It is good to remember those we have lost. If not every day, then at least once a year.
Today is International Sex Workers Day.
The last paragraph in the first article is a mess.
Jamie
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Candles burn bright in memory of AIDS victims
Myint Kay Thi , Chit Su
Myanmar Times
Thursday, 28 May 2015
This is the third year the ceremony has been held in Myanmar in collaboration with UNAIDS and NGOs dedicated to helping people living with HIV/AIDS.
The theme of this year’s ceremony was “Fighting for Our Lives”.
“We selected that title with the intention of resisting the hatred born of prejudice. The ceremony is meant to express grief on behalf of those who cannot express it for themselves,” said Dr Sid Naing, country director for Marie Stopes International.
Launched 30 years ago, the ceremony is now held in 110 countries across the world on the third Sunday in May.
“Some people criticise us as fools copying the United States, and they believe that the ceremony gives priority to gay and lesbian people. For us, it’s an opportunity for people of different faiths to unite on something important,” he said.
After the Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders prayed, candles were lit in the form of the red ribbon design.
In addition to commemorating the dead, the ceremony is also intended to encourage the living and to raise awareness, including among those who may be carrying the disease without knowing it. They are advised to have themselves tested and to refrain from activity that might place them at risk of contracting the virus. The occasion also seeks to increase tolerance.
“Society should change its mindset,” said Dr Naing.
Eamonn Murphy, Myanmar country director of UNAIDS, said, “People living with HIV/AIDS have been discriminated against in Myanmar, and enjoy fewer job opportunities.
“But the government has developed significantly,” he added, citing the improvement in official attitudes over the past 10 years or so. “The government helps people to get ART [anti-retroviral treatment], and the health ministry works with us in raising public awareness about HIV/AIDS and how to treat those living with the disease.”
The ceremony in 2013 was held with the theme “Solidarity”, and last year’s theme was “Let’s keep the light on HIV”.
“Those who leave the world early due to HIV/AIDS could have had a beautiful future. They died before their time because they didn’t get the help they should have received from society and their family. I hope this ceremony can help end discrimination toward people living with HIV/AIDS,” said singer Than Thar Win, who attended the ceremony.
According to the health ministry, as of the end of 2013 there were nearly 200,000 people in Myanmar suffering from AIDS and more than 7000 people living with HIV, while more than 15,000 have died due to AIDS.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/lifestyle/14731-candles-burn-bright-in-memory-of-aids-victims.html
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AIDS - Candle Service - Myanmar | Yangon Life
Let's Light the Lights for Lives
29 May, 2015
"And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind. Never fading with the sunset…"
Myanmar lyrics to Sir Elton John’s song “Candle in the Wind” sang by Naw Lay Lay Wah echoed across Inya Lake. Five members from LOTUS dance group cradled candles in the palm of their hands, dancing to the rhythm of the song on the stage at Sein Lan Soe Pyay Green garden. This special occasion commemorates those who died from HIV, those who are infected now, and those who do not know whether they were infected or not. We all lit candles for them after a rousing memorial service from multi-faith leaders.
Dr. Sid Naing, Country Director from MSI Myanmar explained, “This remarkable event is held all over the world usually on the third Sunday of May each year. We’ve celebrated today, the 24th May. This year is the eleventh occasion in Myanmar.”
This event aims to raise AIDS awareness in Myanmar society. This has been a successful collaboration between UNAIDS, MPG (Myanmar positive group), SWiM (Sex workers in Myanmar), 3N (National NGOs Network on HIV), MINA (Myanmar Inter-faith Network on AIDS), MMN (Myanmar MSM Network), Myanmar Youth Stars, MPWN (Myanmar Positive Women Network), NDNM (National Drug User Network in Myanmar) and MSI Myanmar.
“The Aids Stigma and discrimination is less than what it was a decade ago, but is still widespread across Myanmar. Education and awareness have been an important strategy to reduce tension amongst the people. Campaign programs have informed people that HIV virus cannot be spread through casual contact, but it can be spread by sharing a needle or having sex without protection”, said Dr. Sid Naing.
We should not abandon those who are HIV infected, because we may face terrible consequences in the future. Discrimination born from ignorance will only increase the danger of spreading the virus behind the scenes. According to MSF report, 25,000 Burmese AIDS patients died in 2007, and yet discrimination continues to be prevalent in Myanmar society. However the proactive HIV awareness and prevention campaigns and other services organized between government departments, INGOs and NGOs in the last decade, has resulted in a slower rate of increase in the number of people infected with HIV.
A thirty year old call girl, Ei Thet Mon became a sex worker at the age of 18. She is originally from Central Myanmar Ye Nan Chaung, one of the worst places suffering from drought in the dry zone. Their crop was not yielding enough for their family to survive so she decided to go to the city to earn a living. She was attracted to the sex industry by friends of those who worked in entertainment.
She has been in prison three times. Whenever she came out from prison she would decide not to work as a prostitute again, but the stigma and discrimination dictated her life course.
She set about to change her life and joined a garment factory at Hlaing Tharya as a helper, until one day she was accused of mobile phone theft, despite reporting that someone left the phone by mistake at her place. She felt that since she has been in prison, people always look at her with suspicion.
Once again she tried to live a normal life by selling water melons on the streets, but people told each other not to buy any food from her as they knew she had HIV. In despair, she again worked as a call girl and found herself back in prison.
She pointed out that society outcast those who have been in prison, or have been a prostitute, and worst of all, those who are infected by HIV. Her point is, if people in society had more understanding and gave them job opportunities, there would be less people working as prostitutes, and it would also reduce the spread of HIV virus.
She is now living alone in a rented room in the slum area at Tha Mine Junction, and everyone knows that she was infected with HIV. "My landlord always talk to me from a distance whenever I go to pay the rent, and sometimes asks me to leave the money somewhere else because she appears to not want to touch it after me,” said Ei Mon Thet with tears in her eyes. She believes that those who discriminate HIV infected people falsely believe that the virus is highly contagious and that they could easily become infected. When that happens, others start to view me as a threat. Sadly she has now attuned to living in isolation, especially since she was ill in bed.
In the end, stigma and discrimination continue to undermine prevention measures, treatment and care of HIV and AIDS victims. It hinders those with the virus from telling their partners about their condition. It threatens their access to healthcare. It increases their vulnerability to physical violence. And HIV related stigma affect people's ability to earn a living, making it even more difficult for them to lift themselves out of poverty.
So let's light up the way for them to escape from darkness and join our helping hands to drive out the stigma and discrimination.
http://yangonlife.com.mm/en/article/lets-light-lights-lives
