HYDERABAD: Swecha Sammelan, a state-level convention was held for sex workers in the city on Tuesday. The Sammelan was held to highlight the success of the sex workers' community in HIV prevention and the strides they had taken to empower themselves over the last 10 years. About 2,500 female sex workers from across the state participated in the event. Competitions in drawing, singing and dancing were organised for the participants and prizes were given to the winners. There was also an exhibition and stalls on female condoms. Celebrities Jhansi and Anuj Gurwara were present at the event. Appreciating the critical role being played by the community of female sex workers in HIV prevention, AP State AIDS Control Society project director, C Parthasarathi urged the community to further enhance its leadership skills and take ownership of the programme in the days to come. “Presently, 15 of the 169 targeted interventions in the state are being managed by organisations led by communtiy based organisations (CBOs). Due to the active leaderhsip and involvement of sex workers in programme implementation, we have been seeing a remarkable success in the effort to reduce the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Andhra Pradesh,” he added.APSACS joint director for targeted interventions, Kailash Ditya said, “When we organised the first Swecha Sammelan three years back it was attended by about 500 sex workers."He said, "Today more than 2,500 sex workers participated in the event. This is evidence of increased empowerment among sex workers."He also added, “The time has come for all of us to extend our support to them and not stigmatize and discriminate against them. This would enable them to protect their rights and access all entitlements.” APSACS additional project director Dr Jayamma, joint director Dr Jayachandra Reddy, key representatives of HLFPPT, Alliance Care India, Heroes Project, CFAR, CBO presidents from all 23 districts and sex workers participated in the event.
Comments
0 comment