1

EN-GENDERING AIDS PREVENTION,

HUMAN RESOURCE & LIFE SKILL
DEVELOPMENT AND SO ON

Anirudha Alam

En-Gendering AIDS Prevention,

Human Resource
&
Life Skill Development And So On
Anirudha Alam

Publisher : Kazi Abdul Hoque

Rup Prokashon
34 Banglabazar, Dhaka-1100.
Phone- 01819137455
E-mail: rup_publicatioin@yahoo.com
Ist. Published : 21 Book Fair-2010
Printer : Salmani Mudranaloy, Nayabazar. Dhaka
Cover Design : Anirudha Alam

Rup Prokashon Price : 100 BDT, 5$

ISBN-978-984-8814-14-5

Fazle Hasan Abed
an enlightened person dedicating his whole life
to women empowerment and poverty
alleviation in Bangladesh through
his radiant thoughts and works
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Contents
Gender Awareness, Stepping Stone to HIV Prevention 09
Training to Develop Human Resources for AIDS Prevention 12
Steering Environment Preservation with Capacity Building
Training 15
Risky Behavior Fuels Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Low
Prevalence Country 19
Life Skill Development through Training Bolsters AIDS
Prevention 22
Reproductive Health Literacy Undermines the Spread of
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS 25
Environment Protection Underpinned by Sustainable Awareness
through Training 28
Building Life Skill through Reproductive Health Literacy Reduces
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS 32
Protecting Bio-diversity Promoted by Trained Human
Resources 35
Community based strategic plan to curb spread of HIV/AIDS 39
Gender Equality, Beacon of Hope for AIDS Prevention 42
Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents 45
Signposting Human Resources for Biodiversity Preservation
through Timely Training 48
Women Empowerment, Cornerstone of HIV Prevention 52
Counting on Gender Development Containing Spread of AIDS 55
HIV/AIDS Prevention through Qualitative Adolescent
Reproductive Health Literacy 58
Reducing Vulnerability to AIDS through Comprehensive Training
Program 61
Stamping out Gender Discrimination to Prevent HIV/AIDS 64
AIDS Mushrooms through Gender-based Violence and
Discrimination 67
AIDS Prevention Spotlighted by Gender Mainstreaming 70
En-gendering AIDS Prevention Gateway to Sustainable
Development 73
Gender Mainstreaming: Mainspring Of AIDS Prevention 76

Gender Awareness, Stepping Stone
to HIV Prevention
The spread of HIV and STI is mounting in developing
countries through gender inequality and taboos around
sexuality. It results in discrimination and stigma associated
with drastic poverty and marginalization. Leading to
empowerment, happiness and well being, gender awareness
can help to promote both rights to be free of violence and
coercion around sexuality. Sexual rights, an inclusive
framework, guide to have knowledge of the links between
different sexuality issues thoroughly recognizing that
campaign against sexual violence must continue.
The number of women living with HIV is mushrooming than
the number of men through out the world. In 2004, the
number of women (15+) living with HIV was 12.7 million in
Sub-Saharan Africa. But the number was increased to 13.3
million in 2006. HIV epidemic is disproportionately
affecting women of South Africa. Young women (15-24
years) are four times more likely to be infected by HIV than
are young men in this region. Prevalence among young
women was 17% compared with 4.4% among young men in
2005.
HIV/AIDS entrenches gender inequality, denial and as well
as threats to basic human rights. The relationship between
HIV, gender and sexuality may be intertwined as a vicious
circle. Unfortunately this aftermath limits women’s access to
reproductive health information, STI (Sexually Transmitted
Infection) prevention technologies and treatment. There is no
doubt that gender inequality makes women experience
poverty and vulnerable to STIs gravely.
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According to the findings of BEES (Bangladesh Extension
Education Services), 95% of the rural adolescent girls in
Bangladesh are vulnerable to STIs and ill health due to
gender discrimination, sexual violence and lack of
knowledge regarding reproductive health. They do not know
how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Rainbow Nari O
Shishu Kallyan Foundation found that adolescent girls are
two times more vulnerable to HIV and STD (Sexually
Transmitted Disease) than the adolescent boys in urban areas
of Bangladesh because of sexual harassment. In the name of
so called gender equality, their reckless free mixing
subculture is making them vulnerable significantly as well.
To curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, it is necessary to challenge
the stigmatization and discrimination faced by women living
with HIV/AIDS. Counting on collective action at all levels
from community to national level, gender equality can
strengthen the HIV and STI prevention through a
coordinated action for establishing the right of safe sex. In
2005, half of the new HIV infections occurred due to
unprotected sex in China. Moreover with HIV spreading
successively from most-at-risk population to general
population, the number of HIV infections among women is
increasing fast.
In the developing countries, most of the women have very
little or no knowledge about HIV transmission as well as risk
before they are diagnosed HIV positive. Married women do
not want to think that they may be at risk of infection. In
Bangladesh, the women are induced by their family
members to conceive. On the other hand, they feel under
presser from healthcare workers to avoid conception. But in
most cases, none of them provides necessary information

