, total spending, all sources
Figure 2 : Hivos in Asia, total spending 1992-1997 according
to country
Figure 3 : Hivos in'Asia 1986-1997 number of partners
Figure 4 : Hivos in Asia, expenditures according to sector 1997
Figure 5 : Hivos in Asia, number of partners according to sector 1997, all sources
Figure 6 : Hivos in Asia, number of partners according to type of organisation 1997
3
Introduction
1. Asia s Political and Economic Context
IXlnnmdUtCt°rhV
namef T
th
Pr°'"deS "
ASian
'
°VerVieW °f ,he mai°r economic, political and social
" * res,ri«ed to the countries where Hivos is present
srixxsss.
Rn.ll,. ,he
1.1 Economic Developments
The nineties have been characterised by tumultuous changes such as the and nf ,h
o! r0u?a|0womeeSne|i6vi} 7n^,'nfsaCt^oOfco5nlt'ntuheeAs^be number
the 80s. The?ncidence of poverty" inTomhAsiaT much
of poor are increasing in Asia even though the percentage of the poor in the overall population ofZ
de^ning- ln faCt on the
the basic
hea|th indicators
indicators of
of nutritional
nutritional status of children under
basic health
5slow blrth We(ght and anaemia in women, women and children fare better in sub-Saharan“ than fn
women, women and children fare better in sub-Saharan Africa than
worfd
?n termS
9ap betWeen the riCh and the poor has doubled sinc® I960. About 20% of the
oovert! P°pulatlon consume 80% of Prosperity-wealth creations'. The social-economic profile of
poverty suggests that economic policies have been directed towards short-term economic growth rather
be eaouered h3
VlnS SUS;ainab'e devel°pment in the long run. Low income countries continue to be
beleaguered by increasing debt and an incapacity to trade in the new regime of increasing
corporatisation. They are also faced with the eroding political autonomy of the nation state and rising
economic inequalities within their populations.
Within Asia however wide regional variations mark and set
apart East Asia and Southeast Asia from
South Asia. Until 1997, Indonesia and Malaysia had a high economic growth rate while a moderate'
“s^oX nnfT
lnfia- Sri Lanka' C'S and Vietnam Sh0W a ™re heterogeneous picture. In
ind
th h V
° f h populat'on are below the poverty line and on the basis of food security
East Asia6 f35'0 nee
l^eX 3nd
relat,Ve We'fare jndeX the East Asian countries score very high The
East Asian tigers were able to achieve high economic growth because of a very strong regulatory state
sasxx
sxsrsxxss s -
t o,...sx- “•
services, disastrous state-led environment policies, and internal conflicts and civil strife.
4.
In the Asian region the highest incidence of poverty is among the rural poor. 74% of the total population
in Asia live in the rural areas and of these 31% are below the poverty line. The rural poor include small
and artisanal fisherfolk, displaced refugee populations, the landless, farmers with smalt holdings, and
socially disadvantaged and discriminated groups, such as scheduled castes and tribes in India. Landless
households and those cultivating less than 1/1 OOth of an acre have an incidence of poverty of 40%.
Households in-Indonesia with agricultural labour as their main source of income have the highest
incidence of poverty at 38%, followed by self-employed households, again with agriculture as their main
source of income. In Sri Lanka the proportion of the poor is highest in rural areas (33%), lower in urban
(12%) and 14% in the estate sector. The large majority of the poor farmers have holdings of less than 1
acre.
Rural-urban migration continues to be a major factor in the growth of urban poverty as the poor move on
a permanent or seasonal basis in search of livelihood opportunities. Internal migration in the South Asian
region is a crisis of major proportions. Declining investments in agriculture and the inability of the State
to stimulate rural industry have expelled milions of tribals, peasants, and subsistence farmers from their
traditional occupations and forced them to migrate to towns in search of wage labour. There has been an
increase of female-headed households in the rural areas and growing destitution for women. The megacities are incapable of providing necessary housing facilities for the growing migrant informal sector.
34% of Delhi's population live in slums. Famine is occurring among the urban poor in Bombay.
It is clear that policy makers have not given due emphasis to the issues of desirable growth
employment, environmentally sound policies, social integration, and the issues of humane governance.
As the UNDP noted in its 1996 Human Development Report, decision-makers will have to pay attention
to the quality of growth rather than to growth that is jobless, ruthless {the rich and poor divide grows),
voiceless (democratic expression is suppressed) rootless (the cultural identity of communities are
destroyed) and futureless (destroys the planetary life support system). For all those working to
strengthen the capacities of the poor to combat deprivation it is crucial that growth with equity, with
labour absorption, with environmental sustainability, and the building df local, decentralised and
democratic institutions for the delivery of growth with justice be central.
Managing economic interdependence in the era of the economic reforms is not easy in societies marked
by deprivation, economic and social bondage and civil conflicts. Globalisation because of the already
existing maldistribution of wealth across the globe, further weakens the capacity of the underprivileged
for self-representation at national and international levels. For developing countries and for their poor, the
ramifications of the Uruguay round of negotiations, where measures prescribed have gone into wider
areas than trade alone, are yet to be fully understood. The extension of patent rights to plant varieties
and the patterns of food production being pruned to fit world markets may have serious implications for
small farmers, for subsistence economies, and for consumption patterns for the poor. The patent
regulations of MNCs may cause whole varieties of bio-diverse resources to disappear or be monopolised
for both economic and patent reasons.
There appears to be no level playing field for the poor as economic agents and players when
transnationals (TNCs) control 80% of world investment, 70% of world trade, 30% of GNP, and 40% of
intra-foreign trade. Many local industries are mortgaging their production to TNCs as their national
governments allow TNCs to increase their stakes in the local economy. Most of the TNCs are high capital
and high-energy consuming. Most South countries will under several pacts devoted to neo-regionalism
ensure that the richer and bigger nations among them will reap the benefits of economies of scale. The
stabilisation measures further deepen the regressive redistribution of world capital, regrettably vindicating
the state of affairs where the nominal flows of capital are more from the Third World to the First World.
Ever mounting debt, and import-driven policies have forced Third World countries to export increasing
volumes of a narrow range of goods.
■
i hose in favour of SAP policies argue that the opening up-of the economy will create opportunities for
gainful employment, growth in industrial production, and an environment favourable for a highly exportoriented market, thus leading to a resolution of the monetary crisis and providing benefits for all sections
of society. However, political activists have argued that one of the off-shoots of opening up the
economy is the increase in the privatisation of natural resources in fragile rural economies. This has
serious consequences for the poor, particularly 'indigenous peoples'. There is opposition to the grammar
!
5
. of economic globalisation. Defence purchases, technology transfers, drug processing and bio-diversity
are all major components in the global income ladder. The workers, who service the export of capital
from their national economies, may very well be the new class of the displaced, alongside the
unorganised labour. When poverty exists at the systemic level, the market mechanism if left to itself will
gain further advantage. It is important that the campaigns being built up by social movements underscore
economic justice, particularly the capability-building of the poor to access education, training, advice and
credit, and knowledge of their rights.
The new economic policies have also resulted in the growing casualisation of labour and of the
feminisation of poverty. In countries like India the organised sector accounts for only 10% of the labour
force. Labour is predominantly unorganised - 99% in agriculture and 80% in manufacturing. Plant
closures, retrenchment and unemployment, increasing differentials between regular and casual wage
rates are some of the social costs of the reform process. The increasing roles of women in the service
sectors and "free trade zones" call attention to problems of hazardous work conditions, minimum wages,
social securities and human dignity. The high economic growth in Malaysia and Indonesia have not been
without their high social and environmental costs.
In some countries, investments in agriculture are declining and budget allocations for rural areas are
being increasingly used for urban development, thus accelerating the growing poverty of the rural poor.
Liberalisation has also marginalised small farmers. Subsidies for fertiliser and pesticides are being
reduced, extension services are no longer in place, unregulated import of cheaper products from other
countries is on the rise, and alternatives are yet to be collectively established. In Sri Lanka the
privatisation of plantations (tea) has reduced work for the labouring poor. With weak state roles in food
pricing the small farmers are overexploited with insufficient returns for their produce. Field realities in
India show a decrease in food consumption levels for the urban and the rural poor.
Many NGOs today are also examining issues concerning the Asian states not being able to bargain
successfully in the WTO, dominated as it is by American and European interests. Asian governments
argue that although they follow the Euro-American trade agenda they need to accelerate intra-regional
co-ordination. NGOs are examining the growing opinion that 1) unless an alliance is built up and
investments are made by Asian governments, with political will, towards formulating an Asian trade
polidy in the era of globalisation they will not be able to consolidate on the gains made since
independence, and 2) that, they will not be able to counter the WTO which has become an
institutionalised motor for trade liberalisation. NGOs believe that regional economic groupings (ASEAN,
SAARC, NAFTA) and interregional blocks (APEC, ASEM) when developing a strong united voice must
demand that social equity and environmental concerns guide the regional co-operation and that the richer
nations do not gain advantage over the poorer. The debates in the WTO include labour standards and
child labour. Most Asian states and NGOs are united in their resistance to putting labour standards on
the agenda of the WTO. They prefer labour standards being put on the agenda of other institutions (ILO)
which are more qualified, more democratic and more transparent.
Financing poverty alleviation through budgetary allocations is a matter of massive mobilisation of
resources by the Central and State Governments. Much of this has to be through an enlargement of
governments' current revenues; but some part will come from the banking sector's investment in
governmental allocations to the poor. The poorest Asian countries have insufficient availability of internal
funds for social sector expenditures. To the extent that basic consumption needs are to be met, it is
more often a grant than a loan problem, especially as long as the poor are unemployed, or
underemployed. Development aid will need to combine the grant element in budgetary provisions with
loan supplements so that over time the poor become empowered, and be able to develop their bargaining
capacity and become self-reliant. Credit institutions are not accessible for small producers and the rural
poor. The policy of directing some part of bank credit to the poor with simplification of the loan
procedures, initiation of credit-guarantee schemes needs to be urgently considered. There is now
growing recognition that hard-core poverty of the magnitude prevalent, e.g., in India cannot be resolved
through purely market processes and the trickle-down of credit to the poor. Since at that level it is
difficult to separate production1 credit from consumption loans, a certain measure of state involvement in
the provision of financial resources to the poor is inevitable. There is also a realisation that along with
credit, there is a need for market studies, information dissemination, economic development plans, and
entrepreneurship training, particularly for women. Development aid should be effectively aimed at
6
u
providing the poor access to credit from government.and other financial institutions. It should therefore
be active m evolving appropriate instruments that make this possible, e.g., providing bank guarantees,
and creating local financial intermediaries.
There has been a serious and concerted response from public-interest organisations to protect and also
advance the interests of the poor. South-South networks for advocacy of WTO, joint strategies on SAP
policies and multinationals with a view to safeguarding workers' and consumers' rights have been
established all over the region. There has also been a continued debate on labour standards and child
labour. The recent mushrooming of micro-finance institutions with foreign collaborations, have come in
for criticism. The co-operatives have also undergone several changes in the various regions, with special
emphasis on changing co-operative laws. The situation varies strongly between the Asian countries. In
Indonesia co-operatives are still in the government's fold. Here financial institutions are expected to
cater with an mdividual approach, although this tends to have very high economic costs. In India and Sri
Lanka consistent advocacy efforts have resulted in changes in co-operative laws and spaces for
alternative financial institutions. There has also been a growing realisation in most of the countries that
credit alone is insufficient and that market-entrepreneurship, a legal framework that does not discriminate
against the small-scale sector, and an informed utilisation of credit are all important areas for study and
implementation.
A highly empowered population could set up people's commissions which
can bring from below the
reforms badly needed at the national (local) levels. Many NGOs today are working in the areas of data
collection, lobby advocacy on the effects of SAP and what governments need to do. Various social
movements, trade unions, consumer organisations, women' s collectives, and co-operatives are all
efforts from below to challenge both the terms of negotiations on.reforms and options for strategic
action by citizens.
1.2 The Asian State and the Political Context
Except for the CIS, most Southeast and South-Asian nation states have now completed five decades of
independence. Increasingly in the last ten years the role of the state, markets and civil society have been
called into question as destitution has continued to follow the poor across regions despite all the efforts
of the governments, the injections of aid and the massive projects of social engineering. In most
developing countries the state has played a strong regulatory and interventionist role in not only
economic matters but also in social sector issues concerning the polity. The arrival of new economies
and the emergence of regional political power in the post-cold war era have seen new challenges being
posed to the role of the state, problems of legitimacy and authority, and the rule of the markets. In some
countries w<th the intensification of civil and ethnic conflicts and various humanitarian emergencies, the
collapse of the civil order has spawned debates on the nature of the state, its role and obligations in the
present times. Voluntary organisations have fought for the democratic principle to be ascendant. In
countries like Indonesia and India the governments have not been successful in guaranteeing the poor co
equal economic rights and civil liberties. Neither has it been able to in the implementation of development
models, preserve the intrinsic merit and respect the worth of the communities. In these countries state
driven development projects have been responsible for major displacement of large numbers of people as
well as the careless destruction of the environment and people's habitat.
The rule of the state in the social order has also been eroded by ethnic, religious, economic and racial
conflicts in civil society. These have often been backed by global arms deals. These (often) illegal
market operations have crippled human securities, draining much needed resources from investments in
human welfare. Asian states have also promoted rising defence/military budgets, thus intensifying and
promoting arms trade by North countries. The displacements of civilian populations due to war. and
ethnic conflicts have set the clock back for all the efforts that went towards promoting a better quality
of life in terms of literacy, nutrition and life-expectancy.
Liberalisation has also encouraged the state to lift protective measures which earlier preventea the entry
of foreign companies to exploit natural resources, including in the area of energy production. Not only are
communities being displaced but few safeguards have been installed to protect the people and the
environment from the polluting industries. The re-locating of polluting industries from North to South is a
7
'-•T<
major concern and governments in their efforts to "successfully reform and accelerate the pace of
growth" have paid scant attention to this aspect of development. The loss of livelihood and the loss of
cultivable lands is a major tragedy for the rural poor and voluntary organisations are having little success
in influencing state policies. Natural resources*such as forests, coastal zones, fishery resources and non
renewable resources such as minerals and metals and fossil fuels and oil are being today ruthlessly
exploited for short-term economic gains. The environmental movements in the Asian region have not
been able to prevent the state from being the major actor in the implementation of these projects.
Although in Indonesia and Malaysia strong organisations operate on the national 'and international) level,
their presence at the grassroots level is weak. In India although the environmental movements have
established their presence they have not been able to carry forward various sections of civil society and
mobilise mass resistance. In Sri Lanka the environmental movement is at its initial stage. There is a need
for the Colombo based organisations and the rural based organisations to come together as a broad
coalition. In Central Asia whose populations endured some of the most devastating violence from toxic
waste, nuclear pollution and the poisoning of the river ways and life-stock, the emergence of NGOs
devoted to studying these problems, alerting the populations and mobilising resistance is a very hopeful
sign. The record of the nation state in the Asian region is a dismal one as regards the exploitation of
natural wealth, of people's commons and livelihoods. The deterioration of the environment and the lack
of political will to make polluters pay and invest in safe technologies is a matter of serious concern. The
poor are being forced to shoulder the long-term burdens of ill-health, poor sanitation, malnutrition and
low life-expectancy because of the desire of the governments and markets for short-term gains.
In addition to the irresponsible and uneven development strategies in the post-independent societies
there has been the crucial issue of employment where the state has shown little political will, especially
in South Asia. The structure of employment has been less than impressive in countries like India, where
the organised sector makes up only 10% of the labour force. Here, the Structural Adjustment Policies
require the shouldering of large burdens in the short-run. Plant closures, retrenchment and unemployment
will mean the loss of four million jobs by the year 2000, subsidy cuts and mounting debts. Migrants form
the bulk of the unorganised sector in most Asian countries. The increasing differential between regular
and casual wage rates has aggravated the conditions of distress migrations. Migrants cite the lack of
local, small-scale industries in rural areas and the lack of developed market opportunities in their villages
as their reasons for migration. Under the most unimaginable conditions of physical hardship, they
exercipe their rights to belong to civil society and economically regulate their lives. The problems lie in a
state that may succumb to short-term political gains, use coercion on or manipulate those already
immiserised, and do little about solving the problem of jobless growth and spiralling human rights
violations.
The skewed development strategies have had severe implications for women. The Women's Decade
(1975-1985) increased the general attention given to women’s issue in Asia. However, it appears that,
in real terms, women in Asian societies continue to be relegated to the position of passive receptors of
policies. They continue to be the victims of social systems, neither subjects of their histories nor central
to decisions about the kinds of social responsibilities they may wish to bear. For women in extreme
poverty the condition is even more critical. Especially on the Southasian subcontinent due to patriarchy
and other social causes, the pathology of inhuman violence combined with material inequality proves to
be dehumanising and of the most severe kind. The inadequate support for compulsory primary education,
adult-literacy programmes, health care for the poor, land reforms, and food security systems has meant,
especially for women, a continuing violation of their rights. The Beijing declaration unanimously declared
agendas for equality including goals for equitable and sustainable development, demands for
safeguarding women s human rights throughout their life-cycles and commitments from governments to
that end, and, also the agenda for upholding peace as an irreducible condition for development. The
reform process has forced women to monitor the impact of national and international programmes on
women. Women researchers are making available gender disaggregated data. Women's organisations are
also looking into the implications of the new trade regime and the WTO. High on the agenda of the Asian
countries will be the right to employment, regularisation of employment, minimum wages, maternity and
paternity leave, right to association and collective bargaining, right to dignity, provision for safe and
secure work environment, equal political representation at all levels, right to education, provision of
constitutional guarantees and enactment of legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex.
3
Democratic governance is also being threatened during global restructuring because of the unabated
desire for economic growth and industrialisation. In Southeast Asia there have been restrictions on the
freedom of expression and association. National security laws and practice have been sharpened, thus,
enabling the state s legal forces to suppress social and political unrest. South Asia's more democratic
polities are also not free from the extra judicial detentions and violence against those who oppose ’
government policies. In more ways than one, the economic social justice agenda and the civil, political
and cultural rights agenda remain not only unfulfilled but threatened. In the "transition" countries, on
their way to establishing a full market economy, the reforms have been initiated in the absence of
democratic reforms (Vietnam). In Central Asia the reforms have been crippled because of institutions still
being very much part of the "old " order.
Development strategies as a whole have also been critiqued for showing little sensitivity to the
communities in whose name the interventionist strategists were executed. The record'of development
efforts particularly when unleashed by the state has had a dismal record. Globalisation has further
aggravated the problem of local communities and cultural identities. The problem of coercion is serious
when local cultures are perceived as "lesser’ cultures and dominant cultures as those which carry the
majority and own the channels of communication. The homogenisation of culture has led to the genocide
or disintegration of "lesser" cultures, breaking down seriously people's capacity to resist and to change
on terms set by themselves. The state and the markets have alsq stimulated a highly consumptionoriented culture among the growing middle classes, often resulting in a decline of the cultural diversity
and richness of the polity.
For the voluntary sector, democratic representation and political decentralisation continue to be major
concerns. It is only through active participation that public interest institutions can force the state to
collaborate in democratic decision-making on important needs such as equity, social justice, human rights
and related freedoms. To maintain high standards of fiscal, political and social accountability,
transparency, and enhanced powers for decentralised institutions, local bodies will have to insist on the
reduction of mismanagement and misdirected policies and an enlargement of the state's responsibilities
for the protection and the promotion of the vulnerable populations.
1.3 Civil Society in Asia
As Asian countries restructure their economies, major changes are occurring in trade and technology
flows, stabilisation and growth patterns, social sector outlays. Many of these changes have called for a
renegotiation of the roles of social movements, NGOs, Government, and markets in the polity.
Traditionally, many civil organisations have perceived themselves as providing critiques of dominant
systems, as 'conscience-keepers' of a nation, and as organisations 'closer to the field'1.Social issues
concerning questions of equity and justice have been central to many South voluntary organisations.
However, the voluntary sector in countries like India with a much older history is particularly
heterogeneous in its affiliations, objectives, methods of action and internal structures. Many
organisations are associated with entrepreneurial groups, thus, minimising the adverse impacts of certain
types of economic growth. Some of the associations intervene directly on behalf of target groups
(communities of tribals, fisherfolk, etc.), whereas others prefer to be catalysts, intermediary
organisations, linking with others and hoping in the long run, to create self-reliance at the grassroots
level. Several of the more professional bodies are large institutions, complex and hierarchical, with
salaried staff, whereas others run as informal groups.
Grassroots NGOs today claim to be "promoting people-centred development at the micro-lever,
promoting and upholding peoples policies and rights", and "promoting people's centred values and
perspectives". Their primary concerns are mutual accountability, augmentation of human resources in the
voluntary sector, enhancement of the autonomy and power of the voluntary sector vis-ci-vis the
government, organisational development and sectoral strengthening, catering to the need for advocacy
and negotiation strategies, training in the areas of knowledge, analytical, managerial and technical skills.
They recognise :he need for local self governance, and for alternative micro-level coping strategies. There
For the way Hivos distinguishes the different categories of civil society organisations, please refer to
Ch. 3.
9
has also been clearly a shift to urban poverty concerns, to the promotion of equity issues, and towards
the support of networking efforts in civil society.
Trade unions, women's organisations, social movements, corporate philanthropic organisations,
churches, and associations of concerned people all represent voluntarism in some form or another. The
growing acceptance of these public collectives by global agencies such as UNDP, or the Bretton Woods
institutions all point towards dynamism in co-operation, its modalities, and the issue of democratic
representation. The UNDP in 1993 claimed that there were well over 50,000 non-government
organisations in South countries! These figures in themselves say little. However, they do suggest that
the presence of organised dissent in civil society may not be taken lightly by policy makers. The real
problem is in the terms of co-operation, especially when corrupt governments are relentlessly capturing
resources, organisations, community platforms and bureaucracies. Voluntary organisations may find that
co-operation, equal decision-making and equal participation with corrupt governments can leave only two
options: rejection or co-optation.
