The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Unskilled migrant workers lack HIV awareness: experts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 20, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Unskilled migrant workers lack HIV awareness: experts

Staff Reporter

Arunodhaya calls for pre-departure training for workers

CHENNAI: Unskilled Indian labourers in Asian and Gulf countries were the subject of discussion at the consultation meeting on "State of the Indian migrants and their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS" organised by the Arunodhaya-Migrants Initiative at the YWCA premises on Friday.

The organisation has published a study on HIV awareness levels among potential migrants, returnees and spouses of migrants in and around Kalpakkam.

Minimal access to information

The study, conducted by Migrants Forum in 2000, concludes that the unskilled migrant population comes from the bottom of the caste hierarchy and has minimal access to information on HIV.

"In Phillipines, 32 per cent of those who have tested HIV positive are migrants. The number is 41 per cent for Bangladesh. In India, such statistics are simply not available," says Bernard D'Sami, co-ordinator, Arunodhaya.

The organisation has urged trade unions to collaborate with them in conducting pre-departure training for migrant workers.

Trade union leaders, including Kalan of INTUC, T.R.S Mani of AITUC and V. Kumar of CITU, agreed on the importance of such measures while reiterating that the "jobless growth" created by globalisation was the main reason for migration.

Some migrant workers alleged that the indifference of the Indian embassies made matters worse.

Legal channels

Officials from the Manpower Corporation and the Cyber Crime Cell urged migrants to choose legal channels of emigration and not be duped by unscrupulous agents.

This was the best way to ensure availability of legal reprieve in case of harassment or torture by employers.

Ellapan, field worker, said after the tsunami young men from fishing communities were gearing up to leave after being told by parents to find other means of livelihood.

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