With a pilot project initiated by an NGO providing 'single-windows' help to marginalised communities including sex workers proving successful in four high HIV prevalence States - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka - the Government on Wednesday hinted that it was open to the idea to implement it in its ongoing and future schemes for the sector across the country.
Under 'single-windows'- initiated by the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) along with 22 Community-based Organizations in 2012- the community workers act as a bridge between the government officials of district, sub-district and village levels and the vulnerable groups including HIV patients and transgenders to help the latter become aware as well as avail benefits from the various schemes they are entitled to.
NS Kang, Director General, National Aids Control Organisation(NACO) of the Health Ministry recognized the endeavour as throwing significant learning from the ground both by community and implementers that need to be incorporated in on-going as well as the soon to be fashioned National Aids Control Programme (NACP) V programme.
He was speaking at a national dissemination meet on 'mainstreaming sex workers for greater social inclusion sharing outcomes of single window initiative in the seven districts'.
The pilot project was started in seven districts to assess and design a social Inclusion Intervention for sex workers in all the 4 states and transgender in Tamil Nadu. This was mandated by the National Mission for Empowerment of Women, Ministry of Women and Child Development in August 2012.
The results have been encouraging, said Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, CFAR.
From March 2014 to June 2016 the Project succeeded in linking up sex workers and transgender persons with 33 schemes including those for availing ration cards, bank accounts and aadhar cards by reaching out all information to 50,055 and facilitating 30791 to apply of which 25196 got cleared and sanctioned.
She said it is time that the government move beyond from providing condoms and contraceptives and also work towards their social inclusion.
Preeti Sudan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development said that the Single window initiative had thrown up many valuable lessons on the process of community-led facilitation to enable their peers to access all social entitlements.
Focusing on the importance of community participation and involvement, Kousalaya, President of PWN+ said that "only a mechanism like Single Window can embed the community of people living with HIV into the entire process of scheme planning, implementation and final delivery." This was experienced by the Positive Women's Network when they set up single window at Ajmer and Nagpur in 2014, she added.
Akhila agreed saying that without such programmes, the marginal communities will remain on the periphery of the development. Single window helps them getting basic documents to lead a normal life. "Otherwise they are either harassed by the police or deprived from their basic rights."