From the mid '70s to the '80s there has been a significant growth of the professionalised voluntary
sector in this region, because of the need felt by some public-interest institutions to engage actively in
livelihood issues such as forestry, health, and the protection of the commons in collaboration with
government is welfare wings. Left parties and trade unions perceive this collaborative effort as co
optation, no better than 'contractorship', but many of these efforts are not without their commitment.
Must all partnerships with government be perceived as a lowering of standards of political resistance and
dilution of ideologies? Are they only a sharpening of the service-delivery-resource capabilities of the
voluntary organisation? Governments have many mechanisms at their disposal for replicating good
models that might emerge from the extensive micro-level experience that non-governmental organisations
have with communities. This helps them to perceive genuine interests and to build organic links on the
field. The state conceives of development in national terms. NGOs can be critically engaged by dealing
with local interests. However, despite the competitive advantages at the micro level and the first-hand
information that they often have, the question remains as to whether NGOs can really short-circuit the
structures of domination created by local elites, which use the state apparatus to maintain themselves:
Much depends on the internal political and social strength of the public-interest institution if it is to be an
effective partner of government, consistently representing the poor and yet willing to share
responsibilities in civil society.
Social organisations as intermediaries may at times reflect the biases of local elites, thus diluting the
struggle of the poor everywhere to solve the problems of caste, class, gender and race in communities
on their own terms. There is tension between the need for 'commitment' and the need for 'competence'
among some voluntary organisations. There is also the endemic need among some to be accepted by
donor institutions and governments. Both these factors have contributed to altering significantly the
possibilities for radically altering dominant politics and returning to people at the grassroots control over
their history.
Social movements in various parts of Asia (notably in environmental issues) are still engaged in
protesting against, resisting and coping with the fall-outs of the gigantic projects of social development,
variously termed industrialisation and modernisation. High on their agendas has been the critique of the
uneven record of development, as envisioned in government plans and realised in the highly imbalanced
social indicators of different regions and communities within states. In addition to their overall combat
against poverty, they also have to contend with the growing loss of self-reliance, both at the level of
communities and at the level of the nation state.
The failure of governments, over the years, to secure a minimum social economic justice agenda is today
receiving great attention in the NGO sector. More efficiency is being demanded of the public social
delivery institutions. The partial success of governments in poverty eradication has been offset by the
thousands of community-level examples in social mobilisation and resistance and the experimental
construction of alternatives all over the Asian region, from decentralised water- management systems to
provisions of locally available indigenous-knowledge-driven health-care services. There have been, various
intermittent upsurges of dissent, sustained protest, everyday resistance, calls for transparency in
10
■-~"£
~*
There ,s a|s0 a crisis of governance in civil society, where major portions of the economy are aeino
asp.ra^oZ^TheT
and COrP°rate allian^s, and where private interests overr.de local democratic
P
ons. The growing mala.se in governments causes severe strains on productive co-ope'=.tion
institutional integrity (e.g. transparency), particularly to the communities involved.
NGOs today have to contend with the growing disenchantment among the poor The poor are wearv
of’ the'erZ'^X^X:;^
tha'
d
empowerment among the poor communities
because the
The challenges of long-term sustainable work can only be met by multisectoral linkanOC oe
porate sector, people s movements, aid institutions, local bodies and political parties Hinr ™ th
agenda of governments will be extensive cooperation of people's organisations if they are to -^ave a6
“ ?
H
T
9 hiStOry- The S0Cial and economic 'ustice a9enda may, in many cases be
osely linked to the cultural and political rights agendas. Unfortunately the term participator 'often
does not reflect democratic decision-making and the sharing of poweHn the best tradit on -he?
-
ciX^s“°nS P°Wer t0
that Pe°P,e'S Vi6WS haVe b6en
-dZ?
^diXrwnrld Vt S°CieKV Wi" inCreaSin9ly l0°k towards vo|dntary organisations for resolving -he crises in
a d.v.ded world, .t may be necessary for public-interest institutions to rethink the strategies required to
™ memrNGorand'r6
h690"3"00 30(1
WhiCh inV°IVeS b°th 9-ernment social
accountably, and prevent governments from repeating systemic failures in the delivery of social justice.
11
1
.d/m* • ■, -a,
2. Hivos in Asia in retrospect
2.1
Activities in retrospect: in qualitative terms
This chapter briefly reviews Hivos's experiences in Asia and the CIS during the period 1992 1997. The
starting point for this review, both qualitative and quantitative, is the earlier Asia five-year Policy
Framework Hivos in Asia: Beyond Traditional NGOs. In addition, general policy developments are taken
into account, particularly regarding the sector of culture.
During the past five years, there was a sizeable policy shift to supporting broader mass-based
organisations which, as apex body organisations, could represent more strongly the struggles and
demands of their constituencies. Before 1992 many of the new programmes supported by Hivos, were
in fact local-level replications of successful efforts by other NGOs in nearby localities, many new partners
the offspring of already existing organisations. This approach had a number of constraints. It resulted in
a multiplication of small-scale efforts, the impact of which rarely went beyond the local level. The
replication of existing partners often resulted in unhealthy rivalry between neighbouring organisations. It
also led to a loss of expertise. As a result, both old and new organisations often lacked the expertise to
implement the wide range of sectoral activities that were demanded by the then standard integrated rural
development approach. Lastly, most organisations opted for a legal form which allowed little say in
decision-making processes by their constituencies; they preferred to be intermediary development
organisations (NGOs). In line with Hivos's basic policy document Full Participation: A Question of Power.
the 1992 Asia Policy Framework contained the explicit intention to go ‘beyond traditional NGOs’.
Henceforth, Hivos's programmes in Asia strategised by supporting federated structures, which gave its
constituencies a real influence on decision-making processes and which focused on decentralising
responsibilities for its activities. Membership-based social organisations which emphasised greater
involvement in political participation, and collective campaigning, received priority. Hivos co-operated
with organisations that were able to combine grassroots work with policy advocacy at the state or
national level. Organisations with cross-sectoral approaches were also supported, especially those that
made serious efforts to integrate concerns of environmental sustainability with economic activities, with
gender sensitivity and with rights perspectives. According to available statistical information, in Asia
Hivos has succeeded in moving in the desired direction. This sets the Asia programme somewhat apart
from the Hivos programme in other continents. In 1996. the percentage of Asia programmes falling
within the category of pro-active grassroots organisations and social (interest and advocacy)
organisations (in terms of numbers of partners) was 10 % and 45 % respectively (for the Hivos
programme as a whole these figures were 10 % and 26 % respectively). In 1997 in terms of financial
expenditures these figures for Asia were 6 % and 51 %, totalling 57 %. One may conclude from this
that policies have thus been in tune with changing ground realities.
There were also areas where changing ground realities forced Hivos to reconsider its policy priorities. A
serious set-back occurred in 1992 itself, when the Government of Indonesia directed local development
organisations that they were no longer permitted to accept funds from Dutch funding agencies in case
these funds originated from the Netherlands Ministry for Development Co-operation. The conflict was
prompted by differences over human rights perspectives between the Indonesian and Netherlands
governments. As a result Hivos was forced to dramatically scale down its programme in Indonesia.
Remaining partners were supported from private funding sources. In the same year, a major innovative
step ahead was that Hivos began operations in two ex-Soviet states - Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan covering difficult territories which were essentially transition societies. Also, between 1992 and 1997
several missions were made to Vietnam, to explore the possibilities of starting a limited programme in
that country.
v
The Asia 1992-1997 Kaderplan prioritised six areas of support:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
12
the economy; conditions for production
rights of minorities and indigenous groups
environment and sustainable development
(iv)
.
women, gender and development
(v)
HIV/AIDS and development
(vi)
urban social organisation
In 1993, Hivos decided to give overall priority to the sectors Economic Activities and Culture (cf. the
strategy document A Two-Track Strategy}. General sector polioies were further elaborated in the main
policy documents on Culture and Development (1995), Human Rights (1996), Economic Activities
(1996), Gender and Development (1996), Environment (forthcoming), and the policy note Hivos and
Population (1 992).
The economy: Conditions for production
In the past five years, virtually all Asian countries where Hivos is working have gone through a process
of fundamental economic transitions towards an open market economy. These economic changes
underscore the importance of Hivos's attention for economic development in Asia and the CIS. In
Hivos-Asia, the sector of economic activities has grown, particularly in recent years. The role of Hivos in
the economic sector has been at botn the micro-level (loans, training) and the macro-economic level
(lobby and campaigning for WTO, influencing national or state policies, networking on effects of SAP).
Much attention has been given to micro- level activities such as specialised training in capacity building,
HRD, micro-level rural enterprise, interfacing with rural lending banks, marketing strategies, promoting
and developing primary thrift and credit coops, and fostering local resource mobilisation.
Against the expansion of training ano support activities, the growth of the credit portfolio has, in Asia,
stayed somewhat behind expectations. The reasons for this are:
Due to availability of subsidised credit (e.g. India), quotations of HTF are not always attractive
. - Due to extensive government control in the banking sector, decision-making regarding credit is often
politically influenced. Thus, for HTF, there are relatively few private financial institutions with whom
Hivos can co-operate.
- National credit institutions are protected from foreign competition. It is difficult for HTF to obtain formal
approval to supply credit.
J
The CIS-countries were in the midst of currency reforms, a revision of the financial systems and
reallocating property titles. This context was unfavourable for credit activities.
Rights of minorities and indigenous groups
During recent years in many Asian countries, authoritarian states have suppressed minority groups,
including cultural/religious minorities and/or indigenous peoples. Furthermore, minority groups bear the
brunt of increasing communalism in several countries in the region. These experiences have only
underlined the importance of the issue of the rights of minorities.
Hivos has, in Asia, a considerable number of partners in the field of minority rights, some of whom can
be regarded as pioneer organisations. These organisations are actively involved in areas like campaigning
against communalism; prevention of ethnic conflicts; promotion of tribal economic/political rights;
securing titles to land and access to factors of production (e.g. forest produce); opposing displacements
and encroachments on (customary) lands with as a consequence loss of livelihood and food security;
women's rights; and cultural identities of indigenous peoples. Institution-building in minorities' rights
representation received serious attention because of the growing need to sustain campaigns and to
create platforms where redressal can be sought by the affected.
Environment and sustainable development
13
In Asia, people’s movements involved in environmental actions have contributed to the overall awareness
of environmental issues, the issues of deprivation and people’s relation and dependence on the
commons, the problems of state-led development projects and their impact on the poor, and the
shortcomings of top-down approaches to development planning. The 1992 UNCED-Conference may have
helped in building up environmental concern among NGOs, social movements and community based
organisations. It is, however, true that NGOs have had difficulty in slowing down the pace of
environmental degradation caused by economic and development policies in Asia which often are aimed
at maximising short-term returns. Therefore, the importance of focusing on countering the environmental
degradation resulting from economic strategies including industrialisation and export-led agriculture
policies, remains crucial.
During the period 1992-1997, Hivos doubled its financial support for 'environment and development* in
Asia and CIS. Support has been primarily on organisational development, but also on dissemination of
information, on action research and lobbying, and on activities related to, e.g., agriculture, fisheries, and
mining.
In accordance with the Kaderplan, considerable support was given to research and lobby activities. In
particular, support to lobby activities at the international level was substantial.
Support was given to grassroots level organisations promoting environmental awareness at the
community level for protection of resources vital to their livelihood. Also local resource management and
the promotion of LEISA (Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture) were given support.
Resource persons were invited to give training in environmental impact analysis. More can be done is this
area.
Furthermore, support was furnished to organisations involved in issues like urban environment, rural and
urban industries, the impact of mega-projects and issues confronting fisherfolk. These issues are
prominent in Central Asia, but also in other Asian countries. Clearly, this reflects the severity of the
problems and the strength of NGOs active in this field. In India, Sri Lanka and to a lesser extent
Indonesia, the attempt of^NGOs to co-operate with and lobby the government has sometimes increased
_the effectiveness of NGO-strategies and succeeded in influencing government policies.
In-1996/97, Hivos evaluated its policy on environment and development in terms of quality and quantity
of its counterpart portfolio. It was concluded that not only the number of counterparts working on
environmental issues has increased considerably but among these also the number of organisations
having a pioneer role in their country.
Women, Gender and Development
In all Asian countries, Hivos co-operates with strong women's organisations. In recent years, they have
made substantial achievements, especially in the areas of strategic development and lobbying. The
women's movement is, in Asia, gaining more and-more clout; it is probably one of the more important
and visible social movements.
During 1992-1997, Hivos's thrust in Asia was on support to the following:
-
women's organisations (in campaigning for policies favourable to women’s interests; e.g. economic
security, violence);
-
mass based organisations (on economic interests of women);
-
more balanced gender relations in mixed partner organisations.
Has the position of women overall improved? Certainly in some aspects but countervailing powers have
also been on the increase. Violence against women is in some countries as distressing as before; and
achievements in emancipation are often followed by a turning back of the clock. Therefore Hivos has
given strong attention to violence against women. In all Asian countries, Hivos supports women's
organisations which play a pioneer role, e.g. in legal defence cases; shelter homes and crisis centres;
combating trafficking in women; information dissemination; training; counselling; and lobbying.
Breaking down gender stereotypes is pre-eminently a social-cultural affair. Hivos supported a.number of
initiatives on the cross-roads of gender and culture (e.g. films, workshops).
14
Several Hivos s partners play a role at the national level, putting issues of women's rights on the agenda
of policy makers, campaigning on the legal position of women, rendering services to individual women or
women's organisations; and thus playing an important role in building up civil society and
democratisation. Hivos provides institutional support.
Other Hivos s partners perform important roles in international circles; either through lobbying
international policy makers (e.g. on trafficking in women), or in networking and strengthening member
organisations in methods and strategies.
For 1992-1997, the following results can be mentioned:
Hivos facilitated the. participation of partners in the UN conferences (the Cairo Conference of Population
and the Beijing Women's conference in 1995) and their follow-up;
Hivos supported organisational and institutional development for women's organisations, for instance, by
facilitating management training; in situations of organisational crisis Hivos would play a proactive role if
it was invited to do so;
In the CIS new forms of women's organisations are coming into existence; Hivos played a role in
fostering networking and preparing the ground for women’s projects;
Towards mixed (men-women) partner organisations, Hivos engaged in a process of agenda-setting on
gender issues. Gender trainings were facilitated. Unfortunately, these trainings were successful only
under certain conditions. In Indonesia, e.g., an evaluation concluded that gender training of staff as a
strategy for organisational change has limited impact and requires follow-up;
The contributions by women’s organisations to direct improvement of women’s socio-economic position,
esp. for poor urban and rural women, has been limited, reflecting the systemic difficulties of the overall
environment itself. Recently, Hivos built up new partnerships with organisations geared at strengthening
the economic position of women (Sri Lanka. India, CIS);
HIV/AIDS and Development
In the former five year-plan, emphasis was placed on the following:
-
HIV/AIDS as a human rights issue; protection of affected people, support to self-organisation,
exposure of violation of human rights, prevention of victimisation;
-
HIV/AIDS as a development issue; exposure of factual realities, integrating development work with
approaches on the way HIV/AIDS further affects the already disadvantaged, confronting lack of
government strategies, need for sexual education, and combating conservative and moralising stands.
In Asia, the prevailing taboo atmosphere around sexuality and sexual health proves to be a serious
hindrance for the development of effective HIV/AIDS prevention strategies. In all programme countries,
Hivos made efforts to identify organisations working along the above-mentioned lines. As a result, Hivos
now has a growing number of partners in this policy thrust. Hivos has, however, not succeeded in all
countries. In the CIS, attempts to support embryonic organisations were frustrated by the inimical
environment in which organisations (and people) are forced to operate.
In the past years, support has been provided to self-organisations of People Living with HIV/AIDS
(PLWHIV/AIDS). Hivos took an active stand in facilitating networking and training in, e.g., methodologies
of counselling.
In the Netherlands, Hivos organised a public campaign on AIDS & Development.
Urban Social Organisation
The former Asia five year-plan mentions the case of rural-urban migrants, self-employed people and slum
dwellers; and calls for support to pressure groups engaged in housing rights, legal protection, and
unionisation. Several organisations are being supported in this area, some of them being the first to
engage in this area of work. The conditions for organising slum dwellers and migrants are, however,
extremely difficult and volatile; as a consequence, it is a matter of deep significance that Hivos has been •
working with organisations that have fought and mobilised for the rights of the growing class of the,
urban poor, particularly women workers and migrant tribal workers, e.g., in India. New partners include
a squatters' organisation in Central Asia, and organisations fighting for the rights of women migrants in
South East Asia. Hivos is committed to giving close attention to this sector. It is clear that with the
internal migrations that are a growing phenomenon in South Asia the urban poor are becoming a majoi*
15
constituency. Issues include an economic-social justice agenda and civil and political rights, particularly
violence, and fundamentalism.
Culture
In 1995, Hivos selected 'culture and development' as a priority policy area. Previously several
organisations were supported in Asia that make use of the arts medium (e.g. puppet theatre, film,
publications) to spread a message (e.g. gender, environment). At present, some of these organisations
are placed under the Hivos's umbrella of 'culture and development'.
Hivos realises that cultural expressions and the arts have the potential to visualise people's aspirations,
dreams, values and self-respect, and that in this way they contribute to the building of civil society, a
society of self-conscious citizens. Six disciplines are distinguished: film, literature, theatre, visual arts
(Photography, art, sculpture, etc.), dance, and music.
In Asia, by 1997, the number of culture projects in Asia had increased although they still remain at a
modest level of financing. Hivos engaged in:
-
building up a network of resource persons (art critics, artists, intermediary organisations, journalists
etc.);
-
conducting surveys of existing activities in India and Indonesia;
-
selecting a number of organisations for support;
-
and organising a conference in Central Asia on 'culture and arts in a region in transition'.
In Retrospect and Looking Ahead
In retrospect, the impact of five years' of Hjvos's support in Asia has been innovative, focused
significantly on broad-basing people's resistance to inequalities and building sustainable alternatives by
encouraging support to membership organisations. It is useful to review the question of the position of
NGOs, social movements and community-based organisations supported in Asia, their strengths, their
i
• weaknesses, also vis-^-vis countervailing powers, and the scope of their influence and action. One could
point at a number of Asian NGOs that have been successful in 'making a difference': e.g., women's
organisations in India, human rights organisations in South East Asia, environmental organisations in
Central Asia or economic organisations in Sri Lanka. There are however many examples of efforts that
have a minimal influence and are unable to alter significantly the existing environment. Development
being a highly political issue, requiring a variety of social and technical skills, it is not surprising that any
stock-taking will provide mixed results. It is important to learn from failures as well as from success
stories. From an accountability perspective, it is important to promote transparency regarding results and
impact (see chapter 5).
The political and economic developments in Asia over the past five years have reaffirmed the relevance
of the priority areas decided upon by Hivos in the five-year policy document, Hivos in Asia: Beyond
Traditional NGOs. After the commencement of the previous plan, one new sector was chosen as a
general Hivos priority: the area of culture. Moreover, Hivos decided to arrange its internal organisation
more along sectoral lines. Also new is the emphasis on alliances in the North, in particular with sectoral
organisations, aiming at applying concerted pressure in the North to change policies but also with the
aim of establishing new partnerships along sectoral lines. These new aspects of Hivos's organisational
set-up have proven to be effective in substantiating the new sectoral priorities. North-South linkages of
organisations over common issues has also been receiving attention, and this has been particularly
enhanced during the support of Hivos to its partners for participation in the various international
conferences (e.g.. Consumers International, IFOAM) and the UN Summits, particularly, at Cairo,
Copenhagen, and Seijing.
A conclusion reconfirmed during the latter five years of Hivos's presence in Asia is that increasingly
Hivps will have to pay attention to strengthening community based organisations and be sensitive to the
role’of intermediaries (NGOs). Both represent the interests of the poor but in different ways and this
may have varying effects on operationalising field action, sustainability and empowerment processes. In
Asia, the entire gamut of social organisations can be found: welfarist organisations, service rendering
16
NGOs, intermediary organisations, apex bodies, trade unions, etc. Some NGOs are closely connected to
people s self-organisations.-A characteristic of people’s associations (in particular, in South Asia) is a
high level of spiritual motivation and dedication. In terms of effectiveness or accountability one type of
NGO does not necessarily perform better thai another.
This has also been an issue raised in the so-called Impact Study, commissioned by Hivos and the other
Dutch co-financing agencies and published in 1991. This study reconfirms the value of the Dutch
co-financing programme but also draws some critical lessons on the limitations of the NGO-sector, in
particular regarding the lack of social embedding and the lack of effectiveness. In 1995, the co-financing
agencies reported on their response to the Impact Study {With Quality in Mind) and also projected the
future orientation of their activities [New Directions). The new organisational set-up of Hivos is another
response to the Impact Studv, as is the formulation of Hivos's s sectoral priorities. The 1998-2002 Asia
five-year Kaderplan aims at integrating the lessons learnt from the Impact Study and the conclusions
drawn in the previous five-year Kaderplan.
As was pointed out at the beginning of this chapter, the Hivos programme in Asia has over the last five
years distinguished itself from the overall Hivos programme in that it has had a strong emphasis on
grassroots / community baseo organisationsand social organisations; and within the last in particular
membership-based organisations and interest organisations were strongly represented. This emphasis has
increased over the years, all the more so as in the period 1992-1994 Hivos reviewed support to a
number of ’integrated rural development organisations', strongly represented in-particular in India,
Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Many sharpened their sectoral approaches, integrating at higher levels
development work with the poorest of the poor. They augmented their expertise in fields as diverse as
social forestry and watershed management to gender concerns and energy needs. In this process those
organisations which were local-based, implementing a wide scale of rather unspecific and disparate
activities, rarely exceeding their local activities to work on a higher advocacy level, had to either get
more focused or seek support elsewhere.
