Red alert

Koyambedu may soon become a breeding ground for life-threatening diseases, especially AIDS. SUDHA UMASHANKER reports

FIRST, THE good news. Koyambedu, touted as Asia's largest bus station (Central Mofussil Bus Terminus) and modern by most standards, is also Chennai's biggest and first centralised foodgrain market with a sizeable floating population. But wait. There's a flip side too. A hotbed of promiscuous behaviour, Koyambedu, if we don't sound the red alert, may well become a virtual breeding ground for life-threatening diseases, especially HIV.

Perhaps, that's the reason the Family Planning Association of India's (FPAI) Chennai branch, after a Need Assessment Baseline Survey, recently launched a two-day training programme for peer educators as part of its project titled `Pathways to HIV/AIDS prevention among migrant communities in Koyambedu market area.' The project has been funded by the Japan Trust Fund and the International Planned Parenthood Foundation.

Speaking on the occasion, actress-director and activist Revathi stressed the need to stop keeping issues such as safe sex under wraps and adopt an open, direct approach.

Ranjini Murugan, president, FPAI Chennai, said, "India's strength is its population and we need to keep our population healthy and avoid going the Africa way."

What makes the population of Koyambedu particularly vulnerable? For one, 60 per cent of Koyambedu's population comprises migrant workers who come in search of greener pastures — mainly vegetable vending. Many are either single men or those who live away from their families. While mobility and migration may not be risk factors for HIV, they seem to create conditions that leave people vulnerable.

Stop keeping issues such as safe sex under wraps, Instead adopt an open, direct approach. — Revathi

E. V. K. S. Madivanan, CAO, CMDA, observed, "There is a lot of high risk behavioural activity particularly in the flower market." With commercial sex workers available for a song and time hanging heavy on the hands of the workers during the day (business takes place in the early hours from 1 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to Thiyagarajan, president, tomato market sector), the stage seems set. What's more, vacant shops and hideouts in the vicinity are ideal locations for those engaged in the flesh trade. Sadly, the Koyambedu population, which is largely illiterate, is blissfully unaware of the consequences of such deviant behaviour.

The FPAI's plan of action includes conducting educational awareness programmes and monthly medical camps, encouraging people to visit voluntary counselling and testing centres, using street plays and folk theatre to get the message across, making condoms easily available (through flower merchants, wine shops and hair dressing salons), and more important, training peer educators.

The approach is significant on several counts. As Senthil, an outreach worker, FPAI, said, the migrant population is unaware of where to go and whom to turn to for medical help, and often lives with Sexually Transmitted and Reproductive Tract Infections. (Incidentally, it has been found that the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted and Reproductive Tract Infections can act as a springboard for HIV infection).

As for condoms, despite awareness being created, (the Pulliraja ads seemed to have served the purpose), they are not used consistently, pointed out Somesh Babu, project co-ordinator. Rather than adopt the standard ABC approach (Abstinence, Be faithful and Correct use of condoms), the FPAI has decided to turn the heat on safe sex, as it will work well with this group, said Rani Kandhaswami, project chairperson.

Thankfully, "the opinion leaders of Koyambedu have extended their cooperation," said K.K. Rajini, manager, FPAI Chennai.

Sujatha Natarajan, honorary secretary, FPAI Chennai, and Srinivasan, counsellor FPAI Chennai, assured that "with the peer educators ensuring continuity after the duration of the project and being able to communicate in a language and cultural context specific to this population, the momentum would be sustained."

With this kind of drive, Asia's biggest bus stand can become a model for a proactive approach in the area of AIDS prevention.

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