By WATSON GABANA
Can we say people living with HIV/AIDS are disabled?
This question was posed to a few people working in the disability and HIV/AIDS sector in Madang recently. The purpose was to gauge their views about disability and its comparison to the ongoing awareness on HIV/AIDS in this country.
One can say that HIV/AIDS is the most expensive virus that landed on PNG soil.
When the deadly virus came, strings of other activities followed suit. The promotion of condoms or abstinence, eradication of discrimination and stigmatization and the on-going awareness programs of all forms by varying organization are incomparable with any known virus on planet earth.
A lot of organizations, including the governments all over the world have taken bold decisions to address the spread of HIV/AIDS virus. Millions of dollars have been used just on awareness programs. The awareness programs were geared towards one important factor and that is to change the mind-set of an individual. For everyone to accept that HIV/AIDS is deadly.
A neglected group of people who are vulnerable to the virus are persons with disabilities. The Biwako Millennium Framework (BMF) for action towards an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with disabilities entails inadequate efforts is being exerted to address their needs.
Further efforts need to focus on priority areas where progresses are found inadequate and actions are lagging in our region for persons with disabilities.
The BMF identifies seven priority that need to be supported. They are: self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent organizations
women with disabilities, early detection, early intervention and education, training and employment, including self-employment, access to built environments, public transport
access to information and communications, including information, communications and assistive technologies, poverty alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable livelihood programmes.
These areas form the basis of all disability organizations and partners in addressing the need for inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with disabilities. However, HIV/AIDS is not directly mentioned in any of these priority areas. This leaves persons with disabilities defenseless against this pandemic.
One organization trying to bridge the gap by advocating on the rights of persons with disabilities including HIV/AIDS is the National Disability Resource & Advocacy Center (DRAC) in Madang.
The National DRAC was established in 2006 by the Divine Word University to advocate the rights of persons with disabilities.
They publish a quarterly production, The Network, the national disability magazine which discusses various themes and priority areas from the Biwako Millennium Framework and the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It's November edition will be covering Disability and HIV/AIDS.
When the above question was posed to people working in the disability and HIV/AIDS sector, this is what they said.
In general:
"People living with HIV/AIDS are normal people. They are not disabled."
"It is discriminatory to tell a person living with HIV/AIDS - you are disabled."
Other people thought otherwise.
"When someone contracts the HIV/AIDS virus, they become disabled. They are mentally and psychologically defeated. It is the first step of their disability."
"Eventually, HIV/IDS would lead to physically hampering a normal person from doing normal things...so people living with HIV/AIDS are disabled."
Many physically disabled people are roaming the streets of our towns and cities, sheltering under shop fronts and roofs. Some are being used by their able-bodied relatives to earn money.
At night most of them are left alone in public places where they are prone to abuse by others.
The HIV virus can be transferred in such abuse incidents.
In a recent newspaper article, it was reported that a mentally retarded girl in the Highlands was raped. How can a dumb girl call for help or defend herself when attacked by someone who is HIV positive. How can a wheelchair bound man ward off the advances of a HIV positive lady?
Individuals, corporate organizations, private and multi-national companies are coming up with strategies to combat HIV/AIDS.
The developer of the multi-billion dollar Ramu Nickel project, the Ramu NiCo (MCC) Limited in Madang is taking up the challenge and is supporting organizations involved in HIV/AIDS and Disability related activities or even individuals.
"A company can not prosper if the human resources are not active. Whether disabled or not, MCC will encourage all qualified people to involve in this development," a senior officer of MCC said.
"Only when a person with disability is empowered, he/she can become productive," Jericho Pan, Community Affairs Officer of MCC said when congratulating Richard Gambu participating in the coming National Games in Lae.
As part of the company's corporate and social responsibilities, they are providing avenues for persons with disabilities to become active participants in the Ramu Nickel project.
In their awareness programs, they've involved innovative ideas to provide work opportunities for persons with disabilities and plan to hire qualified disabled people in the project.
They have engaged the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Tokaut-AIDS Program in carrying out HIV/AIDS awareness programs in the Kurumbukari and other mining impact areas.
"Work safety is encouraged so people must not become disabled through ignorance and recklessness," Jericho said.
"When a person contracts HIV/AIDS, he/she becomes weak and can not do their work well. They become disabled in doing their responsibility," Christopher Aizuwe a community relations officer said.
The company recently gave financial assistance to Richard Gambu, a double amputee to participate in the coming PNG National Games.



 

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