Since 1992, Hivos s reorientation has been intentionally focused on increasing its support to more
sectoral focused organisations; to more public interest organisations; to an appropriate mix of
issue-based organisations and network and advocacy organisations; and to efforts aimed at building
linkages between the different levels of institutional support. There has also been an effort to increase
the share of .arge organisations, involving substantial amounts of Hivos support, both because these are
expected to be more efficient and have a larger impact, and because Hivos has institutional constraints
which prevent it from supporting a limitless number of smaller organisation. At the same time Hivos has
made a conscious effort to keep its support to those smaller, organisations working on single sector
policy thrust, which fit well within Hivos institutional approach and sectoral policy thrusts. Apart from
the issue of the scale of Hivos support, there also have been the changes in the management debate: a
shift from (primarily) social accountability, to professionalism, endowment, measurement of effect, and
impact assessment. Organisations that work on the forefront making a difference is the commonality
that binds the entire diverse kinds of funding Hivos is willing to do.
Hivos supports programmes that, overall, empower people to deal themselves with the basic challenges
of poverty, unemployment, and political rights. Capacity building for pro-poor planning has been high on
the agenda. Partners in Asia nave demonstrated that social mobilisation is an important vehicle for
activating commitments into action. Institutionalisation of participation has been a key factor. Exchange
of experiences has been also high on the agenda of Asian partners through workshops, networking,
information newsletters and use of the media. Creation of fora for mediation and conflict-resolution, for
networking in civil society is being called for by political activist leaders. Hivos has actively supported
good management practices and governance efforts in the development sector.
17
2.2
Activities in retrospect: in quantitative terms
During the previous Kaderplan, allocations for the Asia share from the co-financing budget line (Cat. IV)
ranged from 19% in 1 992 to 21 % in 1 997. However, actual expenditures in Asia both for 1996 and
1997 were higher, as a share of Cat. IV but even more so as a share of all sources (this includes the
budget lines from the European Union, Additional Funds sanctioned by the Dutch Ministry for
Development Co-operation and other institutional funders).
The diagram below gives an overview of financial expenditures in the Hivos Asia programme over the last
ten years. It appears, that between 1986 - 1991 (the former five year period) the Hivos expenditures
in Asia rose from Dfl.5.7 million to Dfl.7.1 million (an increase of 25 %); whereas in the subsequent
five-year period (1992 - 1997) these increased to Dfl.2O million. This comes to a remarkable increase of
182%.
Fig.1
Hivosin Asia 1986 -1997
total spending, all sources
20
15
I
10
s 5
£
0
1986
1991
1997
Year
Looking at the distribution of expenditures according country, we see that India over the years accounted
for the largest share; its share varying from 40-50 %. The share of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia,
Indonesia, the Regional Asia programme and the CIS over the period 1992-1997 can be seen in the pie
chart below. For a more detailed overview of expenditures in Asia in the period 1986 - 1997, and for a
country-wise breakdown, please refer to Annex 2.
18
Fig. 2
Hivos in Asia
total spending 1992 - 1997 according to country
Regional Asia
6%
CIS
6%
Malaysia
13%
India
40%
Indonesia
15%
Sri Lanka
20%
Like the level of expenditures, the number of partners supported in Asia during the period 1 992-1 997
increased significantly. Whereas the number of partners supported in Asia in 1986 was 61 by 1991
this number had increased to 122; and it had increased to 190 by 1997. This is an increase of 56 %
over the last five years. See the diagram, below (figure 3). For a country-wise breakdown please refer to
Annex 1.
Fig. 3
The 56 % increase in terms of
Fives in Asia 1986 -1997
nurter of partners
200
190
150
100
counterpart . This increase of the
average turnover (from Dfl.58.000
to Dfl. 105.000 , 81 %) , as well, is
in tune with policy intentions.
122
50 Mrrters
numbers of partners compares to a
182% increase of total expenditures
(see above), which is an indication
for the increase of the average
amount of Hivos-support per
61
0 -
1986
1991
1997
Year
19
As was mentioned before, in line with Hives's overall policies in Asia there was an increase of support
to more sectoral focused organisations, from 68% of total expenditures in Asia in 1992 to 89% of total
expenditures in 1997. In this same period, Hivos refined its sectoral focus and modified definitions.
The sectoral distribution according to expenditures is presented in the pie chart below (figure 4). We see,
that by 1997 (in terms of expenditures) the share of programmes in Asia focusing on Human Rights,
Environment and Economic activities is particularly high (27%, 23% and 22% respectively); in terms of
numbers of partners, however, the share of Gender, Women & Development is also significant: (see
figure 5 below, see also annex 3).
Fig. 4
Hivos in Asia
expenditures according to sector 1997
(all sources)
Other
11 o/o
Economy
22%
HR &
HIV/AIDS
27%
-----
!
Culture
1%
Gender
16%
Environment
23%
Fig. 5
Hivos in Asia
number of partners according to sector 1997
HR&HIV/AIDS
31%
Other
13%
Economy
10% Culture
5%
Gender
19%
Environment
22%
20
Further, as was highlighted in the Chapter 2.1, Hivos made strong efforts to increase its support to
grassroots and community based organisations, as well as to social organisations with a strong
membership base. The percentage distribution of Hivos's support in Asia to the different types of
organisations by 1997 is given below, in figure 6. Clearly, grassroots organisations and social
organisations account for 7 % and 46 % respectively.
For more details on the distribution of Hivos's support in Asia according to type of organisation please
refer to Annex 4.
Fig. 6
Hivos in Asia
number of partners according to type of organisation 1997
Network
10%
Service Org'n
21%
„Grassroots /
Other
Community based
7%
Social Org’n / interest
/advocacy
46%
Intermediary Devt.
Org'n
13%
For a definition of the distinction between community-based organisations, social organisations,
intermediary organisations, et cetera, please refer to Ch.3.
21
3.
Hivos interventions 1998 - 2002: General Outline
3.1
Basic premise: Full Participation, a question of power
For the 1998 - 2002 period, Hivos's policy framework for Asia remains inspired by the analysis
contained in its basic policy document, Full Participation, a question of power. According to this docu- •
ment, Hivos's fundamental objective is to contribute to the process of empowerment of marginalized
people. The notion of empowerment first of all implies fostering institutions that facilitate access of the
poor themselves to decision-making processes that affect the lives of the poor. This translates into
support for a wide range of civil society institutions, with a preference for those that allow democratic
control over their policies by the marginalised themselves. Empowerment is also strengthening the
economic position of the poor. This means support for interest organisations, like membership-controlled
co-operatives or trade unions working in non-traditional sectors, which work towards improving the
bargaining position of the poor. This also includes support for financial intermediaries and for innovative
institutional arrangements which facilitate access to credit, markets and support services for the poor.
Marginalisation involves social, economic, political and cultural exclusion of people at various social
levels (household, community, nation, global), and is often being justified with arguments of race,
ethnicity, culture, and economic exigencies. In those Asian countries which experience rapid economic
growth per capita income may grow even for the poor, but income disparities often increase, restricting
social opportunities (e.g., access to education and employment). In this sense marginalisation also is a
relative phenomenon. Especially in countries with rapid economrc growth, marginalisation often is the
result of environmental degradation disproportionally affecting the livelihoods of rural and urban poor. In
countries undergoing structural adjustment processes, the social and economic gaps have mostly
widened, and reduced government spending on the social sector has again disproportionally affected the
poor. In the transition countries of the CIS, especially during the phase of economic decline in the early
1990s, marginalisation was a country-wide phenomenon. Here as well, certain groups are affected
disproportionally, e.g., rural people, the elderly, women.
Marginalisation on the basis of gender is a process in its own right and with its own dynamics, cutting
across processes of socio-economic and political marginalisation.
Hivos's institutional approach implies that a major share of its means will be earmarked for supporting
self-organisation, not only at grassroots level - in the form of community-based organisations - but also
at apex and federated levels of social and public interest organisations. In some of the Asian countries
where Hivos is active, repressive political systems prevent the emergence of such popular controlled
institutions. Under such circumstances, Hivos will also support intermediary organisations which aim to
increase the space for democratic processes.
Based on the analysis of Full Participation,'a question of power, Hivos distinguishes the following
categories of counterparts:
(i) grassroots/community based organisations (CBOs), often membership-based , are embedded in local
communities and attempt to shape a popular local development process;
(ii) social organisations, this is a broad category composed of interest' and advocacy organisations
which have a demonstrable basis in a specific sector of society. Interest organisations focus on the
defence and promotion of the economic, social and political interests of their members. These organi
sations reach beyond the local level; sometimes they are forms of higher level integration of grassroots or
membership organisations. As community-based organisations, interest organisations supoorted by Hivos
are largely organisations of the marginalised themselves.
Advocacy organisations educate, lobby and advocate on specific issues; membership is not a
•characteristic feature. Advocacy organisations (on issues such as human rights, press freedom, political
democracy, violence against women, environment, debt, et cetera) play an important role in forging
changes in society which - also - benefit the interests of the marginalised.
22
(iii) intermediary development organisations promote and implement out social development activities in
local communities. Membership is not a characteristic feature.
(iv) service rendering organisations provide specialist -technical or otherwise- Support to other
organisations. Often they are contracted to implement specific projects or parts of broader programmes;
membership is not a characteristic feature. This category includes non-profit organisations and
organisations-for-profit.
Organisations in categories (iii) and (iv) can but mostly do not come from the ranks of the marginalised
themselves.
(v) networks operate in the field of co-ordination, information, campaigning, communication, and lobby;
they may bring together any of the above mentioned categories of organisations.
This way of categorising organisations is a working definition. It does not claim to be watertight.
Categories (iii), (iv) and (v) cover organisations known as NGOs in the more strict sense of the word. For
categories (i) and (ii), the extent to which the organisation is accountable to the communities with whom
they work, is the decisive criterion for Hivos. This may range from full democratic control in the case of
community-based and membership organisations, to more indirect forms of accountability, e.g., by
making communities responsible for the management of substantial parts of the budget of a programme.
To the extent that an organisation is more accountable to communities, it is more likely to qualify for
Hivos support.
The very nature of marginalisation and exclusion limits the possibilities to unite and to pursue common
interests and aspirations. Constraints include a limited scope for taking risks in terms of immediate
survival, given poverty and environmental degradation, lack of access to information, knowledge and
expertise, vulnerability to repression and control by authorities at different levels, and geographical
and/or social isolation. Outsiders can facilitate and assist processes of organisation among marginalised
people, and provide necessary protection and services. Intermediary NGOs (of the development and
service type) can provide such direct support.
Indirectly, self-organisation of marginalised people will benefit from an overall non-repressive socio-eco
nomic climate which provides the space for people to organise, to demand their rights and to participate
in decision-making processes. It is the creation of these spaces which is the making of civil society.
Advocacy organisations (on issues such as human rights, press freedom, political democracy, violence
against women, environment, debt etc.) play an important role in forging such a climate. Independent
media, artists and their cultural initiatives are important facilitators for a diversity of opinions and
interests, for enabling communication and exchange between various social groupings. Organisations
• involved in economic activities assist people in improving their living conditions and their bargaining
position.
Building and consolidating countervailing power is never the work of individual organisations.
Co-operation, networks and building of broad alliances between civil organisations are indispensable to
achieving lasting changes.
Objectives for 1998 - 2002:
In chapter 2, it is shown that Hivos's Asia programme already includes a high proportion of organisations
which fall under the categories of grassroots and social organisations. Thus, the aim will be to stabilise
the proportion of this type of organisations in the overall Asia programme.
Approximately 7% of the financial resources allocated to the Asia programme will be earmarked for
grassroots organisations (was 6% in 1997), and at least 45% will be earmarked for social organisations
(51% in 1997). These targets apply to Asia as a whole and not to every country individually.
3.2.
Sectoral priorities
As mentioned before, five sectors form the core of Hivos's activities in the South. The priorities within
23
each sector are detailed in chapter 4.
Hivos's basic policy is that 80% of its funds should be spent within these five policy thrusts, with 20%
available for projects and programmes that fall outside these sectors. At present the Asia programme
spends 89% of the total funds within the priority sectors. This wi8 be difficult to maintain. For 1998 2002, the target for Asia has been set at 85%.
Hivos in Asia 1998 - 2002
sector emphasis according to country
Economy
I Culture
Human Rights &
HIV/AIDS
Environment &
Development
Gender Women
x
x
India
x
x
x
Sri Lanka
x
x
X
Indonesia
X
x
Kazakhstan
x
Kyrgyzstan
x
Vietnam
x
Malaysia
& Development
x
x
x
x
x
X
X
x
As we see from the table above, not all priorities apply to all countries, for details see chapter 6. In
Vietnam Hivos intends to concentrate on economic activities, and in Malaysia - where the Hivos
programme will gradually be phased-out - Human Rights is the most important sector.
In financial terms more funds will be allocated to the policy thrusts "economic activities" and "culture
and development". The shares of the sectors "human rights and HIV/AIDS" and "environment and
development" will decrease slightly, whereas the financial allocation for "gender, women and
development" will stabilise in relative terms. More in detail:
-
Hivos plans to allocate 25 % of financial resources in the period-1998 - 2002 to the sector
"economic activities" - this compares to 20% in 1996.
-
Activities in the sector "culture and development" will be allocated 5 % of Hivos's financial resources
in Asia on an average; this compares to 3 % 1996.
-
The other three sectors will be allocated 55 % of Hivos's resources in Asia with "gender, women
and development" stabilising at 17%; the allocation for "environment and development" will decrease
to 19%; and the share for "human rights and HIV/AIDS" will gradually decrease to 19%.
These targets are for the Hivos programme in Asia as a whole and not for individual countries. Thus the
programme in Indonesia will have a more concerted thrust on human rights, the programme in Vietnam
will focus on economic activities, and the programme in the CIS will have a higher component of non
sector specific activities by investing in organisational development per se.
The percentages mentioned are minimum targets within the 85% sector-specific programmes. Given the
steep increase in budget allocations for Asia, it is to be expected that in 1998 - 2002 the budget
allocations for the sectors 'economic activities' and 'culture and development' will increased both in
relative and in absolute terms. The allocations for the other three sectors decrease in relative terms, still
the absolute amounts spent on each of these three heads increases substantially, even for "environment
and development" and "human rights & aids" .(see annex 6) The remaining 15% of the budget can be
spent within or outside one of the sectors. Hivos will make a special effort to increase its expenditure for
basic social services programmes.
24
3.3.
Geographical choices
In Asia. Hivos makes a distinction between two types of programmes (for details refer to Ch. 5):
■ . Core Country programmes.
In these countries all objectives of Hivos policies are equally applicable and Hivos will support activities in
all its five policy thrusts. We distinguish:
-
Core Programmes: India, ori Lanka, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan. As the overall Asia programme will
grow, core country programmes will have space to grow.
low profile programmes: Indonesia.
programmes for Hives's withdrawal: Malaysia
2. Core Sector programmes.
Here, the focus is on one or t.vo sectors only. Two kind of Hives's activities pertain to this category:
-
The Regional Asia programme is a sector focused programme, addressing issues which transcend
national borders. All orogrammes in this category should be firmly grounded in-national constituencies
to qualify for Hivos supper:.
-
In some countries Hivos is focusing on one sector. Depending on needs and opportunities Hivos may
expand to other sectors, his will be the case for Vietnam, where Hivos will focus on economic
activities.
Furthermore; activities outsice these core country and core sector programmes may qualify for support.
This is the case m the framev.ork of allianc.es with Dutch organisations like Max Havelaar, Fair Trade Organisation & Assistance, ’nodos Bank, and Milieudefensie (the Dutch chapter of Friends Of the Earth
(FOE)). For details please refer to Ch. 7.
The share of the Asia programme in Hivos’s overall budget allocations until 1997 has been substantially
lower than those of the other two continental bureaux, Africa and Latin America. With 40 % of the total
co-financing funds, Africa hac received a clear priority within Hivos overall policy priorities. According to
earlier prevailing budget allocations, Asia had a share of 22 % for the years 1998 - 2002. In 1997 there
were serious discussions regarding the distribution of funds between the continents. Late 1997, the
decision was taken to significantly increase the share for Asia, i.e., to 25 % for the years 1998 and
1 999 respectively. For the suosequent years the Asia share is still to be decided. As the overall Hivos
budget in the next five vears will also increase, the absolute increase of the Hivos Asia budget towards
the year 2002 is substantial. Hivos realises, that with limited overheads, Hivos will only be able to
absorb this growth, if the share of larger oartners continues to increase. The challenge thus is to arrive at
a manageable mix of larger core partners, and small and micro projects.
25
4.
Sectoral Opportunities
4. 1. Economic Activities
In Asia, the trends of economic growth are heterogeneous. Till the onset of the 1997 East Asian crisis,
high economic growth could be witnessed in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam and moderate economic
growth in India and Sri Lanka. In the former Soviet Republics, economic reforms were accompanied by a
dramatic initial negative growth (see annex 7). All countries show large or even widening disparities
between .income groups, ethnic groups, women and men. Hivos will aim at economic empowerment of
the poor to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities for the poor, and to increase investment in the
local and rural economy. In this, access to resources, especially landownership, is considered a crucial
factor. The core objective will be to strengthen people's capacity to bargain from a position of strength
in a changing economic context, be it as an entrepreneur or as a worker.
The entrepreneurs Hivos intends to support are those active in the informal sector, small producers and
small traders. Initiatives to support medium and large enterprises are not excluded from Hivos support; in
this case Hivos will critically screen their track record as employer (working conditions etc.). Besides
paying attention to improving opportunitie.s for producers, Hivos gives importance to improving labour
conditions of workers. Activities strengthening the economic position of women will receive special
attention. Optimal use of natural resources will be promoted; negative environmental effects will be
minimised. Hivos will support commercial as well as non-commercial ventures; the latter will be suppor
ted by means of grants, the former by means of credit (loans, guarantees, and participation).
There are some common features in the Asian economies; e.g., government regulations have liberalised
the market for large companies while continuing to be restrictive for small companies. Similarly,
promotion of and support for 'official' co-operatives has blocked spaces for community-controlled co
operatives. Also, the widespread political use of credit (undermining credit discipline) is a general
phenomenon in Asia. Yet, there are many differences, in particular with respect to available financial
institutions, interest rates, inflation rates, and availability and accessibility of credit.
The tools to arrive at economic empowerment can be improving access to credit, enhancing the savings
base, skills training, economic literacy, advocacy, research and organisation building.
Depending on the actual state of affairs and needs in specific countries, Hivos will support activities in
five fields.
4.1.1.
Savings and access to credit
Limited availability of savings schemes and of credit is one of the stumbling blocks for small producers
and entrepreneurs in Asia. This is especially so for women, for certain ethnic groups and for entrepre
neurs wishing to use sustainable production methods. Credit studies will quantify the actual need for
credit (short and medium-term) and identify the appropriate channels for credit in the respective
countries. Hivos foster improved access to credit by:
-
facilitating small producers and entrepreneurs to access existing savings and credit institutions,
preferably those that function on cooperative principles or are membership-based.
-
supporting new financial institutions that service this target group, if the former possibility is not
available, e.g., in the CIS, where there is a lack of financial institutions for small producers.
Besides access to credit, strengthening the internal savings-base is important for strengthening the
financial position of marginalised groups.
Hivos will facilitate documentation and exchange of successful strategies of financial institutions in
reaching the poor, promoting the interests of women and promoting environmentally so*und production.
4.1.2.
Training and technical inputs
Access to credit alone is not enough to improve the economic situation of jhe marginalised, whether in
26
I
rural or urban areas. In the midst of the process of liberalisation and globalisation, many NGOs and
social movements feel the need to reorient themselves strategically, and to develop alternative strategies
for development. Hivos will support :
-
entrepreneurship training for small producers to assist them in adapting to the changing economic
context;
-
feasibility studies of the economic potential of regions and specific groups through, e.g., diversifica
tion of production, creation of added value through processing and creation of off-farm employment
opportunities.
4.1.3.
Organisation of small producers and of workers
Effective promotion of the interests of small producers requires collective action, be it in the market
(e.g., via cooperative organisation) or at a political level (via interest/lobby groups). The interests of
women need to be well represented in these organisations. Hivos will continue to support the self
organisation of workers. The emphasis will be on:
-
unionisation efforts in the unorganised sectors of the economy, where often workers are women (e.g.
informal sector, domestic work, agricultural labourers). Asia has a large population of migrant workers
and although organisation of migrant workers is extremely difficult, such efforts deserve priority
attention.
-
efforts to form independent unions in countries where this basic right is denied.
4.1.4.
Advocacy
Hivos will support local movements and other initiatives aimed at influencing national and international
policies in order to create an enabling environment for improving the economic situation of marginalised
groups. Advocacy work could be in the areas of structural adjustment, land ownership, social develop
ment, trade, regional co-operation, debt, financing, foreign investment, privatisation, conflict resolution,
reduction of military expenditure, regional co-operation etc.
Special attention will be given to support advocacy’for change of restrictive co-operative laws. Support
will further be provided to South-South exchanges and to networks that lobby for ’Southern'
perspectives and alternative development models as well as policies on social and environmental issues,
at international fora such as the UN, WTO. the World Bank, and the IMF. To qualify for Hivos support,
such initiatives must be realistic, concrete, seek to develop a broad base of support, and be gender
sensitive.
4.1.5.
Socially and environmentally friendly production processes
Hivos will support environmentally friendly production processes (e.g., production of renewable energy,
organic farming). Temporary subsidies are possible, but economic viability needs to be achieved within a
limited period of time. Initiatives which pay better prices to small-scale producers while conforming with
market principles qualify for Hives's support. Support can be provided to companies that operate through
Fair Trade channels.
4.2. Culture and Development
Cultural identities are lost in the present stream of economic and social developments. The present
developments seem to lead towards uniformity and cultural homogeneity. Borders disappear and interna
tional relations become more determining. The trans-nationalisation of culture has not been without
repercussions, causing among others a disjunction in cultural identities. Migration has led to conflicts
over access to resources, identity and space. Since traditions are dynamic, changes have always taken
place but the current rapid developments combined with the loss of a strong cultural framework for
decision-making are making people insecure. In some cases, people have reacted by turning towards
fundamentalism, cramped traditionalism, chauvinism, sectarianism and isolationism. The revival of local
27
identities sometimes leads to confrontations between different groups if the lines drawn between the
groups are also lines between having or not having access to land, jobs, education, etc. (e.g.
