Ganjam DAPCU Response to the Theme- DAPCUs & Stigma and Discrimination

Role and Responsibilities

1. DAPCU can arrange some awareness meeting in the village level where stigma and discrimination cases noticed.
2. DAPCU can involve PRI member for sensitization or advocacy releted to stigma and discrimination.
3. DAPCU can facilitate the involvement of positive network and arrange some positive speaker session in the community level meeting.
4. Strengthening the linkages with District Legal Service Authority(DLSA). 

Some Measures Initiated by DAPCU to Facilitate Reduction of Stigma and Discrimination

• Access to services: Facilitating the involvement of Link worker, Outreach worker, peer counsellor and in some time ASHA and anganwadi worker.
• Health Care Setting: DAPCU has organised full site sensitization workshop with all staff of that institution.
• District Administration and it Departments: Organizing District AIDS Prevention control committee meeting in every quarter by involving all line departments.
• Conducted Sensitization Programme in Berhampur Circle Jail.
• DAPCU has intitited dialogue with Transport Department for charging concessional fare to PLHA accesing ART from Berhampur Medical College.
• Community Setting: Involvement of Positive network, Involvement of NGOs- Agency for Social Legal Protection (ASLP Project SAATHII), Participation in ASHA Sector meeting.

DAPCU has received complaints from PLHIV regarding Stigma and Discrimination

After receiving complain from PLHIV, DAPCU is coordinating with PLHA network. If this issues is releted to Health care setting than DAPCU is bringing this issues to CDMO knowledge and trying to resolve it. If the issue is releted to Domestic violence or paternal property than it is being referred to one NGO working for a project under the titled Agency for Socio legal protection. The same matter being resolved by District legal service authority.

Achievement: One case of Patrapur block of Ganjam district where one ASHA has disclosed the name of a PLHIV who is very poor and manages his family through a small ration shop in that villege. After disclose of his status  no one taken ration from his shop. After some days  he filed a complaint against that ASHA. After receiving the complaint CDMO formed an enquiry committee and that committee moved to that villege and called an ASHA coordination meeting along with the villege member. After that the villagers’ accept their mistake and took ration from that shop. (Entire process coordinated by DAPCU)