BHADRAK: An HIV victim, 32-year-old Subhasini Sahu, lives the life bearing the “sins” of her dead husband’s promiscuity and drug abuse. Diseased, broken and deserted by her family, she struggles to move her frail body as she recalls her ‘tragedy’, living in Kubera village of the district. Her husband died of AIDS in 2008 leaving behind Subhasini and their two minor sons.Soon after her husband’s death two years ago, Khulana Malick was thrown out of home by her in-laws who blamed her for his death. She now lives by begging. “No one has come to my rescue,” says Khulana, who belongs to Betaligan village here.Subhasini and Khulana represent the growing tribe of the district’s invisible women, known as HIV widows. Some of them have even contracted HIV from their husbands.There is hardly any special scheme supporting HIV widows by National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) or the State Government. The State just provides a monthly pension of ` 200 with which, the HIV widows have to take care of their children and their own health. Considered bad omen, these widows lead a wretched life. They are treated as outcasts by their own families. The rural landless and illiterate widows are often exploited economically and physically, and live a life of shame and isolation. Sources said there are around 60 HIV widows in Bhadrak and most of them are finding it difficult to pull on due to the stigma attached to the disease. Many of them migrate to other states leaving their children behind in orphanages. As per a rough estimate, there are 100 such inmates in the district’s orphanages. These kids too live an uncertain life sans help of any kind. Bhadrak is the fourth most vulnerable district to AIDS in the State and 445 people have been infected so far, said Pramila Hota, district programme coordinator of AIDS Cell. The government has failed to create sufficient awareness about HIV. People wrongly believe that one gets AIDS only from illicit sex,” said Nirupama Mohanty, the secretary of Sevamandir, an NGO that works for HIV/AIDS.
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