Tamils/Sinhalese, Russians/Kazakh, dalit/non-daiit etc). Certainly, an awareness of one's own identity
and past is a fundamental condition for authentic and sustainable development.
Another issue is, that in some of Hivos's programme countries, the lack of democratic conditions has
hampered artistic expression, when arts, media and culture are curtailed by censorship and restrictive
licensing. The creation of monolithic, centralised states during the post-colonial period has proven to be
fatal for cultural pluralism. The state has also bureaucratised cultural links among artists of different
countries.
In general, the number of cultural organisations and the number of artists is very high in the Asian region.
Nevertheless, the economic position of artists is often insecure.
In India, both the film and literature sectors are strong. In Indonesia, poetry and traditional (puppet)
theatre have been important areas of activity. In Central Asia, during the Soviet period, almost all
disciplines were well developed though perhaps limited in terms of freedom of expression. Now, slowly,
they are recovering from the political and economic upheaval. A few innovative experiments have taken
place in theatre, journalism and film-making. In Sri Lanka, the film sector is at a developing and promising
stage. The same is true for literature, visual arts and theatre.
Hivos's intends to:
-
maintain a mix of product-oriented and organisation-oriented partners. Support will be extended to
short-term projects to keep the Culture and Development programme innovative and open.
-
support a mix of small and large scale cultural activities.
-
support organisations and initiatives which help emerging artists to earn a living by identifying pro
jects that enhance their productive capacity. Support to individual artists will be restricted.
-
broaden its focus to include rural initiatives.
-
maintain a gender-sensitive orientation, pay attention to the need for gender-sensitive media, and to
challenge stereotypes regarding femininity and masculinity.
-
support initiatives to revive local culture where 'own' traditions are being erased and people uprooted
(e.g., CIS). Though Hivos's s support will not be based on the preservation of ’traditional' culture per
se, such initiatives may play a key role in reinventing one's own history, in creating common
identities and in civic education;
-
maximise co-operation with Dutch partners (i.e. Film Festival Rotterdam, Hubert Bals Fund, Poetry
International);
-
support activities that involve South-South exchange among artists.
As the present programme is in an embryonic stage, Hivos's knowledge of cultural issues in the region is
still limited. Therefore, Hivos will develop a network of resource persons from the arts and culture sector.
Through this network, Hivos intends to obtain feedback and further develop appropriate strategies.
Regarding the specific disciplines, Hivos will support the following:
Literature: publishing works that are close to Hivos's priority policy sectors; work by under-represen
ted constituencies (e.g., minorities, indigenous peoples, communities at the edge of extinction),
promotion of books, including book fairs and writers' interest groups; focus on women writers and
young, upcoming writers: activities to promote freedom of press/publications.
Film & Video: co-operation with Hubert Sals Foundation to support individual film makers; emphasis
on distribution/screening of films, film festivals.
Theatre: support to festivals, street theatre, theatre in rural areas, theatre of minority communities.
Music & Dance: survey to determine possibilities
Visual arts: support to young, talented artists as well as to facilitating organisations; increase acces
sibility outside museums; increase influence/position of critical Southern curators; attention for
women artists, and artists emerging from marginalised groups.
28
4.3. Gender, Women and Development
The concept of gender refers to the need to analyse how development interventions either reinforce or
transform the prevailing unequal relationships between women and men. This can include interventions
focusing specifically on women and/or men. For Hivos, a commitment to gender equality implies a com
mitment to equal human rights for men and women in the broadest sense, including individual and
collective rights to self-determination in the public and so-called private sphere.
During the past five years, the women's movement in Asia has grown considerably. The role of women's
organ-isations in democratisation and building civil society is undeniable; their achievements in ensuring
women's participation in civil society, in public life, are often impressive. Women and women's organisa
tions are in the forefront of struggles for general social, political and economic emancipation. At the
same time, however, women are disproportionally affected by some adverse consequences of economic
growth.
Hivos's partners have highlighted these issues at the national and international levels. It is important to
note that Asian women's organisations are strong particularly because many of them have a strong mass
base or connections with mass-based organisations.
In Asia, during the next five years, Hivos will:
4.3.1.
Sustain support to strategic women’s organisations
Hivos will support women's organisations which have a clear vision on gender equality and women's
empowerment at the community, national and international levels; and have clear capacities for strategic
planning.
-
Support to women's organisations is prioritised in the areas of human rights, economic
empowerment, sustainable development and culture. The number and calibre of partners working in
the area of women and human rights/women's rights is already high. This support will be continued
and expanded to sensitive areas like rights of migrants, trafficking, (sexual) violence. Efforts will be
made to increase the number of partner relationships with women's organisations in the field of
economy, environment, and culture.
-
Hivos will give specific attention to strengthening and supporting mass-based organisations and
groups having strong connections with mass-based organisations.
-
Co-operation between community-level women's interest groups and intermediary women's
organisations will be supported.
-
Hivos already supports a number of strong women’s networks in Asia. Where possible, networking
and the building of strategic alliances will be further supported. The process of institutional
development (ID) and institution building will be emphasised.
4.3.2
Support capacity building in women's organisations
Capacity building of women s organisations relates to the development of expertise, including gender
specific aspects and special skills, in the field of Organisational Development (OD) and Organisational
Change (OC). To this end, Hivos will support
-
the establishment of support cells in Asia providing services and transferring skills to other women's
organisations in Asia. These support cells could be either pools of experts or specific organisations
specialising in OD and gender training.
-
training in gender sensitivity among OD-consultants and OD counterparts.
4.3.3
Provide support for the integration of a gender perspective in mixed counterparts of Hivos
A gender integration process will be promoted afthe organisational level as well as in their programme
activities. This includes:
-
analysing the socio-economic context in terms of gender, including preparation of gender aggregated
data;
29
-
development of articulated programmes with a gender perspective;
-
use of gender-sensitive methodologies, at all levels and activities;
-
development of strategic gender planning in programme activities; including allocation of financial
programme resources for activities geared towards gender equality;
-
development of strategic gender planning at the internal organisational level, including issues like
participation of women, decision making, position of women in the organisational structure,
promotion of female staff in senior management positions, promotion of women in the board, internal
gender equality policies, gender sensitivity among staff, provisions to counter sexual violence/
intimidation, employment of staff with gender expertise;
-
establishment of working relationships with women's organisations in the field of OD and/or with
gender support cells.
During the next five years, the gender integration process of 3-5 large partners in Asia will be given
special financial and related support.
Support to specific areas and sectors:
-
follow-up of the conferences in Cairo and Beijing;
-
expand support to women’s organisations / initiatives in conflict areas; development of notions and
strategies of women and conflict resolution / conflict prevention;
-
South-South co-operation against communalism and fundamentalism;
-
special attention for capacity building of women’s organisations in the CIS.
4.4. Environment and Development
Ruthless economic policies in all programme countries have had their impact on the environment in
Asia/CIS as elsewhere in the world. Together with the general globalisation process (SAPs, the activities
of TNCs, introduction of technologies which rely on an abundant and cheap supply of raw materials),
governments have often opted to over-exploit natural resources (forests, coastal zones, fishery resour
ces, agriculture), and non-renewable resources (mines, oil) and have undertaken large infrastructure
projects including power plants (and often nuclear power plants) and dams. The disruption caused by
these mega-development projects is exacerbated by the inadequacy of rehabilitation efforts and
development expenditures by local authorities. As a result, several campaigns have focused on the
customary rights of indigenous peoples to land and resources. Litigation has also arisen around these
issues.
Although a system of environmental laws exists in Hivos's Asian programme countries, most laws are
not adequately enforced. Despite the fact that all countries participated in the 1992 Rio Conference and
acknowledged their concern for the environment, this has not led to the implementation of sustainable
development plans by governments.
In Hivos's programme countries, there are a few well-organised national environmental movements.
Although in Indonesia and Malaysia, strong organisations operate at the national (and international) level,
their activities at the local, grassroots-level are weak. For quite some time, the opposite situation existed
in India. In the last decade or so, however, several national campaigns have emerged that effectively link
many relatively small grassroots groups with each other and with urban-based advocacy and support
groups. These campaigns, on issues as diverse as forest policy, rehabilitation policy, and industrial
aquaculture, have succeeded in capturing the attention of policy makers, judiciary, and the public. In Sri
Lanka, the environmental movement is scattered. With a few exceptions, the majority are Colombo
based organisations lacking grassroots connections; on the other hand, the rural-based organisations are
often not oriented-towards influencing national policy. In Central Asia, the situation is altogether different
with a newly developing NGO movement. During the last few years, many organisations have been
started, often by scientists interested in nature conservation, and only slowly becoming aware of
politically sensitive issues such as industrial or nuclear pollution, toxic waste management, and decrease
of water qualitv and quantity. These issues call for urgent attention.
On the whole, it has been very difficult for NGOs to respond adequately to the increased pressures on
the environment with its related impact on the lives of many, which further marginalises those who are
30 .
•
-
’
already at the edges of society and at the brink of exclusion (e.g., tribals, fisherfolk, women in these
groups). These social, economic and environmental concerns require adequate answers that are lacking
today. Alternatives like sustainable agriculture, community fishery techniques,’ etc., still need to be
further developed to adequately answer the challenges posed by the economic development path
promoted by governments.
In Asia, in the next five years, Hivos will:
continue to pay attention to sustainable land use/ resource use, including forests, agriculture and
fisheries, specifically in co-operation with the most marginalised groups, i.e., tribals;
increase attention to water, air and soil pollution (nuclear, industrial including mining, waste including
imported toxic wastes);
continue to focus on alternative energy sources (anti-nuclear, pro-alternatives: in close relation with
economic policy of Hivos);
increase attention for urban environmental issues, i.e. wastes, pollution;
focus on the issue of livelihoods, especially as it relates to economic trajector es and environmental
degradation.
Hivos support to NGOs will focus on:
lobby, advocacy and research organisations which are professional environment & development orga
nisations. Issues include: protection of people's environment (against mega-projects, urban and
industrial pollution, dumping of toxic wastes, etc.), environmental regulations development of viable
alternatives and strategies;
development of alternatives in agriculture, fisheries and forest use: sustainable practices at the local
level (building on indigenous knowledge) and creating room for those alternatives at the (inter)national
level;
regional, South-South and South-North network organisations to enhance the mpact of lobbying and
to promote alternatives at the national and global level (thus also including the North);
reform of and accessibility of environmental laws;
mobilisation and organisation of peoples whose lives and livelihoods are affected by loss of customary
access to resources and/or displacement.
4.5. Democratisation and Human Rights
Impoverishment and social exclusion which accompany economic growth in most of Asia have implied
serious violations of people's social and economic rights. Governments have been unable to overcome
the contradictions of the rapid economic and social change and solve the clashes of interest at the local
and national levels. Thus, Asian societies are confronted with mounting tensions within their democratic
institutions and, in some countries, growing authoritarianism. In many Asian countries we see the follo
wing tendencies:
-
a restriction of the freedom of expression and association
-
violent suppression of social and political unrest; frequent incidents of arbitrary detentions, extra-judi
cial killings, missing people,
-
a sharpening of national security laws and practices,
-
repression of trade unions and NGO activists, and human rights activists in particular.
In the countries 'in transition' to a market economy, economic liberalisation has either not been followed
by democratic reforms at all (Vietnam, Kazakhstan) or accompanied by a process of reform that is much
too slow, with many setbacks and hindrances by the institutional remains of the old 'nomenklatura'
(Kyrgyzstan). These reforms are complicated by the fact that many decades of totalitarian rule have left
deep scars in peoples' thinking and attitudes.
31
The relations between governments in the North and in Asia have become increasingly marked by a
contentious debate on human rights, whereby Asian governments, with South fast Asian leaders as the
main spokespersons, pay hommage to so-called "Asian values". These values boil down to a questioning
of the universality and indivisibility of human rights as reasserted in the World Conference on Human
Rights in Vienna in 1 993. NGOs generally reject the stand of their governments in this debate. Human
rights activists consider the debate as a good starting point to theoretically underpin their arguments,
particularly in relation to rhe cultural and historical aspects of the issue.
The economic and political changes have spurred a heightened dynamic within civil society. Across the
board we have seen the following societal responses to the attacks on people's fundamental rights:
-
local resistance (mass actions by farmers, workers, consumers) and a proliferation of action groups
and closer linkages between NGOs and grassroots groups;
-
the emergence of national and regional networks/alliances of NGOs and action groups, partly due to
professionalisation in the means of communication and partly to renewed recognition of the need for
and power of collective action;
-
a broadening of the human rights perspective of human rights organisations; linkages between
human rights organisations on the one hand, and women and 'development' NGOs, on the other,
-
a more frequent use of international instruments and mechanisms (lobby at the UN and other
regional/international bodies) to demand changes.
Human rights organisations have integrated the UN Conventions in support of economic and social
justice, and civil, political and cultural rights in their work. Human rights organisations, especially in India,
have often been resistant to foreign funding, given the perceived political sensitivity of their work.
In Asia, in the period 1998-2002, Hivos will:
-
continue support to regional networks and initiatives, while ensuring that strong linkages with
activities at the local level are maintained.
-
support initiatives aimed at confirming and implementing the results of the World Conference on
Human Rights in Vienna (1993).
-
encourage the incorporation of a human rights perspective into activities of NGOs in the sectors of
women, environment, economic empowerment and culture.
-
continue support to both advocacy (lobby campaign) organisations as well as organisations engaged
in empowering people at the grassroots in defending their human rights, while encouraging linkages
between the two;
-
support capacity building within human rights organisations (human rights and civic education, the
use of international instruments);
-
support programmes concerning HIV/AIDS, especially to combat discrimination and to enhance
emancipatory processes in relation to HIV/AIDS and sexuality; specific attention will be paid to the
position of women;
-
support programmes rights of specific groups, such as women, children, indigenous peoples and/or
ethnic minorities, human rights activists, people discriminated on the basis of their (secular)
philosophy of life or because of their sexual orientation; support programmes on lesbian and gay
rights.
-
pay special attention to the issue of violence, in particular of violence against women and children;
-
support apex membership organisations built up with locally available resources.
32
5.
Parameters of Intervention
A number of inter-linked parameters will guide Hivos in its assessment of and relationship with counter-’
part organisations, irrespective of the sector in which they operate. These include: output and impact;
accountability; sustainability of development efforts; and, the modalities of financial support. Hivos is
also prepared to support efforts of partner organisation aimed at improving their performance with
respect to these parameters. Such efforts can take the form of training, support missions, exposure, and
financial support to take on additional qualified staff.
5.1. Output and Impact
Assessing the results of the work carried out by a partner organisation is of critical interest to Hivos.
Such assessments will carry an increasing weight in the future. Various stake holders in development co
operation demand information on the results achieved with the resources pledged.
In the past, there has been unclarity regarding the levels at which assessments be made. Hivos
distinguishes three levels at which the results of activities can be assessed: output; effect and impact.
Outputs are defined as the specific products or services which an activity is expected to produce.
Outputs can be in the form of physical outcomes and of services provided. Thus, outputs are related to
the short-term objectives an organisation has set for itself and the activities that are planned for
achieving these. Effects are defined as the medium-term outcomes of project outputs. Whereas outputs
are realised during the project or programme, effects do not fully emerge until after the full development
of a project or programme. Impact may be defined as the long-term change in the living conditions and
capacities of the communities. The paradox of the assessment of results is that it appears desirable to
focus on impact, since this relates to the ultimate overarching objectives of an organisation. However,
the total impact of a project or programme only becomes evident over a long period of time. Long-term
results, however, are by necessity influenced by a wide range of factors, many of them being outside the
control of the partner organisation and the concerned communities. Thus, there is no simple one-to-one
relation between output and impact in terms of development efforts. For these reasons Hivos has
decided to place more stress on output than on impact measurement during the coming years.
The output of an organisation needs to be measured in qualitative and quantitative terms, and has to be
compared with (technical) standards relevant to the specific field of activity (be it 'credit programmes’,
popular theatre , or ’legal aid'). In addition, Hivos will pay more attention to whether the resources made
available to an organisation are commensurate to the outputs achieved (i.e., to cost-effectiveness).
Hivos has observed that many development organisations tend to take many different kinds of
activities
on board. Often this is undertaken with limited specialisation and experience, and hence results in
. ..i low
output and poor cost-effectiveness.
Output measurement is not a prerogative of donors. Clarity on achievements is also demanded by other
stakeholders, especially by communities with which development organisations work. During 1998 2002, Hivos will facilitate developing methods of output measurement that meet the needs of both
outside and inside parties (stakeholders). In this it requires the active co-operation of its partners.
Working towards improved progress reports will be a starting point. Starting with a selected number of
partners, an effort will be made to enhance the information content of progress reports on the issue of
achieved outputs. At the same time Hivos will limit the number of external evaluations, and assist
partners to make more frequent use of internal evaluations, which should not only focus on institutional
issues, but also on matters of achieved output and effects in relation to short- and medium-term
objectives.
5.2. Accountability
Hivos itself has a range of instruments which help it account for its work to its funders and to the public
in the Netherlands. Hivos also regularly informs its partners on policy and other developments. With the
legitimacy of donor-driven interventions under scrutiny in most of Asia, it is of great importance for Hivos
33
to’interact closely with the local 'development sector' in the countries where it works. Hivos commits
itself to making its policies and actions - including funding decisions - transparent. Likewise, Hivos
expects its partners to regard good governance, accountability and transparency, together with sound
organisational structures as crucial concerns for all development institutions. These issues dovetail into
the question of the long-term sustainability of development initiatives. Accountability is partly imposed
from the outside, i.e., by the various government regulations, by local and foreign donor institutions, and
by the media. In many countries the regulatory climate has become overburdening to the extent that it
stifles independent initiatives. Development organisations in various Asian countries have demanded
reforms in the government regulations, to make the existing legal framework more enabling and less
stifling. At the same time there are voices that call for a reform of the development sector from within.
. NGOs and other development organisations have to become more responsive and more responsible to
their communities, to their staff, their boards, and to the general public. Against this backdrop, internal
and external audits go beyond fulfilling bureaucratic requirements. They assist an organisation to
internally arrange, audit and set on record the management of financial resources on a systematic and
timely basis. Equally important-is that the entire exercise enables the organisation to provide trans
parency for itself in a wider setting and prove its accountability to its members. Within this framework
Hivos discerns the following levels of accountability:
(i)
internal accountability
refers to the need for transparent internal structures, with divisions of power and responsibilities,
between-members, board and staff. Clear and transparent decision making procedures and communica
tion channels contribute to an organisation's internal checks and balances. Organisations should contri
bute to the building of a second generation of leadership, to avoid the 'founders' trap'.
(ii)
accountability to communities
refers to the need for a participatory and 'organisation building' approach towards the communities with
whom its works. This applies to intermediary organisations as well as to community-based and public-in
terest organisations (although in the last two categories ’beneficiaries' are mostly also members and as •
such have a say in the organisation's decision). Accountability of development organisations towards
communities must be created by building an independent capacity within communities to make claims for
themselves; it does not limit itself to including one or two people from 'beneficiary' communities into an
organisation's board of directors. It also requires an adequate analysis of the critical problems of bene
ficiaries and an understanding of the social differentiation among them.
Intermediary development organisations must be conscious of their own role as facilitators, providing
specific assistance to such a process. For NGOs to fulfil the role of a critical change agent, they need to
have skilled, committed and strong leadership as well as skilled field-workers, organisers, animators who
take local issues and processes to heart. This should not be confused with one-time OD interventions by
consultants. It involves a participatory long-term approach to the work.
(iii)
accountability to the wider society
refers to the need for an active positioning in society. Organisations may create successful "islands of
change" which, however, run the risk of remaining isolated and vulnerable to external factors. In order to
be effective and achieve sustainable results, organisations should build alliances, and participate in
networks and movements. This provides a better starting point to engage in debate and to challenge
those in authority and in power, such as the government and the private sector.
(iv)
accountability to the donor
refers to the need for counterparts to account for the support received. Hivos's requirements as a
stakeholder for such accountability are based on the assumption that the internal accountability of an
organisation is well-developed, i.e., that financial and progress planning and reporting are normal instru
ments in the organisation's routine, which are not just prepared for the donor, but are also for internal
purposes.
*
‘
5.3. Sustainability of development efforts
"Sustainability" is a term that is widely used in the ecological debate. However, more and more the
34
.■
concept is becoming significant in the socio-political debate as well. For development efforts to be
sustainable beyond the assistance of external funding agencies, a clearly defined strategy towards
sustainability is a need. The lack of such a strategy jeopardises the very objectives NGOs stand for:
empowerment of the poor, increasing control of the poor over their lives and development.
In the development sector there is a widely shared notion that growth towards self-reliance is a need;
and CBOs and NGOs have a rich experience in strategies towards self-reliance. Ciear and consistent
overall policies or intervention strategies, however, are lacking. The challenge for all concerned (NGOs,
people's institutions and donors) is to develop long-term strategies on sustainability, although it is
acknowledged that not every organisation is, given its specific mission, in a position to achieve financial
sustainability.
Such a long-term perspective will take into account:
a gradual withdrawal of external funding;
the development of a firm people's support base. This cannot be maintained without transparency
and accountability ( i.e. social sustainability).
the willingness of the community to pay for (organisationair costs (increased local resource
mobilisation); and,
accessing state resources for social expenditures on basic needs.
Thus, a strategy on sustainability - or, from a donors point of view, on withdrawal - has to do with
. empowering at the community level, creating assets at the community level and enabling communities to
improve their livelihoods, and empowering communities to negotiate for state resources.