clearly to help the vulnerable women conceive safely or to
lessen risk of mother to child transmissions.
Involving women living with HIV, national social welfare
organizations, community based organizations (CBOs),
academies and policymakers, there may be a promising plan
to develop advocacy strategies and extend counseling to
women diagnosed in antenatal clinics. It will highlight the
necessity to ameliorate the plight as for gendered response to
the needs and desires of vulnerable women. Consequently it
will be possible to build their life skills to enable them to
work with field workers, researchers, monitors, evaluators,
policymakers at all levels of program design and
implementation, research, monitoring, evaluation and
policymaking. Then it would be possible to keep HIV in bay
effectively stamping out discrimination, stigmatization and
sexual violence through gender awareness as a whole.
Published: The Bangladesh Observer, 23 March 2007
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Training to Develop Human Resources for AIDS
Prevention
HIV/AIDS has been turned into a very grave threat to overall
development of human resource in today’s world. The
spread of AIDS gaining more speed day to day in every
remote corner of the world is terrorizing us as the potential
source of constant anxiety, distress and stress. There is no
doubt that it is endangering the whole human race. As per
the global statistics on the world epidemic of HIV/AIDS
published by UNAIDS/WHO in July 2008, 33 million
people were living with HIV/ADS in 2007; whereas during
only the period of 2007, 2.7 million people were newly
infected with HIV and 2.0 million people died of AIDS
related ailment.
So to confront this endemic with great confidence, we have
to have some well-defined plans and programs. These plans
and programs will comprise human resource development
activities contributing effetely to making people aware of
HIV/AIDS and other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).
In thus way, they will be trained up and prepared to protect
themselves from HIV/AIDS. Training is an effective means
to provide life skill to the vulnerable people that they may be
able to have enough courage for leaving bad practices
associated with dowry, early marriage, polygamy, sexual
violence and gender discrimination in personal, family and
social life. In this case, it is necessary to keep in mind that
training and human resource development effort should be
based on need.
Human resource development through training is one of the
key preconditions in protecting us from HIV/AIDS. At first,
the volunteers and staff appointed by the different

