Situational analysis: Other factors

Thursday, 1st June 2006

HIV&AIDS

With at least 5.7 million people living with HIV, India has the highest population of people living with HIV and AIDs in the world. 89% of those living with HIV are between the sexually active and economically productive ages of 18-40 years.

Despite this there is still a tendency to view the HIV&AIDs epidemic in India as less serious than that facing other Asian countries, since the prevalence rates are lower.
In Orissa there remains a lack of leadership and awareness of the issue and yet HIV&AIDs is likely to become a major challenge over the next ten years.

The HIV epidemic is affected by poor public awareness around modes of transmission and high levels of stigma and discrimination, exacerbated by conservative attitudes and political and social environments that often take a punitive approach to dealing with so called ‘social evils'.

Despite Orissa not being considered a high prevalence state, the conditions exist for HIV to become a tragedy of alarming proportions; poverty, migration and displacement, are major contributing factors for the spread of the virus, exacerbated by poor access to health services, high levels of illiteracy, striking gender imbalances and weak governance - many of these conditions exist in Orissa.

HIV&AIDs also has the potential to erode economic, social and human development across the full spectrum of development gains; this affords it a particular priority.

Emergencies

Because of the geographic location of Orissa, the size of the state and the high levels of poverty amongst its population, it remains vulnerable to a variety of ‘shocks', including floods, cyclones and cyclical drought.

Reducing people's vulnerability and exposure to shocks as well as preparing better (not only at the state level, but also at the community level) determines how these shocks can be dealt with.

Civil society and NGOs

A strong civil society forms a legitimate check on the policy/decision making, as well as the performance, of Government and is important in contributing to improved governance and deeper democracy.

In Orissa civil society remains fragmented and the role and the influence of NGOs is compounded by questions over their legitimacy, credibility, integrity and independence.

These concerns must be addressed if NGOs in Orissa are to engage constructively in the development process.

Concern India country strategy 2006 - 2011: Contents

Feedback

Print this page

Email to a friend