Strategies towards sustainability should consider the following components:
-
institutional components: including policy development, strategic planning, management, human
resource components, the quality of the output (does it make a difference, ultimately, in terms of
enhancing the capacity of the beneficiaries to take control of their development), measurement of
output;
-
social components: this is related to accountability, the level of local ownership, the type of feedback
the organisation receives from the community;
financial components: achieving financial sustainability. Studies assessing the success record of
projects in terms of financial sustainability hold a common view that one can not expect projects to
be sustainable at short term. Also there is evidence that certain conditions are more conducive to
achieving sustainability (e.g. if the projects concerned are economic projects; if external support is
increasing; if the local economy is expanding) while there is evidence that others are impediments
(e.g. if the majority of the beneficiaries are very poor).
-
ecological components (influence and impact on the environment).
Hivos will, in the next five years, in Asia:
-
work towards a more consistent strategy on promoting self-reliance, allowing for critical differences
between the sectors and socio-economic groups,
expect from partners an explicit strategy on sustainability and mechanism to assess the extent to
which they achieve financial and institutional sustainability, with an explicit time table.
For Hivos, this does not necessarily imply that the inability of a programme to achieve financial and
institutional sustainability is always an impediment for funding such initiatives.
Assessment of the success of a programme in terms of its sustainability can not be done in a simple
manner. Sustainability is achieved whenever the NGO achievements merge with the ongoing economic,
social and other processes at the community level, and whenever they can not be clearly attributed to
the external (aid/NGO) resources.
External support can not be for ever. For Hivos, the cycle of support is in principle 2-4-4 years, though
continuation after this period is possible, under stringent conditions (among others, a pre-eminent record
in terms of accountability and output), or otherwise if the need for continuing support is derived from
Hives's institutional alliances.
35
Sustainability of development efforts has another side: the development sector in the West including the
Netherlands is dependent on a people's support base and a political support base. The development
sector in the West has, unlike the consumers movement and the women's movement, no firm roots in
western societies in the sense that it represents local (self) interests. For the development sector in the
West the challenge is to create linkages between civil organisations in the West and organisations in the
South: linkages based on enlightened self-interest. For Hivos this implies that development cooperation
has to become more sector oriented and has to identify issues where citizens in the North and the South
have common interests.
For development cooperation to survive in the long term (to be sustainable) it needs to depart from a
notion of civil international cooperation, in other words; a notion of North - South partnership.
5.4. Financial support
Hivos's core activity is providing development funding to organisations in the South. Hivos provides
grants (directly) and credit-finance (indirectly). Non-commercial activities are financed with grants; credit
is provided to funding of economic activities which have a commercial base.
Outside donor funding can never replace local financing. Hivos encourages organisations to develop a
local funding base. In this respect the following considerations apply:
-
Membership organisations must raise a certain amount of income from membership fees and/or in
kind (labour, voluntary work) to demonstrate members' commitment to the goals and objectives of
the organisation and to guarantee its functioning independently of external financial support.
-
Ideally networks should be financed by contributions from their members, to ensure that the members
decide upon the priorities of the network and to prevent that the network becomes another
implementing organisation that competes with the work of its members. Therefore, whenever this is
possible, Hivos will provide support to networks through the member organisations.
-
Ideally service-rendering organisations should be paid by their efients. When needed and feasible
Hivos provides financial means to client organisations in order to enable them to buy services. In
exceptional cases Hivos also provides direct grants to service-rendering organisation
-
Hivos is cautious in supporting counterparts who intend to start commercial ventures with the
objective of generating income to cover part of their budgets. The reasons for this is this may result
in the dilution of their primary work.
-
Hivos encourages initiatives for the creation of local funding bases.
5.4.1. Hivos grants
Hivos's funding is based on its institutional approach which is laid down in its basic policy paper Full
Participation: A Question of Power. The Hivos grant funds are earmarked for supporting institutional
development in two crucial areas: eradication of poverty and strengthening civil society. Within these
broad objectives Hivos concentrates its support on the five policy thrusts mentioned in Ch. 4. Institutions
should not be reduced to mere organisations; they also encompass shared values and policies, networks
between core players in a certain sector. Thus strengthening institutions can be achieved in a variety of
ways: by providing core support to organisations, but also by supporting one-time activities (a workshop,
a campaign or a publication) which have a crucial impact within a certain sector. But in all cases, Hivos’s
funding decision will be informed by an assessment of the contribution a specific organisation,
programme or project makes to strengthening the development of institutions in a particular policy
thrust.
Membership-based organisations and social movements have in-buiit mechanisms of accountability to the
communities with whom they work and often have made the transition from being mere organisations to
becoming institutions. Thus they have a preferential status within Hives's funding decisions.
Another criterion that influences Hivos s choice for.project, programme or organisation support is the
track record of the organisation involved. Well-established organisations will qualify for organisation
support earlier than new initiatives. The length of the relationship Hivos has with a partner is another
36
determining variable.
Hivos will encourage counterparts to find more than one donor. Hivos has a preference for partners who
are successful in broad-basing their funding. Hivos also encourages co-funding (where multiple donors
support the same programme) and policy dialogues with partners on a consortium basis.
(i)
Project funding
is meant for a well-defined activity or set of activities, with a clear starting point and end. It is mostly
short term. Examples are a conference or workshop, a research activity or study, consultancy mission
and capital goods. Hivos can either be the sole funder or a co-funder.
(ii)
Programme funding
relates to a specific programme of an organisation, which not necessarily has a clear starting point and
end. In general it is an ongoing activity and it belongs to thei core activities of the organisation. Funding
includes programme-related overheads. For small and young organisations Hivos may be the sole funder
of a programme, but for others Hivos prefers an involvement of other financial sources as well.
(iii)
Organisational funding
may be provided to organisations whose entire programme fit Hivos's policy priorities. The relationship
between the organisation and Hivos must be older than two years. Funding is not earmarked for specific
programmes. However, Hivos may stipulate a maximum of its contribution for overhead costs. Hivos will
not finance the whole budget nor will it fund all overheads; financial support from other sources and
possibly from their own incomes are required.
At a certain stage in their development organisations may need to build up financial reserves in the form
of a corpus/endowment fund. The function of such a corpus is'manifold: it allows an organisation to tide
over lean times; it allows an organisation to invest in its own priorities; it offers a buffer to settle
outstanding claims in case it decides to dissolve itself or in case it needs to restructure itself. Apart from
. a corpus fund, mature organisations of a certain size may also need to invest in fixed assets. Hivos is
willing to provide support for both corpus funds and for infrastructure. Contributions to fixed assets or
corpus funds during the first two years of a relationship will be exceptional. At a later point, a Hivos
contribution to a corpus fund or fixed assets will depend on various factors such as whether an
organisation has developed an explicit policy on this; whether the organisation has a firm record
regarding financial and social accountability. Also, the vulnerability of an organisation vis-a-vis state
intervention or counteracting forces may play a role.
5.4.2. Credit
Credit is provided for commercial activities as described in 4.2. Apart from exceptional cases, Hivos
provides credit indirectly, via, e.g., the Hivos Triodos Fund (HTF), in three different forms. These are, in
order of preference:
(i)
Guarantees
to enable producers to access local credit facilities. Often micro- and small entrepreneurs, but also
informal groups are unable to access local credit, because they are unable to offer collateral, though their
undertakings are financially feasible. A guarantee for part of the risk may convince the local bank to
provide credit.
(ii)
Participation
in local financial institutions to enhance the working capital of the institution or ‘or opening up the servi
ces to lower segments in the market. A participation can be through the purchase of shares or through
provision of a subordinated loan.
(iii)
Loans
>
for investments or working capital can be provided to economic groups or entrepreneurs, whenever they
37
1
are unable to access local funding for their undertakings and whenever Hivos cannot make use of the
instrument of guarantees.
■
5.5. Additional support
i .
In addition and related to its financial support, Hivos provides a number of other services:
(i) enhancing the quality of programmes of counterpart organisations, including:
-
Organisational Development (OD). Hivos will promote and support activities which aim to enhance the
organisational strength and capacity of its counterpart organisations;
-
feasibility studies of proposals. Hivos will stimulate the use of external expertise for improving the
quality and feasibility of proposals presented to Hivos by organisations;
-
capacity building in the understanding of the relationship between economic, social and environ
mental aspects of programmes;
-
capacity building in the integration of gender issues into programmes and organisations. With all its
counterpart organisations, the discussion on this issue will be continued;
-
internal evaluations. Hivos will stimulate counterpart organisations to adopt the practice of evalu
ations of their own activities and programmes as a regular feature of their work;
-
external evaluations are carried out by Hivos, as a necessary component of its own work. These can
be useful as a feedback to counterpart organisations, although the first aim is to provide feedback to
Hivos.
(ii) activities related to networking, exchange, linkages and debate among and between organisations
3$
Hivos considers this of great importance and will promote such processes. Regional networking is
facilitated by the Regional Office in Bangalore for programmes with a principal focus on India by and by
Head Office in The Hague, for all other countries. In addition networking between South and Southeast
Asia will be promoted where relevant. The sectoral expertise at Hives's Head Office also provides
opportunities for facilitating networking, cooperation and exchange.
Hivos is a Northern donor organisation with a local presence in the South through Regional Offices.
Although its local presence allows it to engage in local development debates, Hivos realises that it
cannot and should not endeavour to become a local actor in civil society.
The collaboration with like-minded donor organisations is an activity Hivos will actively pursue.
(iii) pro-active involvement in transition countries, emergency situations, and new issues
Exceptional circumstances aside, Hivos will not act as an implementing agency. In countries or regions
where the NGO sector is in a nascent state, Hivos has, however, actively promoted the emergence of
new organisations, amongst other by providing support for Organisational Development. This has
particularly been the case in Central Asia. Hivos takes on a similar pro-active role regarding new and
sensitive issues, where local organisations addressing these have not yet emerged. Lastly, in emergency
and rehabilitation situations, international NGOs sometimes have a direct implementing role to fulfil.
Hivos itself does not have the capacity for this. In such cases it collaborates with the Dutch Relief and
Rehabilitation Agency (DRA) and other donors who have a local presence.
38
6.
Country Focus
6.1. India
Core Country Programme
Sector Focus: Econ, Cult, HR/A, GW&D, E&D
Rapid changes in the economy since the introduction of the structural adjustment policies in 1991.
Increasing foreign investments and bilateral and multilateral lending. The picture of co-existing extremes
continues. Very high degrees of deprivation in some states (illiteracy, maternal mortality, growing
shortages of food, etc.). Social expenditure (as % of GDP) declined since the mid 80s. Inefficient
delivery, poor strategies, lack of accountability, and lack of ownership by the communities concerned in
the poverty alleviation schemes financed by public money continued. The Constitutional Amendments for
decentralisation of powers and direct elections to local bodies are a major step forward, but must be
complemented by advocacy and training efforts for effective utilisation of these powers. There is a need
for focus on tribal livelihoods, minority rights, the advancement of women, the abolition of child labour,
and accountable and focused expenditure for poverty eradication. Focus on a wide variety of partners,
from broad based membership organisations working on economic activities to highly efficient service
rendering and advocacy organisations. Where required, direct support to establishment of powerful
networks of people's organisations, representing constituencies from different regions. Mixed size of
funding: simultaneous support to a few large institutions with a focus on one or more of the five Hivos
policy thrusts, and to smaller programmes with a clear time-bound agenda and a clear thrust in one Hivos
policy sectors. Reduce support to organisations which implement a wide variety of activities without a
firm focus on one or two sectors. Continuation of support to projects and programmes in all five policy
sectors.
Economic Activities, priorities for support:
- continued support to protection of the rights of farm labourers, small and marginal farmers, informal
sector workers, fishworkers, workers in industry, rural women.
step up efforts to operationalise HTF in India, or develop alternative strategies.
increased support to financial institutions (esp. co-operatives) with focus on gender and environment.
- continued support to lobby for enabling financial policies, esp. greater autonomy for co-operatives and
to make sure that banks will not withdraw from micro-credit.
- training, especially for women
co-operation of RO on strategical orientation for NGOs (publications, workshops, training courses);
- support for eradication of child labour, combined with efforts to increase employment opportunities for
adults, and advocacy for minimum wages (informal sector)
- investments in renewable energy (e.g. solar) and sustainable production (e.g. organic agriculture)
Culture, priorities for support:
- assessment of possibilities for support in ail disciplines: film and popular theatre only to get support if
they have a wide and popular outreach ;
Gender, Women and Development, priorities for support:
- partnership with major women's organisations which combine grassroots work with advocacy;
- support to reproductive rights and reproductive health of women.
support to gender training and OD in all major CPO's, among others, via intensive gender trajectory,
support to combination of gender with other policy focus (e.g. culture, economic activities).
Environment, priority problems:
- sustainable livelihoods of the rural poor as the crux.
- natural resource degradation (including land fragmentation, deforestation, soil erosion, fallow land,
degradation of coastal zones, fisheries resources) and water (harvesting, alternative sources for drinking)
and their impact on survival of the poor.
energy (effects of large scale power plants incl. nuclear and hydrodams, development of alternatives)
- urban environmental issues (pollution, small scale industries, health of workers)
Priority issues for Hivos support:
sustainable agriculture with a stress on LEISA and non-chemical pest management (through OD
including community based experiments, involvement of indigenous knowledge, training, networking.
39
documentation, seminars, N-S and S-S exchanges, etc.)
- community managed and environmentally sound forms of aquaculture/fisheries
- alternative sources of income for forest dwellers/tribals: NTFPs, export of certified hardwood
- support to urban environmental movement active on pollution, health of workers, dumping of waste
Human Rights,
priorities for support:
- rights of tribals, Dalits, women, children, and People Living with HIV'AIDS, and people discriminated
against on the basis of their sexual preferences. Focus on right to livelihood of marginalised communities.
HIV, AIDS: strategies for protection/safer sex, and counselling. Small-scale support for self-help initiatives
of people discriminated on basis of sexual preferences.
6.2. Sri Lanka
Core Country Programme
Sector focus: Econ, Cult, HR/A,GW&D
The ethnic conflict has escalated into a full war. Results among others: a war economy (government
spending, economic disruption); displacements; increase of human rights violations. Peace efforts (a
devolution package; lobby for demilitarisation) have been frustrated. Economic liberalisation. Poverty in
rural areas. Extensive (female) labour out-migration.
Hivos will continue its present focus. Besides, Hivos will support NGOs with proven capacity on: rehabi
litation efforts; reconciliation and peace building with all communities; alternative solutions to the
conflict.
Economic activities, priorities for support:
- Economic development in the East, emphasis farmers, widows
- rural development, focus on youth, women; access to credit, training, alternative strategies.
Human Rights/Aids. priority problems:
displacements, gross human rights violations, emergency regulations, reduced press freedom,
discouragement of trade unions in FTZ, lack of civil rights in plantations, labour migration.
Priority issues for support:
- peace/reconciliation, rehabilitation
- social economic rights (workers, trade unions, women, children, peasants).
Gender, women and development, priority problems:
- general women's rights; displacement; migrant workers; violence against women;
Priority issues for support:
- women's labour migration: lobby, efforts to organise women
- gender integration process
- capacity building of women's organisations
- support to rehabilitation
- cross-roads of gender and economic activities
Culture & development: priorities for Hivos support:
- culture in relation to peace and conciliation
6.3. Indonesia
Low profile core programme
Sector focus: HR.
In Indonesia for 32 years there has been an authoritarian government with a strong role of the military; and
a lack of freedom of expression and association.
Indonesia is one of the 'New Tigers" that was in 1997/98 seriously affected by the financial crisis. The
crisis sharpened the social divides in the country giving rise to a wave of people's unrest. The campaign for
democracy (students, trade unions, political opposition forces) gained strenght and in May 1998 the aedifice
of Suharto's support crumbled off forcing him to step down.
The process of democratic reforms and political transformation is expected to be tough. A new constellation
of power groups will come up. As government control has been ubiquitous for over 3 decades, independent
organisations have not been able to thrive. NGOs are numerous but as a movement they are still relatively
weak.
Hivos support: In the 1 980s Indonesia occupied a prominent place in the Hivos Asia programme; after the
termination of the development co-operation between The Netherlands and Indonesia in 1992, the
40
cominue^linfited0programme witTa ^cus" on workers^the's’T^ T*3
PriVate fUndS H'iv°S managed *
to land and natural and economii‘^sources suZinable aorir ?tn9t?eKln9 °f PTP'e'S reSource base '^cess
unlikely that in the coming years possibilities fo a?re^staHkh
e,'?Uuman r^htS and women'* not
between The Netherlands and Indonesia may occur At the mompnf0 /f6 °ff,cial development co-operation
1 998) it is difficult anticipate on such chanaes In case
°f f,na,,s’n9 the Present plan (June
will consider to allocate part of its Cat.IV budget in Indonesia,S.be,n.9 re’0Pened, Hivos
light of the priorities in other Asian Hivos-proqrrm™
!qU'reS fUrTher deC,S,On makin9 in the
continuation of the programme is fully condkion^on the avZh^t
!
StandS' after 1999' the
following intentions are laid down here under the orovisn th^ r6 V ° n®W (pr,vata' "on-Cat.IV) funds. The
be realised.
U der the prov,so that Uncial resources (Cat.IV or non-Cat.IV) will
Human Rights/Aids, priority problems:
Senous pUles^lSvic do^'sectri^a "^^hb
upsurge of ethnic conflicts.
'
* V approac
freed°m °f expression, repression of
Y the state; dismantling of the rule of law.
Priorities for support:
- support to democratisation process
support to democratisation process
children's rights, child labour
land rights (agrarian and customary), access to natural resources
trade unions workers rights
political/civil rights
cultural rights (indigenous peoples)
capacity building for HR advocacy and lobbying
HIV/aids
6.4. Malaysia
Country programme subject to withdrawal by 2001
Sector Focus: HR
down 9byhthehigh economic growth Islowed
tedly Malaysia will soon be lifted from the ,of?ic%IH^
very low and there is considerable labour immioratinn An inr «
(DAC> countries. Unemployment is
Draconian laws control political dissent Political nnnn’^A nC ea.sin9ly authoritanan government.
them from being effective. There are strono trade uninn^i^^'65 d° eX’St but ethnic divides prohibit
Strong consumer organisation • A numbe of small
7"^ and 'Ve"OW'; and relat've|y
advocacy. The government has serin..sIv ^LITh h0
rking On 9rassr°ots organising and
repressive measure weaken
V
ed d°Wn °n NG0 aCtlvists in 1 987 and in 1996 renewed
Indonesia progrannne. SinJe3 ShTv^
'"J"0 W3S the expected added valua
the
its partners. In 1998 - 2000 Hivos will withdraw its suonort-V^f i°m •MaM^na and discussed this with
final program will be closed Within the decreasing^mJiFh^0 Malays,an NGOs. As from 2001, the
s *—■■
Human Rights/Aids, priority problems:
wa&s: s sxsr
indigenous peoples;^ratfon"^^^^^
.
^'virunment.
■
security laws, cultural repression of
Priority issues for Hivos support:
™SyW°rkerS' indigen0US peop,es; legal aid'- -PP°tt to urban settlers,
linkages with regional initiatives.
6.5. Kazakhstan
Core Country Programme
Sector Focus: Econ, Cu. HR/A, E&D, GW&D, other (OD).
i^^r^^Sont^c^echn
affected: rural communities, women pensions s Ro itica reform?
Sme: M restorati-
0 ^U'rements. Groups most
41
environmental problems. A nascent NGO-sector is engaged in critical issues (HR, women, environment)
but hardly dealing with the fundamental questions of political and economic reforms. Hivos supports
NGOs since 1994. Programmes require intensive preparation (OD, methodology, planning & monitoring
techniques) and -more than elsewhere- preparatory consultancy missions. A local consultancy structure
is a prerequisite for maintaining a Hivos programme; the consultants are engaged in services on primary
(identification, monitoring, logistics) and secondary (OD) tasks.
Emphasis for Hivos support will be on:
1. investment in OD, capacity building; strengthening voluntary organisations, CBOs, NGOs;
2. exchange with and exposure to other NGOs;
Expansion to new regions will only happen to the extent that Hivos’s managing capacity allows so;
Economic activities, priorities for Hivos support:
- focus on rural producer groups;
- accessibility of financial institutions for small economic activities;
- increase of access to resources for small entrepreneurs;
- skills training for small farmers;
- integrated development of rural areas affected by nuclear radiation;
- gender and economic activities;
Culture, priorities for Hivos support:
- role of culture and arts in democratisation process, broadening of the cultural horizon in Central Asia
and stimulation of the cultural debate (eye-opener and catalyst).
.Environment, priority problems: •
- water, air and soil pollution;
- land degradation/soil erosion;
- nuclear radiation;
Priorities for Hivos support:
- strengthening the environmental movement (environmental campaigning, advocacy)
promotion of alternatives: sustainable agriculture (incl. organic agriculture), other environmentally sound
economic activities (e.g., fisheries, alternative energy sources).
Human Rights/Aids, priority issues for Hivos support:
- support to defence of human rights (political, civil rights)
- support to initiatives on conflict prevention, freedom of association, civic education
- human rights training
GW&D, priorities for Hivos support:
- gender and economic activities;
- violence against women. .
6.6. Kyrgyzstan
Core Country Programme
Sector focus: GW&D, HR/A, E&D, Econ, other (OD)
Economic and political transition. Disruption of production and marketing structure, careful restoration
after initial steep economic decline; dismantling of social safety net; unemployment; decrease in living
standards. Groups most affected: rural communities, women, pensioners. Privatisation process resulted
in unequal control over and access to resources and unclarity of property structure. Qualifications of
producers not appropriate for new economic requirements; financial services not available for small
entrepreneurs/farmers. Political reforms: Kyrgyzstan is more open than other Central Asian republics; still
media are controlled. Ethnic tensions have not escalated. Significant environmental problems. A nascent
NGO-sector is engaged in issues (HR, women, environment) but hardly dealing with the fundamental
questions of political and economic reform. Hivos supports NGOs since 1994. Programmes require
intense preparation (OD, methodology, planning & monitoring techniques) and -more than elsewherepreparatory consultancy missions. A local consultancy structure is a prerequisite for maintaining a Hivos
programme; the consultants are engaged in services on primary (identification, monitoring, logistics) and
secondary (strengthening organisational capacities) tasks.
