Aids Protection Bill 2010

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Last year, Sindh Assembly passed a resolution urging the government to make tests for Thalassemia, HIV and other diseases “mandatory” for couples before marriage, and we surely heading towards it. 

Earlier this morning, I received a tweet related to Aids Protection Bill in Pakistan, which also suggests including pre-marital HIV test. A sigh of relief came out of me that finally our National Assembly is presenting and passing some of the sensible bills. Recent example is Bill on Sexual Harassment which has dignified the strength of working women.

-->By 2006, Pakistan Government accepted 4,000 cases nationwide where as UN figures are much higher. -->Latest UNICEF figures present higher estimate of infected Pakistani as 150,000 nationwide, out of which 27,000 are the infected mothers. Interesting but alarming fact is that only 0.1% of young people practice prevention from the disease. There are 3% of female who prevent from the disease having comprehensive knowledge where zero% male does that.

I am really looking forward for the acceptance and implementation of Aids Protection, for the sake of saving future generations. Every other day, I see/read reports, stats, and news describing people infected from Aids from their spouses. Women are the direct victims since they have fulfill the sexual needs of a drug addict husband or a husband who slept with another infected women on a foreign trip.

Some cases occur from blood transfusion as well. Many times, men marry despite they know the infection runs in their blood, but they prefer to ruin others rather than surpassing the ego of respect they hold socially. 

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An infected spouse can endanger many lives without realizing the social damage he/she is causing. Aids patients are not seen with much of interest or sympathy in a Pakistani society and are deprived of their basic rights. Despite, NGOs and individuals taking responsibility to promote awareness, they are far behind in compelling people. Our society is yet to build responsible enough for their action and reciprocate. Such bills if implemented can save many of us from entering into a relation known, but disease unknown.

Today, where a country like Nigeria has made pre-marital HIV Test as mandatory, countries like India are still struggling and Pakistan has taken the first step.   Anyways, it’s never too late. 

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P.S. I have suggestion for our NA to pass a bill for checking male fertility before marriage. That too will save many from being thrown out of house or blamed for being infertile, because we still live with a myth that woman is solely liable to bear children, not man.