development and networking organizations may take
training on developing and preparing action plan, programs,
methods, approaches, policy and strategy to conduct,
organize, implement, supervise and monitor any kind of
development activities mostly related to HIV/AIDS
prevention. They will be oriented on different social issues
and consequences which are fueling the vulnerability to
HIV/AIDS, ill-health, malnutrition, ignorance and so on.
After being trained up, the workforce will be expert in
initiating and conducting interpersonal communication (IPA)
related to developing the practices, concepts and inclusive
techniques of different public health care services. The
ultimate result is that their skills will be enhanced in
determining priority health risks and problems by
assembling and analyzing available STDs and behavioral
surveillance data; prioritizing health hazards and issues to be
addressed; widening HIV prevention; identifying prevention
activity strengths, opportunity, weakness and threats as well
as improving local resource management in true sense.
People of third world like Bangladesh are vehemently
susceptible to HIV/AIDS. Because, they have not minimal
access to knowledge, information and general health care.
Their reproductive health literacy is extremely poor. Trained
social workers may prepare easy understanding messages
and materials for being used in training program about the
dangerous aftermaths of HIV/AIDS. According to the
findings of the research entitled ‘Role of Human Resource
Development in Preventing AIDS’ conducted by Bangladesh
Extension Education Services in 2008, 90% of the field
workers without having comprehensive and necessary
training can not provide their best services in field based
HIV prevention activities . The main reason of this undesired
performance result is that this kind of services requires
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sufficient knowledge and skills which are not achievable
going through only a lot of printed publications and
materials.
The human resource development activities should be
outlined catering to the different stakeholders. Spread of
HIV/AIDS involves a wide range of community issues
making social life more complicated. In the light of several
studies initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan
Foundation in the urban areas of Dhaka district, if only one
or two social issues are addressed and others are avoided the
HIV/AIDS prevention program will fail drastically. So,
human resource development should be organized in an
integrated way through comprehensive training oriented
activities that the stakeholders especially the target groups
are able to be aware of HIV/AIDS profundity.
Under training oriented integrated activities, target people
may get the scope gradually to have necessary access to
latest information, knowledge and know how to get rid of the
attack of HIV/AIDS. This activity may incorporate arranging
training, orientation, workshop, seminar, open discussion,
symposium, colloquium, community convention, courtyard
meeting, door to door counseling and so forth.
Unlocking the value of human resources is the core
prerequisite in making any development implementation
fruitful. Without timely and need based training activity, it
can’t be imagined that human resource development is being
ensured in its own way. So in the aspect of AIDS prevention,
if we want to attain quality and sustainable outcome we have
to set the priority for training of all respective stakeholders
as a whole.
Published: The Independent, 31 October 2009

Steering Environment Preservation with Capacity
Building Training
Relying on capacity building training
Tying environment preservation to sustainable achievement
We are using pesticide in our cultivation in the name of
green revolution. This kind of initiatives is generating
environmental burdens and has been already identified as
boomerang for our existence. Pesticide plays important role
in eliminating species from the nature and damaging our
food security cycle. Using pesticide is one common example
of practicing risky behaviors in our modern life that is
endangering the human race ultimately on the earth.
Farmers should be trained up in using environment friendly
methods of cultivation in true sense. They have to have
enough access to latest information, technology and know
how through training oriented program for scaling up their
knowledge and skills for environmental protection.
Otherwise, unconsciously they will do harm for our
environment and it results in great circle of problem in our
daily life consecutively and continuously.
On the other hand, urbanization is polluting our environment
on a great scale. The amount of carbon in the air is being
increased day by day. Over the past few decades the volume
of global consumption has grown dramatically. The results
of a recent study show that the current growth rate of
Japanese household consumption is greater than the rate of
technological advance to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.
Sky-rocketing usages of motor vehicles and establishing
industries are always increasing smoke in the air. At the
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same time, the wastages ejected from the factories are
polluting water and soil tremendously. But we may decrease
such kind of vulnerabilities easily. Trainings may play
significant role in this regard. The universities and other
academic institutions may provide both short & long term
necessary training to the owner of the motor vehicles and
factories on how they can contribute to environmental
preservations. For instance, we may mention the name of
United States Environmental Protection Agency working to
protect the environment and human health through capacity
building of their stakeholders since 1970. Through the lens
of holistic approach, environmental studies, environmental
managements, environmental engineering, history and
methods of environmental protection and so on may be
included in integrated life skill development training
curriculum. The participants may be oriented thoroughly
about the consequences of environmental degradation and
the pollution concerned in spoiling their individual and
social life. The owner of the factories may take steps for
initiating training for the workforce as well.
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the average
amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been
increasing continuously. It is occurring due to anthropogenic
i.e. man-induced factors, for example burning fossil fuels,
deforestation and industrial production. Generally, humans
emit around 32 gigatons of carbon dioxide on an average
yearly. Half of these exits in the atmosphere and the rest are
absorbed by oceans and plants. Coping with increasing man-
made carbon dioxide emissions, the carbon dioxide cycle in
nature gets thrown out of balance. Trees can no longer
transform the amount of carbon dioxide greater than before
into oxygen as well as oceans are steadily reaching
saturation level. Imparting training under the technical