Emphasis of Hivos support will be on:
1 .investment in OD, capacity building; strengthening voluntary organisations, CBO's, NGOs;
2.exchange with and exposure to other NGOs;
Expansion to other regiofcs will only happen to the extend that Hives’s managing capacity allows so.
Economic activities, priorities for Hivos support:
- focus on rural producer groups;
- gender and economic activities.
- accessibility of financial institutions for small economic activities.
- increase of access to resources'for small entrepreneurs;
- skills training for small farmers;-
42
- focus on women entrepreneurs.
GW&D, priority problems:
,
‘ Women disproportionally affected by economic decline and transition: e.g. expulsion of women from
political and decision making bodies at all levels, women's unemployment rising more than average;
pensioners (in majority women) bearing the brunt.
Priorities for Hivos support:
support to strengthening independent women's organisations, among others, through OD, training,
networking and exchange; follow up to capacity building;
gender & economic activities;
- violence against women;
HR/Aids, priorities for Hivos support
■ conflict prevention; refugees;
- civic education;
- support to HR organisations (monitoring, advocacy, campaigning);
Environment, priority problems:
- land degradation/soil erosion;
j water, air and soil pollution;
Priorities for Hivos support:
- strengthening of environmental movement lesp. campaigning, lobby, advocacy)
- promotion of alternatives: sustainable agriculture (incl. organic agriculture), other environmentally sound
economic activities (e.g. alternative energy sources); waste disposal and recycling;
6.7. Vietnam
Core Sector Programme
Sector Focus: Economic activities.
Vietnam is a low income country. Poverty incidence is high and unevenly distributed (regions ethnic
groups). Vietnam is a transition country. Ten years ago the leadership introduced a programme of
• economic reform ("Doi Moi"). While at present experiencing hig+i economic growth (1995-1996 9,5 %)
much is to be done if Vietnam wishes to sustain this level of growth. Economic reform clashes with the
slow pace of political/legal/aaministrative and social reform. The Communist Party leadership is in control
of political life. There are sharp restrictions on freedom of assembly and association, and political dissent
is distressed. Voluntary organisations. NGOs and private initiatives are under control. Foreign relations
with neighbouring and western countries are stepping up (e.g. in 1995, Vietnam became a member of
ASEAN and a large number of donors are giving financial support to Vietnam).
In 1996 Hivos decided to start a support programme on economic activities (credit, training); target
groups rural, low income areas, women, ethnic minorities. A credit mission took place in 1996. A
programme is envisaged for 1998. During the first two years (1998/99) the focus of the Vietnam
programme will be on one sector.
Expansion to other sectors will depend on managing capacity (Hivos) and assessment of needs &
opportunities.
Economic activities: priority issues for Hivos support:
- start cooperation with banking sector; expansion if the pilot project is well under way.
- organise bank technical training with support of the Rabo Foundation.
- organise business advisory services with other organisations active at field level and local institutions
43
1
7.
Hivos and Asia in the North
Hives's core activity is providing development funds to organisations in the South. Hivos originated and
is based in the Netherlands and as such is a Northern organisation. Hivos positions itself as a non-profit
organisation and attaches great value to global citizenship. Most of the work undertaken by Hivos is
towards the South directly and consists of direct financial assistance and indirect support to counterpart
organisations. At the same time, however, Hivos is aware that development problems are very much
related to unequal North-South relationships. Efforts to counter these inequalities require North-South
partnerships, but also action in the North. Hivos extends support to a number of regional and global
• networks that address global inequalities at the international level, such as the Third World Network and
DAWN.
Hivos recognises that it has an active role to play in its own society to foster changes in global
inequalities. During the past five years one of the more visible activities of Hivos in the Netherlands has
been its campaigns. The campaigns involved a concentration of media-related and other activities with a
focus on a particular topic. In the past this has included trying to create more political attention for
Africa and a campaign on HIV/AIDS. Since 1995, Hivos plans its campaign with-a number of like-minded
Dutch organisations. This is an effort to broaden the public support base for international cooperation
and for Hivos's work in particular. Campaigns aim at mobilising people, contributing to development
debates, sharing of information, and influencing images. To a limited extent the joint campaigns are also
geared towards lobbying for changes of policies of the Dutch government.
Northern alliances
In 1991, Hivos was one of the organisations that took the initiative to form the South-North Federation.
The Federation brings together some twenty organisations from the Dutch "Third World Movement",
which are active in very diverse fields, such as alternative trade, research and lobbying, human rights,
health, environment, funding, personnel cooperation. Hivos is aware of its own limitations as a relatively
small Dutch organisations and therefore was in favour of this coming together of like-minded
organisations. Hivos actively cooperates with the other members of the South-North Federation.
The COM is the common platform of the four Dutch co-financing organisations in relation to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. It is Hivos's main platform for ongoing consultations with the Dutch government on
aspects of development policies. During the past years the GOM has consistently emphasised the
importance of strengthening civil society in the South as one of the most important contributions to
development. GOM has also advocates the need for a consistent Dutch foreign policy, which would not
take a limited, self-interested starting point, but would aim to contribute to improving the quality of life
for everyone in the "global village”.
Hivos's five sectoral policy thrusts (economy; culture; gender, women and development; environment;
human rights and HIV/AIDS) are not only structuring its work in the South, but also guiding the choice of
alliances in the Netherlands. The sectors ’economy” and ’’culture” have been singled out for intensified
activities in the Netherlands. New alliances have been established with Dutch organisations in the areas
of Social Banking (Triodos Bank), Fair Trade (Max Havelaar, Fair Trade Assistance), Poetry (Poetry
International) and Film (Hubert Bals Fund, Cinemart). In other policy areas similar alliances have been
forged, e.g. with the AIDS Fund and with the Dutch chapter of Friends of the Earth (Milieudefensie).
Hivos envisages that these linkages will enable more concerted action in the future in the Netherlands (in
the areas of information, lobbying and fund-raising). It has to be emphasised that these linkages can also
directly benefit Hivos's counterpart organisations in the South.
In 1997, Hivos entered into separate agreements with two Dutch development organisations. Terre des
Hommes and Simavi, to increase their cooperation in the South where this is advantageous for both
parties.
44
At a European level, Hivos has joined forces with like-minded organisations. It is one of the two Dutch
members of EUROSTEP, a collaboration of 23 European secular donor organisations from 15 countries.
Hivos stood at the foundation of EUROSTEP in 1990. A central objective of EUROSTEP is to influence
European/Northern policy-makers on issues concerning development cooperation and foreign policy.
Eurostep co-publishes the annual Reality of Aid Report. The Social Summit and the subsequently
launched Social Watch are an important focus of Eurostep's activities in the future.
The important issue of bi- and multilateral debt is addressed by EURODAD, a European organisation
based in Brussels. Hivos is on the board of EURODAD.
In the coming years Hivos intends to deepen its existing alliances and forge new short-term alliances on
specific social development issues. Hivos also plans to cooperate with organisations representinq the
interests of ethnic minorities living in the Netherlands.
Hivos hopes to further the concept of 'good citizenship' by forging meaningful relationships between the
?UA?c^e°T • 3nu th°Se I0™?3!! countnes' This was strongly reiterated at the Partner Consultation (Asia
& CIS) in Trivandrum in 1997. The challenge for both Hivos and its partners is to "open up spaces for
people across the world for dialogue, thus narrowing existing divides in civil societies globally.
45
8.
Implementation and Organisation
The implementation of the 1998 - 2002 Policy Framework is the responsibility of the Asia Bureau.
Implementation will be detailed in annual plans. Within the Bureau the responsibility for the India
programme is delegated to Hivos's Regional Office (RO) in Bangalore. In terms of program staff the
Bureau is organised in a matrix. The program officers in Bangalore and in the Hague (Head Office - HO)
carry the charge for one or more country programmes or (in India) state programs; they are the Hivos
contact persons with counterpart organisations. Sector policy officers in the Bureau are responsible for
guidance and advice of programme officers in HO and RO, as well as for sectoral monitoring and
evaluation. Also, they are responsible for the management of sectoral organisations operating on a supra
national level (the Regional Asia program). Sector policy officers can also supervise a major sectoral
programme within a country, or be in charge of a whole country programme in case this has a focus on
one particular sector (e.g., the Vietnam programme which has a focus on economic activities).
Decisions on funding are taken by the director of the Regional Office (for India) and the Head of the Asia
Bureau (for other countries).
From time to time, the Bureau TEC (internal auditing and evaluation) carries out financial inspections of
counterpart organisations, and internal audits of Regional Offices.
For credit funding Hivos created, together with the Dutch social bank Triodos, a separate window: the
Hivos Triodos Fund (HTF). To a large extent Hivos has transferred to HTF the management and
monitoring of credit activities. A request for credit, in addition to approval from the director of the
Regional Office or the Head of Asia Bureau is contingent upon approval from the HTF credit committee.
Hivos is an active member of two donor platforms: COM, with Bilance, Icco and Novib, co-financing
agencies, in the Netherlands; and Eurostep at European level. In GOM there is a regular exchange of
information at the level of programme/country policy officers for creating synergies and avoiding
duplication. Within Eurostep Hivos has actively promoted similar forms of exchange.
Furthermore, Hivos has established alliances with other Dutch organisations, primarily along sectoral
lines, such as the ones with Fair Trade Assistance, Max Havelaar (fair trade), and the Hubert Bals Fund
(film). These alliances allow Hivos to link up with additional sectoral expertise, and Southern partners of
these organisations may have access to funding from Hivos. In the latter case Hivos may decide to
extend funding outside its core countries.
Activities in the North are carried out in collaboration between the Bureau Communications and
Marketing, the Asia Bureau and the officer for international relations.
addresses:
Hivos Bureau Asia and CIS
Raamweg 1 6
2596 HL The Hague
The Netherlands
ph. 31-70-3765500
fax 31-70-3624600
e-mail: asia@hivos.nl
46
Hivos Regional Office
Flat no 402 Eden Park no 20
Vittal Mallya Road
Bangalore 560001 India
ph. 0091-80-2210514
fax 0091-80-2270367
e-mail:
hivos@hivos-india.org
Annex 1: Hivos in Asia, countries and number of partners
Countries
India
.Sri Lanka
Indonesia
Malaysia
Regional Asia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
(Vietnam)
TOTAL
1986
1991
44
3
14
63
15
31
10
3
61
122
1997
74
31
25
16
13
19
12
190
47
I
Annex 2: Hivos in Asia, expenditures per country, all sources 1986, 1991, 19&7 (in Dfl. Millions)
Countries
India
Sri Lanka
Indonesia
Malaysia
Regional Asia
CIS
TOTAL
48
1986
3.9
0.2
1.6
5.7
1991
1997
1992-1997
total
1992-1997
% distribution
3.3
8.2
4.7
32.0
16.2
11.5
40
20
0.8
2.4
0.4
0.2
7.1
1.1
2.2
1.5
2.3
20.0
9.9
4.9
4.7
15
13
6
6
79.2
100
Annex 3: Hivos in Asia per sector 1992, 1996 & 1997, all sources
1992
1996
1997
1997
per sector
No.
counterparts
%
No.
counterparts
%
No. •
counterparts
%
Economy
1 1
• 7
17
9
20
Culture
3
2
16
8
Gender
18
13
45
Environment
23
15
Human rights and HIV/AIDS
45
Other
47
TOTAL
1
147
%
10
Expenditure
in Dfl.
Millions
4?3
22
9
5
0.3
1
23
36
19
3.1
16
40
21
41
22
4.7
23
31
56
28
60
31
5.4
27
32
23
11
24
13
2.2
11
100
197
100
190
100
20.0
IOC
___
49
Annex 4: Hivos in Asia per type of organisation, 1992, 1996 & 1997
1992
1996
I
1997
1997
■■
type of organisation
lit r ■ ii
No.
counterparts
%
No.
Counterparts
4
20
10
14
2
89
45
51
21
35
%
%
7
1.2
6
87
46
10.2
51
11
25
13
2.1
10
43
22
41
21
4.0
20
6
19
10
19
10
1.4
7
3
2
5
3
4
2
1.2
6
147
100
197
100 I
190
100
20.0
100
r,—
based_____________
(ii) social org'n /
3
interest /
advocacy_________
(iii) intermediary
75
development
organisation__________
(iv) service
51
organisation__________
(v) network
9
TOTAL
No.
Counterparts
Expenditure
in Dfl.
Millions
(i) grassroots /
community
(vi) Other*
%
* 'other' includes a category "strengthening of local NGOs".
*'* discrepancies between the single figures and the totals due to rounding off.
For a definition of the distinction between community-based organisations, social organisations, intermediary development
organisations, et cetera, please refer to Ch. 3.
50
Annex 5: Hivos
I
Budget Cat IV/Asia's share and distribution per country 1998-2002 (according
to
to allocations and projections dated 23.10.97) in Dfl. Millions
Hivos
Asia
1998
1999
2000
2001
68.214
77.358
82.367
87.543
17.054
India
7.65
Srilanka
3.9
25%
45%
23%
19.340
25%
20.592
25%
21.886
25%
9.28
48%
10.30
50%
10.94
50%
3.87
20%
3.91
19%
4.16
19%
0.62
3%
13%
3.09
15%
3.28
15%
1.16
6%
1.03
5%
1.09
5%
0.77
4%
1.03
5%
1.75
8%
0.62
3%
0.66
3%
2002
n. a. •*
n.a
n.a
50%
n.a
19%
n.a
0%
n.a.
15%
n.a
5%
n.a
8%
n.a
3%
n.a
100%
Malaysia
& •••
1.8
1 1 %•
1.16
Indonesia
CIS
1.7
Asia
Regional
1.3
Vietnam
0.2
Other
incl. RO
Total
0.4
17.054
11 %
7%
1%
2%
100%
2.51
0.58
19.340
6%
3%
100%
20.592
100%
0%
—
21.886 100%
_______
NB: Discrepancies between the totals and the single figures constituting the
totals are due to rounding
off.
25% is a minimum. Final allocations will be decided upon before October 1999.
The present cofinancing agreement is valid till 2001. As such, no financial projections can be made
beyond this date.
P(roiect'ons mav be revised depending on the political situation in Indonesia c.q. on
the prospects of the cofinancing programme re-opening a programme in Indonesia
51
Annex 6: Hivos Asia per sector/expenditures & allocations 1996 - 2002 (in Dfl. Millions), cat. IV
V
, Sector
1996
1997
1998
1999
I
2000
2001
2002
Economy
2.50
20%
3.04
19%
3.75
22%
4.64
24%
5.15
25%
5.27
25%
n.a
25%
Culture
0.36
3%
0.19
1%
0.51
3%
0.58
3%
0.82
4%
1.09
5%
n.a
5%
Gender
2.13
17%
2.90
18%
2.90
17%
3.29
17%
3.50
17%
3.72
17%
n.a
17%
Environment
3.00
24%
3.74
24%
3.75
22%
4.06
21%
3.91
20%
4.38
20%
n.a
19%
Human Rights
& HIV/AIDS
3.13
25%
4.52
28%
4.26
25%
4.25
22%
4.32
21%
4.38
20%
n.a
19%
Other
1.36
11%
1.49
9%
1.88
11%
2.51
13%
2.88
13%
2.85
13%
n.a
75%
12.503
100%
15.889
17.054
100%
19.340
100%
20.592
100%
21.886
100
n.a
100%
Total Budget
Asia
100%
_____
%
N.B.:
Discrepancies between the totals and the single figures constituting the totals are due to rounding off.
N.B.:
The projections presented above depart from the CAT. IV Budget, as these funds are the guaranteed minimum for the next Five-Year plan-period
The actual budget will be higher as additional funds will be available IEU, Ministry of Foreign affairs, private funds). There are no reasons to assume that
there are significant differences regarding the availability of additional funds, for any of the sectors. The percentage projections pertain to the entire budget
including other sources. For the sake of comparability the Cat IV figures for 1996 have been added. As, however, the possibilities and requirements of funds
from sources other than CAT IV are not fully within the control of Hivos, the above mentioned projections will have to be used with a certain amount of
flexibility.
52
Annex 7: Regional Economic Performance Figures
GNP
total
growth GDP
defence
pc
GDP
90-94
$
(billion
(%)
(% of
pubic ex
pend. )(1)
$)
social
services,
(% of
developm
ent aid
public
expend.)
GNP)
(% of
debt
service
ratio (2!
India
.320
294
3.8
12.8
9.3
0.8
26.9
Sri Lanka
.640
12
5.4
11.6
33
4.6
8.7
Indonesia
.880
175
7.6
6.2
14.4
1.0
32.4
Malaysia
3.480
71
8.4
12.0
39.5
0.1
7.9
Vietnam
.200
16
8.0
n.a.
n.a.
5.2
6.1
Kyrgyzstan
1995
n.a.
90-94 negative
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
1
7.8
0.7
n.a.
.690
Kazakhstan
1996
95-96: 5.6%
19.5
90-94: -25%
1.218
(negative)
| 95-96: positive
All data for 1 994 unless otherwise noted.
source: 1997 Asia Yearbook; UNDP: Kazakhstan Human Development Report 1997;
Kazakstan National Agency of Statistical Research, 1997
n.a = not available
(1) defence expenditures : Offical figures. Actual military expenditures may be considerable
higher.
(2) Debt service ratio = external debt : exports (%)
53
Annex 8: Asian Performances, Human Development Index and Gender Development Index
life expec
tancy
(years)
adult liter
acy
rate (%)
GDP
pc
(PPP$)(1)
India
61,3
51.2
1.348
Sri Lanka
72.2
90.1
Indonesia
63.5
Malaysia
HDI
value
(2)
(3)
GDI
value (4)
0.446
118
0.419
3.277
0.711
70
0.694
83.2
3.740
0.641
86
0.642
71.2
83.0
8.865
0.832
45
0.782
Vietnam
66.0
93.0
1.208
0.557
101
0.552
Kyrgyzstan
67.8
‘95: 66
declining
97.0
'93
88
0.628
1.297
'91
0.729
'96
0.61
'90
5.440
'96
2.296
'91
0.848
'96
0.66
69
0.698
Kazakhstan
'93
69.7
2.320
'96
97.5
’95
64.9
declining
GDI rank
All data for 1994 unless otherwise noted.
source: Human Development Report (UNDP) 1997, Kazakhstan Human Development Report 1996
(1) GDP pc (PPP$) is GDP pc in US$ corrected for Purchasing Power Parity
(2) The Human Development Index measures the levels of three equally weighted primary
opportunities for developing human potential: a. a long and healthy life; b. access to
knowledge as measured by a combination of adult literacy (two-thirds weight) and combined
primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment ratios (one third weight) and c. standard of living, as
measured by real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (PPPS). The maximum value (1994)
was 0.960.
(3) Rank: relative to other countries
(4) GDI is a Gender - related Development Index, derived from the following indicators: relative
life expectancy, relative access to knowledge, and relative earned income share. Maximum
value (1994) was 0.939.
Note: strong decline in PPP-adjusted GDP and Human Development Indexes for CIS; in all other
countries GDP pc is rising.
54
Annex 9: List of References
Allen T., and Thomas, A., eds., 1992,"Poverty and Development in the 1990s", New DelhiOxford University Press.
"Asia Yearbook 1997", 1997, Hong Kong: Far Eastern Economic Review.
Bennett, J., and Gibbs,S., eds., 1996, "NGO funding strategies: an introduction for Southern and
Eastern NGOs", Oxford: ICVA/INTRAC.
Bissio, R., 1996,"Social Watch: From the Summit to the Grassroots", Uruguay:lnstituto del Tercer
Mundo.
Brecher, J., and Costello, T., eds., 1994, "Global village or Global
Reconstruction from the Bottom Up", Boston Mass/.South End Press.
Pillage
Economic
Byres,J. T., 1994, "The State and Development Planning in India", Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Clark, J., 1991, "Democratizing Development, the Role of Voluntary Organisations"
Hartford: Kumarian Press.
West
Clayton, A., 1996,"NGOs, Civil Society and the State Building Democracy in Transitional Coun
tries", London: INTRAC.
Couder6, H., 1994, Van project rot beleid,
ontwikkelingssamenwerking, Brussels: NCOS.
evaluatiemethoden
voor
niet-gouvernementele
Dreze, J., and Sen, A., 1995,"India: Economic Development and Social Opportunity"
Oxford University Press.
New Delhi-
Escobar, A., 1995,"Encountering Development: The making and unmaking of the Third World"
New Jersey: Princeton University.
Fowler, A., 1996, "Demonstrating NGO performance: problems and possibilities" OxfordDevelopment in Practice, pp. 58-65, vol. 6, no. 1.
in
Fowler, A., 1997, "Striking a balance, a guide to enhancing the effectiveness of NGOs in
International Development" Oxford: INTRAC.
GOM, 1991 Significance of the Co-Financing Programme, an exploration, final report steering
group Impact Co-financing Programme", The Hague.
GOM, 1995, "With Quality in Mind : Final report on the measures taken by Cebemo, Hivos, Icco
and Novib in response to the Impact Study", The Hague.
Groverman, V., et al., 1994 Sustainable Land Use in a setting with limited ecological options"
no. 58 in the series of Programme Evaluations of the Co-financing Programme, The Haque-Hivos/DGIS.
Hewison, K., et al., eds., 1993, "Southeast Asia in the 1990s: Authoritarianism, democracy and
capitalism", Singapore.
Hivos, 1992, "Hivos in Asia: Beyond Traditional NGOs: Institutional Development and the question
of power", A policy document for Hives's involvement in the Asian context in the nineties Policy
Document, The Hague.
Hivos: Raghuram, S., ed., 1992, "Development Policies: Issues and Challenges for the '90s",
Technical Report Series 1.2,Hivos Regional Office, Bangalore.
Hivos: Ramakrishna, J., ed., 1993,"Women in India: Reflecting on Our History Shaping Our Future:
Proceedings of a Consultation on Gender and Development", Jointly Organized by CWDS and
Hivos Regional Office, Bangalore.
Hivos: Rao,J. M.,
Bangalore.
