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HIV/AIDS, trafficking and SAARC

27 January 2004
• EDITORIAL
Ummee Saila
South Asia is a densely populated region. Majority of the 1.4 billion people of this are poor and illiterate. Living standard and per capita income are very low. Poverty, illiteracy, gender inequality, lack of awareness about health, sanitation and pure water are a common scenario in this part of the world. The status of women and the condition of children are not sound at all. One estimation shows that over the last 30 years trafficking for sexual exploitation alone has violated some 30 million Asian women and children. Every year one to two million people are trafficked worldwide of which 225,000 are from South Asia. Unfortunately trafficking of children and women is a 'profitable' trade in South Asia. The demands behind this human trade are prostitution, camel race, organ transplant, domestic work, forced labour, drug smuggling, begging, forced marriage and other exploitative works.

HIV/AIDS which is now a major obstacle to the social and economic progress could become a curse for the region. UNAID at the end of 2001 estimated that 4.1 million people were already living with HIV/AIDS in South Asia. India with 3.97 million people living with HIV is second only to South Africa in the total number of people infected.

SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was formed in 1985 to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia, to improve their quality of life, to accelerate economic growth, and their social progress and cultural development. We are proud to say that the idea of regional cooperation was first proposed by Bangladesh in 1980. Twelfth summit of the head of the governments of SAARC member countries Bangladesh, India, Pakistan. Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives took place from 4 to 6 January, 2004. This union is considered most successful in the history of SAARC.

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The outcome of this conference are: 1) Islamabad declaration; 2) Social Charter; 3) Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA); 4) Additional Protocol to SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism Social Charter consisted of thirteen points. This charter discussed about women empowerment, ensuring congenial atmosphere for children, removing illiteracy, eliminating tuberculosis, stopping environmental destruction, ascertaining health care to all etc. Two major decisions like stopping women and children trafficking and spread of AIDS were also taken in this meeting.

If all the member countries are sincere enough to cooperate among themselves, they can create awareness against HIV and human trade. Most of the illiterate people of the region are unaware about how easily HIV virus can infect people and what are the easy steps which can stop the spread of AIDS. We hope all the heads of the government of SAARC can realise the strength of cooperation and unite in the true sense to eliminate all the social curse from this region.

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