cooperation scheme, general people from various walks of
life may be oriented about such kind of general
environmental issues. So they will be encouraged to be
habituated with environment friendly activites in their daily
life.
The growing amount of carbon dioxide in the nature results
in enhanced greenhouse effect contributing to climate
change drastically. Carbon dioxide is only responsible for 20
percent of the natural greenhouse effect. But it is yielding
about 60 percent of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect
causing global warming gradually. Nowadays, it is the great
threat for environmental protection. Carbon dioxide
increases the heat of our planet with a great speed. Though it
is a very common phenomenon, most of the people are not
very much conscious of how the growing amount of carbon
is contributing to damaging soundness of our environment.
So there is a great demand for environmental training to
protect and safeguard the environment.
Being involved with uncountable risky behaviors, we are
widening the hole of ozone layer by creating CFC
(chlorofluorocarbon) for time being comfort in our daily life.
CFC is a type of compound in which some or all of the
hydrogen atoms of a hydrocarbon (usually an alkane) is
replaced by chlorine and fluorine atoms. It is used as aerosol
propellants, refrigerants, and solvents, and in the
manufacture of rigid packaging foam. CFCs rise to the
stratosphere15–50 km above the earth's surface. Due to their
chemical inertness, they diffuse unchanged into the upper
atmosphere. There they react with ultraviolet light to release
chlorine atoms. These kinds of atoms highly reactive
catalyze the destruction of ozone. Therefore, their use is
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tremendously harmful for our environment. Thus, we are
getting vulnerable to being affected by harmful ultraviolet
rays. But, it is unfortunately true for us that general people
even most of the highly educated persons do not know how
they are ensuring their contribution to enlarging the ozone
hole. Thinking over this pivotal point very seriously in the
perspective of Bangladesh, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan
Foundation is implementing demand driven capacity
building oriented comprehensive environmental technical
program at community level spurring a greater need for
environmental education and training. This kind of
initiatives is very much helpful to lessen the gap between
knowledge and skills needed for environmental protection.
Emphasizing on how we learn, what we know and why we
bother, capacity building orientated environment awareness
interventions are effective within both the formal and
informal training program with sustainable impact. In this
case, the curriculum of the training program has to be
conceptualized and formulated keeping pace with the ever
changing technologies and regulations in response to the
interest and need of the respective stakeholders.
Published: The Independent, 14 November 2009
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Risky Behavior Fuels Vulnerability complementing government efforts to orchestrate national