1996,"Local Development in a Globalising World", Hivos Regional Office
55
Hivos, 1997, "Report of the Partner Consultation Asia and CIS", Trivandrum.
Hivos: Sangeetha, ed., 1997,"Voluntary Organisations and Good Governance’: Formation,
Mobilisation, Management and Accounting", Technical Report Series 1.5, Hivos Regional Office,
Bangalore.
"Holding Together: Collaborations and Partnerships in the Real World", 1995, New Delhi: PRIA.
"Human Development Report 1994", 1994, UNDP, Bombay: Oxford University Press.
"Human Development Report 1996", 1996, UNDP, Delhi: Oxford University Press.
"Human Rights Watch Asia: Overview", 1996.
Jazairy, L.AIamgir, M., and Panuccio,T., 1992,"The State of World Rural Poverty: An Inquiry into
its Causes and Consequences", Published for the International Fund for Agricultural Development,
London: IT Publications.
Khor, M., 1997, "Facing the implications and challenges of globalisation, with special reference to
the Asia Region", unpublished paper.
.
Kohli,A., 1 991/Democracy and Discontent: India's Growing Crisis of Governability", Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Kothari, R., 1 990,"Transformation and Survival: In Search of Humane World Order", New Delhi:
Ajanta Publications.
Mendelsohn, 0., and Baxi, U., eds., 1994,"The Rights of Subordinated Peoples", New Delhi:
Oxford University Press.
Murthy,K. R., and Singh, M., 1996,"Enhancing Effectiveness of Indian NGOs in the context of the
1990's: Training, Organisations Development and Sectoral Strengthening Strategies: Report of a
Study Commissioned by GTZ/Self Help Fund Project on Behalf of the Inter Agency Network", New
Delhi.
Raghuram, S., and Manorama, R., 1995,"Fourth World Conference on Women: 'Gendering'
Development - Issues and Politics", Bombay: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XXX, No. 35.
Raghuram, S., Sievers,S., and Vyasulu, V., eds., 1995,"Structural Adjustment: Economy, Environ
ment, Social Concerns", New Delhi: Macmillan Publications.
Raghuram, S., 1996, "Getting Grassroot Women to Set the National Agenda: Making Global
Agreements Matter at the Local Level", Courrier de la Planete; Ddveloppement, environnnement,
les deils d'un solidaire, Paris.
Raghuram, S.,1998 (Forthcoming), "Civil Society, Social Movements and the State in India: The
Politics of Social Change", in 'Fifty Years of Independence : Essays on Contemporary India', Turin:
Agnelli Foundation
Randel, J., and Germen, T., eds., 1995,"The Reality of Aid 1995: An Independent Review of
International Aid", London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
Rao, M.J., 1996,"Food Security and Free Markets: Prospects and Policy Options", Bangalore.
Ridder, R., et al., 1997, "Searching for Impact and Methods: NGO evaluation synthesis", A report
prepared for OECD/DAC, Helsinki.
Shah, G., 1990, "Social Movements in India: A Review of the Literature", New Delhi: Sage
Publications.
Weiner,M., 1991,"The Child and the State in India: Child Labour and Education Policy in
Comparative Perspective", New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Yash Gai., 1994,"Human Rights and Governance: the Asia Debate", Occasional Paper Series The
56
-■
4
Asia Foundation’s Office of Public Affairs.
UNDP, 1996,"Kazakstan Human Development Report 1996', Almaty.
UNDP, 1 997,"Human Development Report 1996" New York.
US State Department", 1995, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995
Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
India Sri
Press Bank/ 1996 'W°rld Bank ReporT 1996': From Plan t0 Market", New Delhi: Oxford University
i
i
57
Annex 10: Glossary
BILANCE
Cat.IV
CBO's
C&D
cfa's
•CIS
cp's
DAC
DACIist
E&D
EDZ
Eurostep
FTZ
GOM
GW&D
HTF
ICCO
ID
LEISA
NTFP
NOVIB
OD
ODA
plwa
PPP
SAP
TNC's
WTO
58
I
Catholic co-financing agency
The budget category pertaining to the budget of the four co-financing agencies.
Community Based Organisations
Culture and Development
co-financing agencies
Commonwealth of Independent States
counterparts
Development Assistance Committee
official list of developing countries (actually countries qualifying for ODA)
Environment and Development
Economic Development Zone
European Solidarity Towards Equal Participation of People
Free Trade Zone
Common Platform of the four Dutch co-financing agencies
Gender, Women and Development
Hivos Triodos Fund
Inter-Church co-financing agency
• Institutional Development
Low external input sustainable agriculture
Non timber forest produce
independant co-financing agency
Organisational Development
Official Development Assistance
People Living With Aids
Purchasing Power Parity
Structural Adjustment Policy
Trans National Companies
World Trade Organisation
POLICY DOCUMENT HIVOS IN THE THIRD WORLD
FULL PARTICIPATION: A QUESTION OF POWER
An institutional approach
♦
The Hague. November 1988
2
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
4
2. Changing thinking on NGOs and society
4
3. Poverty: power - or the lack of it . .
3.1. Marginalization
3.2. The role of the State
....
3.3. The role of Social Organizations
6
6
8
9
4. Policy priorities ..
4.1. Precedence for the interests of the marginalized .
4.2. Near the grass roots
4.3. Focus on organization
..........
4.4. Strengthening the economic base
........
4.5. Intermediary NGOs as allies ..
4.6. Democracy and control
...........
10
10
10
11
12
12
13
5. Institutional approach in practice
5.1. Necessary stages ••••••••••
5.2. Movements as counterparts
.....
5.3. Innovation: a permanent necessity • •
5.4. The changing role of intermediary NGOs
5.5. NGOs versus Government?
5.6. Emergency aid •••
15
15
16
16
17
18
18
6. Operational choices
.
6.1. Targets country policy
. 6.2. Closer to the field.........
•
6.3. Focus on counterpart organizations
6.4. Cooperation and continuity • . •
19
19
19
20
20
3
i
"A [...democratic] society needs the active
participation of as many people as possible in
a great variety of small and large social
groupings. For it is important that people
with their ideas, wishes, physical and mental
capabilities, ideals and preferences join
forces to shape their way of living together
and to give meaning to this.
By definition, a uniform society is incompatible with the presence of unique people,
while a plural society is the only one that
can, to a reasonable extent, do justice to
all, by providing scope for people’s social
inclinations."
(A. den Breeder in "A humanistic view
development cooperation", October 1981)
i
J
of
4
1. Introduction
In 1978, HIVOS chairman Jaap van Praag formulated the ideological foundation
of HIVOS's work in a document entitled "Policy Principles". This document re
flects the emphasis on the 'basic needs approach', which was characteristic of
that period, advancing the satisfaction of primary needs such as food, income,
health and education as the central concern. While the emphasis has changed
today, the humanistic principles that pervade and guide the reasoning of that
document as well as its operational implications are still valid.
Thus, ten years later, the priorities stated in "Policy principles" are still
the essence of HIVOS policy: cooperation with institutions that are averse to
dogmatism; emphasis on collective responses to survival and development
problems; simultaneous attention to material and non-material issues.
In HIVOS's actual work in recent years, each of these priorities can be
traced. They persisted, were further elaborated in terms of policy and found
* ’ particular expression in the two pronged approach that has all the while
characterized HIVOS's position: economic advancement on 1the one hand, social
and political emancipation on the other.
In 1988, these two principles still determine HIVOS's priorities and as such
they feature again in the present policy document. However, they are now
placed in a broader perspective, in which special importance is attached to
the role of social institutions - both interest organizations run by the poor
themselves and intermediary organizations of the so-called enlightened elite.
After all, if one thing stands out in HIVOS's experience over the years, it is
the finding that emancipation of marginalized groups requires a wide institu
tional embedding of their interests at the various levels of the social
structure.
This implies the development of a different view on strategies for the
eradication of poverty and, also, a new appreciation of the role of nongovernmental organizations in such strategies.
The term 'institutional approach’ reflects the essence of this perspective. It
is an approach that aims at the promotion of social movements and institutio
nal structures representing the poor. This is not a wholly new approach as far
as HIVOS is concerned, but it does involve an increase in the number of
dimensions that need to be taken into account by HIVOS. What is new about the
institutional approach is, therefore, the requirement to assess projects,
programmes, target groups and organizations explicitly in the framework of a
social perspective.
2. Changing thinking .on NGOs and society
One of HIVCS's contacts in India writes in an article that "there is a lot to
be learnt from the experience of the numerous experiments, movements and orga
nizational initiatives taking place generally outside the governmental and bu
reaucratic structures and away from the normal political processes of parties
and elections; [they] can provide some authentic basis for alternate develop
ment models being proposed by some intellectuals at abstract level.
5
What is interesting in this quote is the appreciation of the individuality and
autonomy of the nongovernmental sector, and the implicit approval of the
apparent isolation in which the work of many NGOs is carried out, outside the
official and formal decision-making processes.
However, it looks as if the organizations in question will not be allowed the
opportunity to continue their activities in relative isolation much longer.
Whether they like it or not, NGOs are increasingly being called upon to
account for their function and role in a given context.
On the one hand, this growing interest in NGOs is inspired, and deservedly so,
by international recognition of their effectiveness. In line with this, NGOs
feature more and more prominently in new development strategies, which assign
them the role of catalyst and generator of development of the poor. Thus every
self-respecting international organization has its NGO desk by now. And, in
the same way, Dutch development policy is providing more and more scope for
nongovernmental initiatives, at least on paper.
On the other hand, one can observe a growing tendency among governments -those
of India and Indonesia being prime examples- to be quite apprehensive about
the results and effects of the activities of the very same NGOs. In more and
more countries, this is leading to new regulations and legal conditions which
the private development organizations have to comply with.
Presumably this apprehension is not just motivated by concern for the quality
of NGO activities. The sheer numerical growth of private development orga
nizations over the past twenty years has certainly also done much to confront
national governments with the significance of so large a variety of institu
tional structures within their own society.
Both appreciation and apprehension, the positive as well as the negative at
titude towards NGOs, are first of all inspired by the undeniable fact that
private and socially based initiatives play a very substantial role in the
ordering of society: a role which may go far beyond performing a mere watchdog
function; a role which may become a powerful one with a significant impact on
the interplay of social forces.
Within HIVOS, there has been a similar shift of attention, with increasing
emphasis on the role and function of organizations.
Until 1981/82, a ’project approach’ was employed, with assessment focusing on
the relationship between project objectives/project activities and the
problems of the target group. When that approach was replaced by the 'organi
zation approach’- a change which mostly expressed recognition of the crucial
role of the counterpart organisation in its operational capacity - it was not
yet entirely clear how the latter might be operationalized.
The assessment
became three-dimensional, focusing on the counterpart at three levels: its
relationship with the target gtoup (insight into the problems, participation),
with the project activities (technical expertise, efficiency) and with
"itself" (management, stability, network). Only in this last dimension do we
encounter the relationship between the organization and the outside world, but
even then only in the passive sense, with the organisation as object rather
than subject.
The policy discussions of 1984 were an important step in the further evolution
of the organization approach. Obviously this had a lot to do with HIVOS’s
internal dynamics: in the meanwhile the number of contacts per country had
greatly increased; networking among counterparts had started developing; HIVOS
itself began formulating country policy documents (country strategies) in
6
which at least an attempt was made to interrelate target groups. type of
organization and development potential.
Thus the discussions of 1984 extensively addressed the wider context of NGO
operations and the active role which NGOs play - or can play - in the environ
ment beyond their projects. The report recommends:
"that HIVOS orient its strategy beforehand towards the creation of
optimal conditions for its projects, e.g. by supporting programmes
that try to influence power centres" and
"that HIVOS recognize the importance of NGO networks at various lev
els, and support their operation."
This trend has continued since then. This is reflected, for example, in a
memorandum to the board (Decision-making Procedure for Approval of Individual
Projects in the Third World, 1966), in which the objective of "strengthening
institutional structures which, directly or indirectly, represent and promote
the interests of the poor" is nearly as important as the objective of "impro
ving the material and non—material living conditions of the poor themselves".
In the regional policy documents subsequently formulated by HIVOS, these two
objectives are considered in close connection with each other, with priority
being given not only to certain categories of the poor, but also to certain
social movements and their institutions; for example, the cooperative movement
in Zimbabwe and the labour movement in Chile. In addition, nearly all regional
documents also contain the objective of ’network promotion’, i.e. promotion of
relations among organizations aiming at greater division and differentiation
of labour, transfer of knowledge, joint promotion of interests, etc.
The conclusion can thus be drawn that in recent years HIVOS has no longer
focused solely on the development potential of individual counterparts in
their relationship with a specific target group, but that it increasingly
takes into account the impact which NGOs can have on the organization and
ordering of society as a whole. An impact which amounts to more than the sum
of their separate efforts; it is this joint impact, actual or potential, which
has become an important additional dimension in HIVOS’s involvement in
development.
However, this wider perspective can hardly be advanced without further
argument. Consequently, further elaboration is needed on a number of questions
relating to the causes of poverty and the process of development. In the
following sections. an attempt is made to provide this.
3. Poverty: a question of power - or the lack of it
3.1. Marginalization
Although poverty is not exclusive to the Third World, it is especially
distressing there because of its massive scale and the immense discrepancies
in prosperity, knowledge and power which create a virtually unbridgeable gap
between rich and poor.
7
Analysis of the dimensions and persistence of poverty cannot be properly
undertaken without reference to the role of international power relations,
with their direct impact on the economic relations between North and South.
This impact was glaringly obvious in the colonial era, but in fact it remains
just as visible today, in 1988, with UNCTAD nearly dead and gone, IMF increa
singly dictating terms and Western economies concerned with protectionism as
ever.
As long as the prevailing political relations in the world remain unchanged or
alter only marginally. the struggle against poverty will remain subject to
strict limits in numerous countries.
But the poverty problem is not only a question of skew relations in the global
political system, it is also a matter of distribution within the borders of
national units.
In the framework of the present document, which chiefly addresses the role of
social institutions (NGOs) in societal development, the analysis will be
restricted to national level.
A brief look at the recent history of most developing countries reveals that
poverty often goes hand in hand with repression and limited freedom for large
sections of the population. In most of those cases, the nations concerned have
gone through an unbalanced social building process, usually in the wake of
colonial domination during which the foundations of so-called “modern" society
were forcibly laid. Even in the few instances where the colonial heritage was
restructured after independence, the essence of the modern state (increases in
scale, complex bureaucracy, industrialization, etc.) was hardly affected and
it was basically imposed on traditional society.
That need not be catastrophic by definition, as there is little reason to glo
rify traditional society as such. The problem of the imported state structure
-itself the product of at least two centuries of Western history- lies in the
fact that it presupposes the existence of certain basic conditions such as
socio-economic differentiation and the associated skills and institutions. But
these basic conditions simply did not (and still do not) prevail in most deve
loping countries: even nowadays the majority of people have not yet acquired
the means to respond adequately to the new social and political structures.
And this means quite simply that people are being incorporated in the new
system as objects rather than subjects.
In this context, accumulation of power and wealth in the hands of a small
political and economic elite obviously takes place at the expense of the large
majority of the population. Control and monopolization of access to factors
that co-determine this power and wealth -production factors such as capital
and land, knowledge and information- maintain the position of the power elite
and perpetuate the downward poverty spiral in which the masses find themselves
caught.
On consequence of and at the same time a necessary condition for the process
of monopolization of resources and concentration of power in the hands of the
"happy few" thus appears to be the marginalization of large sections of socie
ty. A marginalization that takes the form of progressive loss of control over
one’s own material environment and ever decreasing access to the decision
making processes that determine the material and non-material living condi
tions of the large majority.
In HIVOS’s philosophy, the central problem of the marginalized is thus their
lack of access to the most elementary prerequisites for securing a decent
8
life: a problem which comes down to distribution of production, income,
knowledge and power. The mechanisms that are in principle available in any so
ciety to promote a certain, reasonably just degree of distribution, ars
apparently absent or function defectively.
3.2. The role of the State
In Western societies, the state has been assigned an important role as a
distributor and redistributor of available resources. In the democratic
tradition, as it evolved over time, rules were established regarding the form
and substance of the interaction between state and society.
The state can function as a factor of national unity and operate as a redis
tributor of resources because society has developed mechanisms to control and
influence the exercise of state power. Such mechanisms usually take the form
of more or less specialized institutions for the protection and promotion of
specific class and group interests.
In many Third World countries, the modern post-independent state has been as
signed the same role, while usually lacking a historical rooting of its own:
the power of traditional forms of community life, based on family and tribe
for example, has already eroded considerably; the increasing orientation of
societies towards the West is fostering a stronger attitude of individualism
and pragmatism; the new rules of the game are alien and cannot be counter
vailed by traditional forms of institutionalized social control. In this
transition, the state has often deteriorated into a mere instrument to enable
the power elite to perpetuate and strengthen its position.
Traditional norms and values that formerly legitimized inequality but, at the
same time, protected the weak, are now being incorporated in the new political
and economic order without retaining their protective elements. They are thus
transformed into instruments of power reinforcement and no longer perform the
function of redistribution. In Asia, such norms maintain a system of sub
jection and submission. In Africa, ethnic ties are utilized to concentrate
political power.
In short, the state, pre-eminently the new redistributor in properly function
ing democracies, seems to fall in that task; at the same time there is a
process of incorporation and marginalization going on, brought about by the
imposition of predominant systems upon the large majority of the population.
A belief in the value of the state as a redistributor clearly underlies this
section and this might well be'attributed to "Westocentric” thinking - always
a real danger when Third World phenomena are assessed. One must realistically
conclude, however, that modernization can no longer be reversed in developing
countries. It is there to stay. The unavoidable consequence is that mechanisms
must be developed which enable people to function in their own modernizing
society on an equal footing.
9
3.3. The role of Social Organizations
A humanistic view of development necessarily implies a committment to democra
tic social structures.
The development and self-fulfilment of individual human beings, the pursuit of
equal opportunities can, after all, only be realized when society is based on
the will of its members and on respect for those members, on community spirit
and mutual responsibility; when there are guarantees of the active participa
tion of each individual in the decision-making processes that determine the
form and character of this society; when the exercise of power can be made
subject to stringent requirements, so as to monitor and safeguard the plural
character of society.
In developing countries, the process of society building has often proceeded
along such lines that the conditions for democracy are not fully present.
Large sections of society do not possess the knowledge and skills required by
the new socio-economic order. Because of their educational and material disad
vantages, they have little or no opportunity to express ‘.and promote their own
interests. The roads to participation are thus blocked.
At the same time, there is usually a lack of properly functioning interme
diaries, protecting those groups and acting on behalf of their interests.
Where potential intermediaries such as political parties and trade unions do
exist, they often pay little attention to the marginalized or they suffer re
pression when they try to do so. Access to centres of decision-making is thus
blocked as well.
In addition, the control mechanisms which are necessary to encourage the state
to perform its role as the guardian of general wellbeing and thus to curb the
jewer of the elite, are insufficiently developed. All in all, this indicates
the importance and the role of social organizations as a determining factor in
the democratic ordering of society. These organizations are the indispensable
link between state and citizen, for the protection of rights and promotion of
interests of the various strata and sectors. If such social organizations also
comprise institutions of representation, coming from the grass roots, then the
basic conditions for participation on an equal footing have been met.
10
4. Policy priorities
4.1. Precedence for the interests of the marginalized
HIVCS gives first priority to the interests of the marginalized. This commit
ment is more than just one policy priority heading a list of others: it is
rather the essential point of departure that defines HIVCS's policy perspec
tive as a whole, and as such it is the touchstone of each and every ether
priority. This should not be taken to mean, however, that all of HIVCS’s
approaches are exclusively directed at the marginalized themselves, but it
does imply that they must all, directly or ultimately, serve their interests.
What is need, therefore, is a target group definition of 'the marginalized', a
more precise indication of the Third World masses whose opportunities for a
decent human existence are at risk.
In view of the types of societies concerned, these people are often the small
farmers and farm labourers in rural areas, who are faced with dependency and
exploitation; they are the urban migrants who, under grinding slum conditions,
seek to build up some
seme sort,.of existence; they are the ethnic minorities, such,
as Indians in Latin America, who see their identity disintegrate under the
pressure of dominant cultural patterns. But they are also the group who,
within each of the previous categories, are doubly marginalized: women; since
it is women in particular whose autonomy and social recognition suffers most
under the impact of imported Western values during the transition from
traditional to modern society.
Reversal of the marginalization process, the road to full and genuine partici
pation of the poor and repressed in society, would be meaningless without the
involvement of women on an equal footing. This requires the elimination of
women's disadvantaged position within the target group itself, and that
implies the necessity of strategies geared to the promotion of their autonomy.
4.2. Near the grass roots
Proceeding from its- view on development, HIVOS aims to support processes in
the Third World that enable the poor to make a stand for their rights, to gain
access to the sources of income and knowledge, and to exert influence on
centres of decision; in other words, to develop countervailing power.
We are speaking of processes, to be sure; they take time and require persis
tent efforts at many levels of society. Further on in this chapter, some
emphasis is placed on the necessity of a broad social platform for successful
emancipation of repressed groups; but this should never divert attention from
the absolute requirement that ’emancipation processes always be supported by
initiatives from the poor and repressed themselves. Consequently, HIVCS’s
support will have to go primarily to those grassroots initiatives.
This is obviously the focus of any approach aimed at eradicating poverty, but
it is furthermore the essence of the humanistic view of development: emancipa
tion cannot be realized in a top-down fashion, it cannot be achieved and
introduced by third parties; if emancipation is to be truly that, it has to be
striven for by the beneficiaries themselves; only on the basis of such
independent effort will people ever be able to develop their own instruments
and skills, and only on that basis can they equip themselves to take part in
determining the shape of their own society.
11
4.3. Focus on organization
In the daily practice of HIVOS’s work, the above means that attention is
devoted not only to individual claims for elementary human rights, but also
and especially to the collective expression of such claims made by groups of
people who have organized themselves on the basis of their shared interest in
an effort to secure effective and sustained improvement of the position of the
poor.
