National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Religious Commitment

The UNICEF recognizes the importance of religious leaders in the fight against the HIV/AIDS and attempts to mobilize them in South Asia

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

In any society, religion plays a key role in shaping that community’s values, norms, traditions and behaviors. Since, sexual behavior plays an important role in the transmission of HIV/AIDS, it is natural that bringing about change in people’s perceptions, attitudes and behaviors are vital in the fight against the deadly disease.

With this simple and pious notion in mind, the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, organized a three-day regional workshop on “South Asia Inter-faith Consultation on Children, Young People and HIV/AIDS” in Kathmandu from December 4-6.

UNICEF conference : Concerted efforts against HIV/AIDS

South Asia, in general, and Nepal, in particular, stands at the crossroads today. The HIV/AIDS prevalence, though still low and limited to concentrated epidemic among commercial sex workers and Injected Drug Users (IDU), could explode into a generalized epidemic if not controlled at this phase. The experiences of African countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s also prove that complacency could be fatal.

Experts have been issuing dire warnings that the HIV/AIDS could become the biggest public health threat in this region in the years ahead destroying not only the health but also economy of many nations.

Around five million people in South Asia are living with HIV and the region is experiencing some of the fastest growth rates of HIV infection in the world. Nepal alone is home to over 60,000 HIV/AIDS patients. There is an estimate that HIV/AIDS will affect additional 5 to 6 million people in the region in next one decade. Over 80 percent of the infection is due to heterosexual relations.

Couple this with the extreme poverty, lack of awareness as well as social stigma and you will get a deadly mix. “The disease is growing because people do not talks about this and are ashamed,” said Dr. Sadig Rasheed, regional director of the UNICEF.

South Asia is a vibrant region home to variety of religion and ethnicity. But mostly the region is conservative. As such, the roles of religious leaders are more prominent in this region than anybody else’s in mobilizing the community.

With the objective of using the good offices of the religious leaders in raising awareness and helping get rid of stigma attached to the disease, the UNICEF organized the workshop where the leaders of different faiths pledged for action to protect children and young people from the ravages of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

More than 140 figures from religious communities, faith based groups and young people from eight different countries of South Asia – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka – attended the summit. Those participating in the Kathmandu meeting included followers from the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Baha’I communities.

“In a final declaration the figures reaffirmed the commitments inherent in their teachings to ensure protection and care for children, young people and their families. In addition the declaration contains provisions to increase understanding on HIV and AIDS and a revisiting of teachings that may have fostered discrimination against young people, particularly girls. Participants have stated they will work together to find common beliefs across the different teachings that can help prevent infection and alleviate suffering,” states a press release from the UNICEF.

“The religion can teach proper values and behavior to young people. Of late, we have seen in our society here that youngsters are drifting away from the teachings of the Hindu religion. This has resulted in many problems in communities,” said General (retd.) Bharat Keshar Simha, president of World Hindu Federation. “It is heartening to see that UNICEF is trying to make use of religious leaders in the fight against the HIV/AIDS.”

“The representatives from the different religions and faiths here have achieved something quite remarkable”, said Dr. Rasheed. “They are united in their desire to use their influence to improve the social conditions that help spread the virus and are looking at ways to place their teachings at the forefront of the battle to tackle stigma, gender discrimination and the lack of participation of the very young people who will have to bear the burden of a worsening epidemic. The word ‘landmark’ is often overused, but here the description fits.”