The state government is planning to offer legal services to HIV/AIDS patients who are discriminated against over issues such as right to property.
The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) is thinking of offering legal services to them at various antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres soon.
There are 44 ART centres across the state where about 65,000 HIV positive people are availing the first line ART.
Majority among the estimated 2.4 lakh HIV positive people are women. Among them, 67% are widows.
Many of them are denied share in property as their in-laws consider them as the cause for their sons dying of HIV or AIDS.
“The proposal to provide legal services will be a great help for widows living with HIV. I had referred a few cases relating to their property disputes to lawyers. Now that the government itself is coming forward to provide them legal services, they need not garner money to pay lawyers or for court fee,’’ said Jyothi Kiran of Milana, a non-government organisation working for people living with HIV.
The society, in association with the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, had organised training programmes for lawyers in Belgaum and Bangalore.
About 100 lawyers attended the meet in Belgaum while 135 lawyers attended the programme in Bangalore.
“The lawyers, who attended the training programmes, will train other lawyers at taluk level,” said Surekha Shetty, legal officer, Lawyers’ Collective.
The assigned lawyers will visit the ART centres once or twice in a week to receive complaints pertaining to property disputes or discrimination from people living with HIV.
“The lawyers will play a mediator’s role between the complainant and the accused. They will try to settle the civil issues amicably. The lawyers will file cases in the respective courts when their efforts fail,” said Salma K Fahim, project director of the AIDS prevention society.
The society is busy in making arrangements to conduct a one-day training programme for care coordinators and staff nurses of 44 ART centres. The training will be held at KIMS Hospital in Bangalore on February 17.
“We expect about 100 people to attend the programme,” said Salma.
Justice VV Angadi, member secretary, the legal services authority, said the proposed legal services will empower the people, especially widows, living with HIV, to assert their right to property.
“The meetings in Belgaum and Bangalore were a success,’’ said Justice Angadi.
Meanwhile, Saroja Puthran, president, Karnataka Network of Positive People, said the initiative would be a great success if organisations working for the welfare of HIV positive people are also involved.
“Representatives of NGOs are not able to attend the meetings since they had no project work for the last two years. It will be difficult for them to attend the meetings without financial assistance,” said Puthran.
Fahim agreed saying a proposal would be sent to the National AIDS Control Organisation to include financial assistance in the action plan for Karnataka.
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