to HIV/AIDS in Low Prevalence Country strategic plan successfully through effective partnership as a
whole.
Countries like Bangladesh where spread of HIV/AIDS is
Ensuring the involvement of civil society, NGOs, young
relatively slow nowadays have a window of opportunity to
people, religious leader as well as people living with HIV, a
avoid more serious epidemics. Comprehensive access to
potential national AIDS coordinating authority comes in for
HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in low
maintaining profound linkages between national strategic
prevalence countries should be ensured through
plans and such other relevant programs as tuberculosis,
strengthening integrated HIV/AIDS prevention programs
sexual transmitted infection, reproductive health, general
and projects. In this regard, highlighting the priorities of an
health care and so on. There is no alternative to mobilize
effective response to the epidemic, it is very much essential
human resources through improved management and
to take the exclusive scope to keep HIV at bay. It should be
capacity building for all aspects of HIV and AIDS
recognized that to scale up prevention, treatment, care and
prevention.
support is a vital right for all.
Greater availability of injectable drugs, stigma and
Encompassing enhanced access to inclusive treatment and
discrimination towards people infected or affected by
prevention programs, significant developments have been
HIV/AIDS, women trafficking, polygamy and early
found in recent years in global efforts to address the
marriage may trigger epidemics on a large scale. Countries
HIV/AIDS epidemic. But due to practicing risky behavior,
with low levels of HIV infection need sufficient funding,
the number of people living with HIV is increasing
challenging and well-defined targets, and much-admired
consecutively. Diminution of national HIV prevalence is
political and cultural commitment as well as community
being brought about in some sub-Saharan African countries,
based well-planned social mobilization to strengthen support
though this kind of trend is neither remarkable nor long-
for national HIV/AIDS prevention programs. With an
lasting satisfactorily.
effective focus on prevention , enough financial and
technical support have to be ensured to implement national
If there is low prevalence of HIV in a country it does not
strategic plans increasing significant participatory
indicate that HIV prevention is low priority. Comprehensive
involvement in program design, implementation, advocacy
access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in low
and monitoring & evaluation.
prevalence countries may be promoted through developing a
holistic and integrated national strategy plan with far-seeing
In the context of developing countries, drug use is mostly a
and pragmatic targets for being achieved by 2010. To
hidden subculture in the urban communities. According to
contain the spread of HIV epidemic, innovative HIV/AIDS
the findings of BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education
prevention programs/projects have to be initiated
Services), 85% young people addicted in injecting regularly

are severely vulnerable to ill health, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis
C in Bangladesh. Therefore a great urgency exists to ensure
availability of health care services which protect young drug
users from contracting blood-borne viruses all along the
country. On the other hand, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan
Foundation estimated that HIV prevalence among adolescent
girls involved in such risky behavior as using drugs is higher
than 60% in urban and suburban areas of Bangladesh. They
must have access to health and social care services which
provide support to change their high risk behavior and
reduce the vulnerability caused by transmission of
HIV/AIDS.
Injecting drug use, unprotected paid sex as well as
unprotected sex between men considered as the centrality of
high-risk behavior are fueling the skyrocketing spread of
HIV/AIDS in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Two
in three (67%) prevalent HIV infections in 2005 were caused
by drug abuse in central Asia and Eastern Europe. Near
about 13% of HIV infections was due to use of non-sterile
injecting drug use equipment among sex workers and their
clients in the same countries. So the countries with low
levels of HIV infections have to improve surveillance
systems that they may better understand the factors
identifying obstacles and opportunities for scaling up
national HIV prevention, treatment, care and support efforts.
Published: The Financial Express, 7 March 2007
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Life Skill Development through Training Bolsters AIDS
Prevention
HIV/AIDS is now globally a very fearful phenomenon. It is
an extremely complicated social concern demanding an
unparalleled response from all sectors of development effort.
The latest statistics shows that 5 million adults and children
were living with HIV/AIDS only in Asia in the end of 2007.
If we consider all the socio-economic aspects comprising
cultures and practices of the third world, it is the very worthy
place for spread of HIV/AIDS. Most of the people of
developing countries like Bangladesh are constantly
experiencing poverty related social challenges within the
unbearable cruel situation. They have not enough life-skill to
cope with social disaster or epidemic like HIV/AIDS due to
the curse of their impoverishment. If their livelihood
development is not ensured they will be turned into a great
burden to their own nation and country.
Lacking of life skill fuels poverty. On the contrary, poverty
creates favorable environment that people do not get proper
opportunity of having adequate access to knowledge,
information and general health care as well. As a result, poor
people’s life skill is not developed. So they are easily getting
vulnerable to different social problem, for instance, being
infected with HIV/AIDS and STDs (sexually transmitted
diseases). If we want to turn this unskilled people into
valuable human resources we have to provide them
necessary life-skill through comprehensive and consecutive
training. As per the findings of the research on life skill
development of the people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS/STDs
initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation in
2008, if life skill training is provided to target groups
through peer education approach, 90% participants are able
 10

to change their behavior leaving bad practices in their daily Education Services), training in the name of regular
lives, get aware of their health rights as well as gain courtyard meeting at the community level is very helpful to
confidence for facing any social challenges existed. develop life skill of the target group efficiently.