Recent thinking on development has increasingly come to recognize organization
at the grassroots level as one of the most important conditions for develop
ment of the marginalized. Organization of people and resources -often informal
in nature- has always played a role in situations of scarcity, when -iust
staying alive is the primary concern. But development presupposes more than
bare survival and this is why strategies should be evolved to enable people to
rise above that level and to participate fully in society. For this purpose it
is necessary to unite to pursue common interests and aspirations, since only
then can each man and woman effectively express, claim and exercise his or her
rights.
But at the same time, practical experience has shown that a substantial number
of preconditions have to be met before such an organization process can be
successful. These conditions apply not only to the process of getting together
and agreeing on goals, but also to the optimal setting in which goals can
feasibly be pursued. As to the latter, the presence of broad support in
society is indispensable: there should be wide recognition of the importance
of the cause.
Isolated development activities have thus at best generated tiny "islands of
growth", which are extremely vulnerable to external and possibly hostile fac
tors. Such islands do not represent genuine development in the sense of last
ing improvement of people* s position. The same can be said of projects which
are deemed successful by classic standards, but which have proven incapable of
bringing about any appreciable impact beyond their own confines. Such instan
ces of success, however useful for those immediately concerned, may reasonably
be relegated to the category of "drops in the ocean". The principle of orga
nized and united representation of the target group’s interests should
therefore not remain limited to local boundaries (e.g. village or district);
it should rather be applied repeatedly, as it were in ever expanding concen
tric circles, if necessary until it assumes national or transnational dimen
sions. In that case, we speak of noveroents: the organized endeavour of
marginalized groups in a broad sense, proceeding from shared interests,
seeking to exert influence on power centres and, in the end, aiming at sharing
of power.
The practical consequence for HIVOS’s work in this regard is thus the need for
activities and organizations of the target group to be based on an actual or
potential movement and for the development of horizontal relations between
target group and associated institutions.
12
4.4. Strengthening the economic base
Strengthening the economic base of the target group has always featured high
on the list of HIVOS priorities, even in the years when voluntarist thinking,
with its emphasis on consciousness-raising and non-material approaches prevailed in development work.
r
The deliberate decision to opt for improving the material position of the
target group conforms with HIVOS's view of the causes of poverty and margina
lization. Large groups cannot withstand the stronger market forces in the
increasingly complex economic order of the modem state. They cannot continue
their operations in competition with the large-scale commercial sector. They
incur debts, lose their land and other production factors, lose their economic
independence and get caught,, almost inevitably, in the downward spiral of
poverty and marginalization.
In HIVOS's view, therefore, strengthening people's economic base is an indis
pensable factor in an integral process of emancipation. Apart from improving
the-market position of the target group, this especially involves getting the
state to recognize the economic value of large groups in society.
ihis approach lays the foundation for influencing the centres of power, since
it puts people in a position to claim their rights and secure more favourable
conditions for themselves. In Western societies, with their strong tradition
of labour unions, this principle is now taken for granted. But not exclusively
there. It also applies in Zimbabwe, for example, where the economic importance
of the small farmer, producing nearly half of the national harvest, has been
recognized, which has led to the provision of a good package of government
services, ranging fran extension to marketing.
Obviously, not all activities will to the same extent contribute to realiza
tion of the economic potential of the marginalized. The importance of a given
activity depends on its place in the economic framework as a whole. Economic
potential is very much a matter of economic feasibility, and experience has
shown how essential it is to take the existing economic activities of the
target group as the point of departure.
Here too, however, efforts may easily result in the creation of mere "islands
of growth" whose cosmetic effect only confirms the dominant system in society
as a whole. Here too, therefore,- activities need to be supported by a move
ment, a network of social institutions that impart feasibility to the initia
tives in question, nourishing them and carrying them further.
4.5. Intermediary NGOs as allies
The basic tenet that liberation ’ from jpoverty
---- ’
...
and repression
involves a fight
that must first of all be fought by the poor and repressed themselves ini no
way diminishes the necessity of having allies. Nongovernmental organizations
of an intermediary type perform this crucial role. In the field of interna
tional cooperation it is they who act as interpreters of the needs and aspira
tions of the target group, but within their own societies too they play a
similar role, towards national centres of power, speaking on behalf of the
target group and promoting its interests. In this connection one might think
of legal advice centres, or of research and development institutions that can
exert influence on government policy, pressing for changes in favour of the
poor and doing so from a position of authority.
13
But also at the level of actual development work, the intermediary NGOs play
an indispensable role as providers of services to the target group (technical
advice, education programmes) or as catalysts for new initiatives and proces
ses. A new form of dependency of the target group is thus, more often than
not, substituted for the old one; in most cases this cannot be totally
avoided. However, this should not be taken as a self-defeating arrangement: it
can be accepted as long as the NGO is aware of it and deals with it as an
apparently necessary evil that should be phased out as the target group gets
Strenger. An obvious additional condition is that the new dependency should
not place people at a greater disadvantage than they were before.
The diversity and range of these intermediary social institutions is of parti
cular importance for the emancipation process. Professionalism and specialized
sectoral expertise must be mobilized at all levels of society if the interests
of the poor and repressed are to be advanced effectively. HIVOS is therefore
explicitly in favour of developing a multilayered buffer of intermediary NGOs
that are in a position to stimulate and support organization within the target
group as well as movements arising from this organization.
Here again, a number of conditions met. Just as activities at the grassroots
level require broader support, an intermediary NGC cannot and must not operate
in isolation (see 4.3). Isolation means greater vulnerability and less impact
on the ordering of society; in the end, it may have negative repercussions for
the target group. This risk is obvious in the case of target group interest
organizations, but it is equally evident with respect to intermediary NGOs.
This is important in a passive sort of way: in terms of obtaining ideas and
support from related social movements; but also and especially in an active
sense: are they capable of creating more favourable conditions for participa
tion by the target group; how can they spread ideas and what coalitions can
they form?
This assessment applies to all intermediary NGOs. Organizations whose activi
ties are mainly of indirect benefit to the target group certainly need a broad
platform of social support to exert the necessary influence. But even or
ganizations with less ambitious objectives -for example directed at technical
aspects such as production, marketing and basic provisions- can ultimately
only be successful if they link into a network of social institutions through
which their initiatives are carried further.
4.6. Democracy and control
At this point, the question presents itself whether all social movements are
of equal importance to HIVOS and whether they are equally worthy of support.
How is one to draw distinctions among and within the various movements?
A frame of reference is needed to do so, a frame derived from HIVOS*s view of
society, which must be sufficiently clear to assist the assesment of social
developments. This brings us back to the humanistic principles that underlie
HIVCS’s view of development (see section 3).
A crucial principle must then be applied to the struggle for power and
influence, namely the principle that the end never justifies the means. A
movement engaged in that struggle will have to employ means that, by their
nature, already contain the elements of emancipation and democracy. All too
often, we have seen how a battle that was fought and won in the name of the
14
people, causes the winners to lose the ability to allow for real participation: theJ means by which power was gained then persist as the means of holding
on to it., leaving the people again without any say in matters.
This implies that the end and the} means must be consistent with each other
within the movement; it also implies that active strategies to promote
accountability and control over the leaders by the target group must be developed.
The requirement of internal democracy is obviously suggested by the internal
dynamics that; can be observed in many movements, whether they are socially
successful or not. One must continuously guard against the danger of the
movement becoming an end in itself; the danger that it, or rather its leaders,
may become part of the establishment, !sticking
' * *
to old slogans and meanwhile
becoming alienated itself from the members.
The institutional approach advocated by HIVOS is based on the maxim that so
cial movements are a necessary prerequisite for reversing the marginalization
process. Consequently, this approach includes the obligation to help ensure
that those movements remain truly emancipatory in the practice of dealing with
.thSi, target group. This presupposes active participaxion at grassroots level
and an open attitude towards grassroots supporters; it requires emancipation
within emancipation, a characteristic that should be actively and visibly
pursued by all concerned: the target group as well as intermediary NGOs.
HIVOS should therefore give priority to those sectors and institutions, which
exist within movements or are closely related to them and which are able to
guard these movements against rigidity and alienation.
Summary
Together, the above policy priorities make up the institutional approach favoured by HIVOS. An approach that aims at institutional embedding of the
interests of the poor in society at large, working through organized and
broadly supported expression and promotion of those interests, as a major
condition for a democratic society.
15
5. Institutional approach in practice
In section 2r we sketched the development of HIVOS’s thinking on NGOs and
referred to the operational unclarities involved. It thus stands to reason
that the institutional approach, as specified in the foregoing policy priorities, has yet to be elaborated in practical. terms.
After all, the formulated priorities only indicate ideal directions in a gene-z~z
ralized setting, whereas reality is highly differentiated and far from ideal.
This section attempts to avoid the dangers of either absolute or inconsistent
application of the institutional approach; this requires that stages be
distinguished, each with its own operational implications, and that conditions
and criteria be formulated.
5.1. Necessary stages
The essence of the institutional approach is the facilitation of access to the
decision-making processes in society that bear on the inunediate living
environment of the poor. People cannot achieve this as individuals, nor can a
single NGO do much in this direction. Organization of the target group is
therefore a leading principle in all activities that HIVOS chooses to support.
But, as repeatedly indicated above, if this principle is be applied out effec
tively, the organization of the target group will have to tie in with in a
movement or, at least, a potential movement.
However, it is quite obvious that social reality in many developinc countries
does not make this possible. Looking at Chile and South Africa, the labour
movement readily presents itself as a suitable context for organization of the
target group, and the same can be said of the farmers’ movement in Nicaragua.
But if we consider countries such as Botswana, Mozambique and even India,
matters turn out to be rather less clearcut, apparently because the social
structures are not so differentiated, latent conflicts of interest have not
yet taken such a highly visible shape, or existing discrepancies are legiti
mized by a widely accepted ideology.
But the institutional approach was not adopted with the purpose of paving the
way for easy and self-evident choices; on the contrary, one might say that the
process of uniting forces, the emergence of movements, perhaps warrants even
more attention than a context in which all this has long since crystallized.
This implies that HIVOS should have an understanding of the stages and
components of the movement building process. Generalizations remain hazardous
in this respect, but certain recurrent elements can be observed in the history
of popular movements. Apart from the objective aspect of actual marginaliza
tion, an equally important role is played by subjective conditions such as
people’s awareness of their own identity and value, their awareness of
existing and threatening disadvantages, and the presence of a legitimizing
ideology. These aspects provide the binding factor amidst a diversity of
organizations ah grassroots and higher levels, possibly leading to a configu
ration which as a whole represents more than the sum of its parts.
However, those parts, as well as the subjective elements mentioned above must
be there before larger entities can evolve.
16
It follows that in situations where social dynamics have not yet produced
movements, HIVOS’s efforts should be directed at creating favourable condi
tions, supporting activities that contain the seeds of growth in that direc
tion. Consequently, a major area of attention for HIVOS is selfmade target
group organizations whose importance can be recognized and whose work can be
replicated by related groups in society (for instance, the first farmers*
cooperatives, from which a full-fledged movement can arise). But experience
shows that few such organizations are to be found in social settings that are
not very differentiated. And that increases the importance of intermediary
NGOs engaged in consciousness-raising, group formation and provision of
services among the poor. In most cases, HIVOS will have to ally itself with
them. But not unreservedly, since it occurs all too often that, for lack of
capacity or vision, the sincere intentions of intermediary NGOs degenerate
into charity and paternalism.
This is why HIVOS should assess cooperation with intermediary NGOs -particulaily at this stage— in the light of their actual contribution to an
independent and broad coordinated representation of the target group’s inte
rests; in the light, that is, of their potential for creation of a movement. A
counterpart or candidate counterpart will have to be assessed as to outlook
(does it operate as part of a movement and does it employ a non—dogmatic
philosophy), as to methodology (are its efforts aimed at the promotion of
subjective conditions), as to consistency (in its cooperation with the target
group, as explained below) and as to its own social context (cooperation with
other intermediary NGOs).
5.2. Movements as counterparts
HIVOS’s preference is for cooperation with a broadly organized target group,
Where movements or <associations of target group organizations have already
developed, there is obvious eligibility for direct support. But here too,r the
criterion of internal emancipatory structure should be applied.
After all, within these movements just as elsewhere, institutionalization can
easily lead to estrangement from the grassroots. Channelling financial support
through secondary and tertiary organizations increases this danger and• may
actually promote authoritarian features and even the artificial perpetuation
of structures that are basically empty. This is why HIVOS should always assess
movements, like intermediaries, as to their rejection of dogmatic approaches,
in theory as well as in practice. The check of formal internal democracy, in
terms of elections and representation arrangements, is thus not enough. HIVOS
should also promote internal control through its funding conduct. On the one
hand, this implies priority for programmes that enhance members’ responsible
lity by giving them a say in matters; on the other, it implies restraint in
funding the non-professional apparatus of movements, as this financial burden
should in the end be borne by the member organizations of such representative
bodies.
5.3. Innovation: a permanent necessity
Respect for principles of participation and democratic standards within
movements does not in itself guarantee alert and effective operation. In
particular the well-established movements tend over time to become monolithic;
17
they start developing cumbersome organizational machinery and can no longer
summon up the required creativity.
Young organizations are in a unique position to counteract this tendency and
HIVOS considers it important that established movements should always have
room for these recent arrivals on the target group scene, which may come up
with inventive ideas and thus play an innovative role in development proces
ses. As against that, certain obvious dangers are involved too: the newcomers’
lack of experience may entail assessment errors and mismanagement; in their
impetuous zeal and criticism of the established opposition they may further
more create confusion and thus debilitate the movement, at least temporarily.
Nonetheless, the advantages arguably outweigh the risks, as long as the latter
are carefully contained. After all, the price of rigidity and paralysis is
just unacceptable in the process of emancipation.
Similar considerations make it important for HIVOS itself to reserve room in
its programme, in terms of funding and attention, for new and recently
established organizations.
5.4. The changing role of intermediary NGOs
In section 4, on policy priorities, the importance of intermediary NGOs as
allies of the target group was emphasized. Above, in 5.1, the intermediary
NGOs were also assigned a crucial role in the creation of favourable conditions for movements to arise. But the virtual omnipresence of this category of
NGOs necessitates caution. The institutionalization processes they go through
themselves and the vested interest they might evolve in maintaining a certain
status quo may lead to their domination of the scene and thus to prevent the
emergence of autonomous movements.
This danger is particularly present in the initial stages of the organization
process, with the intermediary organization acting as a catalyst for develop
ment. For what, one may ask, legitimizes of its intervention? Who controls the
NGO’s performance? And to whom does the NGO render an account of what it is
doing? The sincere organization is aware of its temporary role, seeing itself
as serving rather than leading the target group, and it consequently creates
the conditions for the latter’s increasing independence and control. In this
connection, one might think of setting up a structure to represent the various
target group organizations, a structure to which the intermediate NGO will
henceforth be accountable.
Eventually, a successful emancipation process will manifest itself in autonomo us target group organizations that no longer need the intermediary NGO as a
catalyst. The function of organizer and the role of promoter of interests can
then properly be taken over by the movement. This does not mean, however, that
the intermediary NGO has become redundant. It is duly assigned a new role as a
resource platform, which the target group can always turn to. This role is
purely one of rendering services, no longer on the ’mere’ basis of solidarity
but now also, and more especially, on the basis of proven professionalism and
at the request of the target group as the principal. And it is these criteria
that HIVOS should employ at this stage.
18
5.5. NGOs versus government.?
jjf cb •“* > ■
Analytically speaking, the institutional approach proceeds from the assumption
that in most countries there is a certain tension between the individual
citizen and the state as regards distribution, and from the further assumption
that the organized non-governmental sector is a necessary element in the
build-up of countervailing power.
Does this automatically imply, however, that the conflict model should prevail
in all situations and that any form of collaboration between local NGOs and
government (as the direct embodiment of the state) is deemed undesirable? In
view of the differences in character and policy of the governments concerned,
only a qualified answer is appropriate. If we discount situations in which the
legitimacy of the government must be seriously questioned, for example when
human rights are being systematically violated, there are certainly instances
of very effective collaboration with the authorities or certain government
services. There need not be anything inconsistent about this either, as it
ful^y accorcs with the view that access to r^sburces must be gained in order
to gain more power; and governments are, at least in theory, the prime
controllers of such resources. On the whole, the details of arrangements for
collaboration will be determined by the degree of compatibility between
government policy and target group interests and by the practical condition
that those interests must actually be served and that the NGO’s autonomy must
be respected.
The same criteria apply to cooperation between governments of developing countries and HIVOS itself. Policy priorities demand that such cooperation rerain
exceptional, but it can be considered when the local NGO infrastructure is insufficiently developed. In that particular case too, however, HIVOS cannot
evade its own responsibilities and it explicitly does not wish to do so.
5.6. Einergency aid
An institutional approach like that favoured by HIVOS pre-eminently envisages
a precess of structural change. In contrast, the classic form of emergency aid
has no other objective than relieving acute distress and helping people to
survive natural disasters or serious repression.
Nevertheless, HIVOS policy makes certain allowances for the need to provide
emergency aid under specific conditions. The decisive criterion for this is
that the emergency aid activities should be geared to a current development
process taking place in the framework of an existing relationship between the
operational organization and the target group. When a disaster threatens to
interrupt and set back this process, supplying emergency aid gains an added
value that is appropriately classified as structural, as it is a condition for
continued development.
In practice, this situation arises when disaster compels existing HIVOS coun
terparts to undertake emergency aid activities and to replan their programme
on a temporary basis, usually for the sake of prevention and rehabilitation.
19
6. Operational choices
In addition to the policy priorities that give direction to its efforts, HIVGS
has, over the past ten years, developed a range of operational choices that
give practical shape to its daily work. These choices are of course inspired
by considerations of efficiency, but they are obviously also derived from the
policy priorities.
6.1. Target country policy
Engaging in development cooperation in line with the views set forth in the
previous sections, typically requires in-depth investments. These investments
pertain to the duration of HIVOS’s involvement in a country, the diversity and
the duration of relations with local counterparts, the time and effort needed
to gain sufficient depth of knowledge for proper assessment of institutional
processes and movements themselves, and the intensity with which financial and
other resources that are brought to bear. In view of all this, HIVOS adopted a
target country policy in 1981/82. Since then, HIVOS resources -funds, man
power, expertise- have been concentrated on a limited number of countries,
preferably and as far as possible countries that form regional clusters with a
similar social and political framework.
This choice enables HIVOS to assess the scope for its policy priorities and to
translate these priorities into country-specific terms, so that well-targeted
policies can be formulated per country or region. For this purpose, HIVOS em
ploys the instrument of "country strategies" and "general regional plans", in
which a tentative analysis is made of the processes leading to marginalization
of certain groups in society, and -more important stillstill an attempt is under
taken to identify potential movements and processes to counteract those
processes.
The value of this instrument lies in the assessment of the emancipatory value
of current social developments and in the assessment of organizations and
their initiatives in terms of their potential to influence macro processes.
6.2. Closer to the field
Since 1978, HIVCS has been using field offices, to whose initial liaison
function further responsibilities and competencies were added in 1983 (regio
nal offices). The liaison officers proved to be particularly valuable in
situations where HIVOS’s programme was just getting off the ground. But
management considerations were not the sole grounds for of this operational
choice. More important is the consideration that direct presence in the field
facilitates better judgment of intangible processes of a potentially emancipa
tory nature in countries or regions where social differentiation and insti
tutional development are weak. At this stage, there is an additional need for
physical donor presence, personal dialogue and understanding, and assessment
on the spot of the legitimacy of intermediary NGOs.
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On the other hand, the value of donor presence has its limits. Where the NGO
infrastructure of both intermediary and target group organizations has evolved
sufficiently, HIVOS ought to exercise the necessary restraint.
6.3. Focus on counterpaurt organizations
Although there are a few exceptions in practice, HIVOS chooses not to carry
out activities in the field but to function as facilitator of those activi
ties, creating conditions that enable local groups and organizations to take
their own development in hand. This requires a responsive attitude to initia
tives, requests and ideas inspired from these sources, with the local opera
tional organization
occupying a central position throughout cooperation.
HIVOS wishes to see that organization as a ’counterpart' in the true sense of
the word: that implies the conserted pursuit of the same goal -to further the
interests cf the poor and repressed-, preferably working from the same
philosophy, but each with distinct responsibilities.
Nevertheless, there is a given inequality between donor and recipient, which
may create tension that cannot be ignored. Open dialogue and mutual respect
for the autonomy of either party are therefore crucial. After all, both the
counterpart and HIVOS are primarily accountable to the respective social con
texts in which they operate and this places definite limits on the extent to
which they may influence each other’s policy. As far as HIVOS is concerned, it
also limits the extent to which decision-making powers may be delegated to the
counterparts: programmatic choices and allocation of funds are policy matters
for which HIVOS remains answerable.
6.4. Cooperation and continuity
But the professed respect for each other’s autonomy also entails an obligation
on HIVOS’s part to allow its counterparts the maximum flexibility in carrying
out their own programmes. It is they, after all, and not the donor, who must
do the job, coping with the harsh everyday reality of field work, with all the
unpredictabilities of Third World circumstances. For this reason, HIVOS wants
to do away with the pretentious supposition that the course taken by a project
overseas can be controlled from behind desks in The Hague.
Funding arrangements are one of the ways in which this view can be expressed
for example by means of longer term programme funding, which is widely
practised now, including by HIVOS and other Dutch organizations; but this
remains a limited solution. Where the relationship between HIVOS and the
counterpart is sufficiently based on mutual trust, an obvious arrangement is
extension to the counterpart of the same subsidy model that is in force
funder. the Dutch government. HIVOS is
between HIVOS itself and its major funder,
attempting to do this by means of cooperation agreements, in which commitments
are made for a number of years, on the basis of general consensus, with a high
degree of security as to the continuation of funding in the future. Under this
arrangement, justice is done to HIVOS’s own responsibility as well as its
accountability to the Dutch taxpayer through the device of extensive subsequent evaluation and authorized reporting.
Adopted by the HIVOS Board on 15th November 1988.
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