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HIV 'truck' with highways
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Funny beliefs, advice and ego clashes have put the carriers of freight on the line of death.
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Peer educators giving truckers a demonstration on Behavioural Change Communication.
For the six-footer Sikh life was just like speeding on the highway with sharp turns and dangerous `U' turns, not until he surrendered to a police station one fine morning.
Kartar Singh was a burly and hotheaded truck driver like any other in his fraternity. He only understood the language of power, be it the horse power of his vehicle or his physical prowess and he often exhibited it while speeding his truck, in drunken brawls at dhabas or by picking up a commercial sex worker among several contenders.
The self-proclaimed `ustad' is now languishing in a jail, emaciated and enervated. Six months ago, Kartar was tested to be HIV positive and that when for the first time in life his mind recalled that he had a family to be taken care of. On his very next assignment, the trusted Sardar sold the entire load of foodgrains that he was carrying for Rs. 4.5 lakhs, remitted the money to his family and surrendered to the police.
When questioned, he acknowledged his crime and said that since he was infected and was going to die in a few years, by doing so he had felt that he had taken care of his family. He is still unaware that he has passed on the malady to his wife and also to his younger son.
There are tens of thousands of such Kartar Singhs speeding or had sped down the highway to AIDS all over India. Some are already dead, many infected and awaiting death and many more infected and blissfully unaware of the consequences. In most cases their partners are also affected along with the children and in cases where the child has escaped the transmission then orphanage seems to be their next halt.
The transport sector is considered the backbone of the economy of all countries. In Visakhapatnam itself the average number of trucks plying the NH5 exceed 7,000 a day. That means there are around 14,000 truckers (drivers plus cleaners) who pass through the city every day and it is estimated that 80 per cent of them indulge in some sort of carnal pleasures within the stretch that extends from Anandapuram to Anakapalle.
Gajuwaka, Anandapuram and Anakapalle are the main transit points and there is a flourishing flesh trade on the highway itself at these spots.
For truckers on the highway, every halt is a pleasure spot and having sex is the only recreation. Ever since this pandemic broke out, doctors and psychologists have been trying to ascertain the reason that makes this category come under the high-risk group.
A surveillance survey conducted by an NGO states that 70 per cent of the truckers are affected with STD and of whom 50 per cent are either HIV carriers or transmitters. In Gajuwaka itself there are many HIV positive cases with a few reported deaths among this fraternity.
There is a popular myth among the truckers that spicy food at the dhabas, the heat that is radiated from the engine and continuous driving contribute to increasing their body heat and the only way to reduce it is by sex. This belief encourages them to have unsafe sex wherever possible and at will. Another funny belief among the truckers is that `ustad' or the leader is the one who has the maximum number of sexual encounters during a trip. And these are primarily discussed at the highway dhabas where they halt for food. To add to their deliberations almost every such joint is embellished with some women of easy virtue.
Such funny beliefs, advice and ego clashes have put the carriers of freight on the line of death. "As biological urge is a universal truth, long durations away from home is the main reason for their promiscuous behaviour and high risk attitude", says Anup Kumar of ACCEPT, a NGO.
"Our main goal is to develop a mass awareness among the truckers and also the CSWs in regard to the use of condoms and promotion of safe sex methods. Though initially we faced a stiff resistance especially from the truckers segment, as by nature they are arrogant and ignorant, of late, there is an improvement in their attitude. That itself is a healthy sign," asserts Anup.
ACCEPT has been working in this field for quite sometime and their project is called `Healthy Highway Project'. In Visakhapatnam they are operating from Tuni to Anandapuram junction. Their outreach and field officers visit all transport offices, highway dhabas and associations within this range and interact with the truckers explaining the efficacies of safe sex and behavioural change. They also conduct voluntary testing and counselling services with adequate care and support strategies for the infected.
Another category that falls under the high-risk group are the people living in slum areas. The `City of Destiny' is home to 210 slums scattered all over the city.
But what makes them vulnerable? "In most of the slums, the dwellers are made up of heterogeneous composition with many migrant labourers. This factor increases the promiscuity of the inhabitants. Moreover, stark poverty, illiteracy and other socio-economic problems convert many of the women dwellers to CSWs and they operate secretively outside the slum area. This increases their chance of contracting the virus and also enhances the spread within the area," says Kondal Rao of Mahila Vikas Samastha.
There are a few slums in the city where 60 per cent of its inhabitant estimated to be infected with STD with a few HIV positive cases. A couple of NGOs like MVS and SPAAD are trying to educate the dwellers about AIDS, how to prevent it and how to take care of the affected ones.
Small efforts by a group of people cannot arrest the spread. What is required is a wide public awareness campaign particularly among truckers and slum dwellers.
(Next week: Let's not abandon 'em)
SUMIT BHATTACHARJEE
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