Press Releases

In India, HIV-Positive Women Break Their Silence

Photo: Jaya Shreedhar/Internews Indian women living with HIV remove masks and burn them, symbolically ending their silence about the violence they have suffered because they are HIV-positive.

(May 4, 2007) In March in Chennai, twenty Indian women living with HIV removed masks from their faces and burnt them, symbolically ending their silence about the violence they have suffered because they are HIV-positive. Members of the Positive Women’s Network (PWN+) had organized the public event following an Internews training for Indian AIDS NGOs on effective media relations,

The women pointed out that women living with HIV are often driven out of their homes once their HIV status becomes known. The husband’s family refuses to take care of them and they are left to fend for themselves. Without social support or state-sponsored safety, they suffer alone.

“We are breaking this silence today,” declared Padmavathy, one of the women at the event. “We will raise our voices against the violence faced by us and our children in court if need be.”

The event was covered in prime time news on the state broadcaster, All India Radio, and the national television network, Doordarshan. It was also featured in many leading English-language dailies.

Strong and positive stories on people with HIV (PLHIV) rarely appear in the Indian news media.  Journalists often struggle to find PLHIV willing to be interviewed, as HIV-positive people fear they will be portrayed negatively. 

To bridge this gap, Internews brought together over twenty members of HIV-positive networks from various districts in Tamil Nadu to help them learn practical skills to build partnerships with the media. Journalists previously trained by Internews’ Local Voices project served as co-trainers and gave the participants insight into the workings of newsrooms. Together, they worked on strategies to ensure that HIV stories find their way into the India’s various media outlets.

A.J Hariharan, Secretary of the Indian Community Welfare Organization, taught participants more about news angles and how to pitch stories to journalists. Supriya Sahu, Project Director of the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society, and Vijay Kumar from All India Radio in Coimbatore helped the PLHIV to improve their interviewing skills. The trainees also learned to write press releases and to organize media events.

Photo: Jaya Shreedhar/Internews Women celebrate the Indian Spring Festival of Holi by splashing colored powders on each other.

On the last day of the workshop, the trainees organized a press conference, titled “Positive Faces, Positive Voices,” where they spoke about their zest for life and their commitment to prevention. They followed this up by celebrating the Indian Spring Festival of Holi the traditional way - by splashing colored powders on each other. This event too was widely covered by the press.

Trainees said the training had changed their perception of the news media from that of something to be feared and avoided, to one of a potential partner that could reduce HIV-related stigma and help them live with courage and confidence.

“Earlier, we simply used to call up a few journalists and tell them our stories. They would not be accurately reported; we would be misquoted and we would feel terrible. This training has taught me how to write a clear press release to minimize being misquoted,” said Govindasamy Karunanithi, the president of the Tamil Nadu Network of Positive People.

Workshop participants are also clearer on the steps they need to follow in order to get media coverage.

“When a report that I have given to the press does not find a place, rather than blame the media, I know what I should do to ensure coverage,” said the president of the Madurai Network of Positive People, Sivaperumal Anbalagan.

And some say they will implement their newly acquired skills almost immediately.

“As soon as I get home, I will appoint a press liaison officer for my network,” said  Santhana Devi, Coordinator of the Coimbatore Network of Positive People.

The workshop was part of Internews Network’s Local Voices project in Tamil Nadu, India and was made possible by a grant to Internews from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through a cooperative agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jaya Shreedhar, Resident Advisor, Internews India

Mia Malan, Senior Health Journalism Advisor, Internews Network

Kathleen Reen, Vice-President, Asia Programs, Internews Network