It is undoubtedly necessary to set up the very priority to Target groups as well as stakeholders should be geared up to
unlock the value of neglected human resources. Well- deal with any social disaster and distress. Most of the people
defined training program obviously need-based may play especially the adolescents in rural areas are not properly
significant role in this regard being integrated with core aware of their reproductive health oriented rights. They may
program AIDS prevention. Under this training program, the be literate but they do not properly know that what the
regular staff and volunteers employed by the development severe consequences of HIV/AIDS are. Several studies give
and community based agencies will be well-equipped with an idea that more than 80% of the rural adolescents do not
latest information, knowledge, technologies, approaches, know clearly what HIV/AIDS is. So they have to have
methods, strategies and policies to conduct, supervise, enough life skill shaped by latest information, knowledge
monitor and evaluate HIV/AIDS prevention program. If the and awareness to cope with the social disaster HIV/AIDS.
workforce is not groomed up in such prospective way, the Thinking over this pivotal point, life skill development
result will be reversed. training and education through peer leading approach may
get more attention to make them potential human resources
Already it has been twenty-seven years into the epidemic. effectively.
But HIV/AIDS is moving forward wildly and making
challenges more and more vicious for our development Published: The Independent, 23 October 2009
efforts. The 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic shows
that it is very much essential to scale up universal
involvement to HIV prevention emphasizing on human
resource development through widening life skill of the
vulnerable people. We would like to build an appropriate
world of skilled human resources. So we have to place a blue
print to make the poor have enough access to treatment, care,
and support by 2010. Otherwise it would be very much
difficult to contain the spread of AIDS. In that view, we have
to take urgent steps to intensify HIV prevention by way of
sustaining the gains in human resource development
consecutively. According to the report of various surveys on
community people’s vulnerability to reproductive health
oriented ailment initiated by BEES (Bangladesh Extension

Reproductive Health Literacy Undermines the Spread of
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
Undermining the possibility of STIs, reproductive health
literacy creates a safe and supportive environment for
adolescents in a world with HIV/AIDS. It ensures their
protection from sexual abuse, ill-believes and so-called
dogmas. With particular attention to HIV/AIDS mitigation,
flexible non-formal approaches for making sure reproductive
health literacy should be adopted by the academic
curriculum in which sustainable development and poverty
alleviation would have the highest priority. In all aspects of
planning and policy making, a comprehensive curriculum
should be launched essentially internalizing demand driven
steps to reduce stigma, discrimination and poverty brought
about by HIV/AIDS. Bringing in and upgrading life skill
education as well as making HIV/AIDS awareness an inbuilt
chapter of the text-curriculum, qualitative reproductive
health literacy promotes the culture of preventing stigma,
denial and discrimination. Nowadays in the name of
qualitative reproductive health literacy, it is very much
necessary to incorporate HIV/AIDS into a broader health
education approach and into other subjects. Adolescents are
very much threatened in the aspect of HIV/AIDS due to their
tremendous curiosity and immaturity. So the qualitative
reproductive health literacy, first and foremost, should be
ensured for adolescents any how.
More than one third of all new infections – about 4600 every
day – occurs among adolescents. But in changing the course
of HIV/AIDS epidemic, adolescents may play a vital role. At
first they have to be empowered through reproductive health
literacy in light of life skill education. Then they will be able
to increase awareness of the particular vulnerabilities
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curbing harassment, violence and sexual abuse. They may
organize committed and dexterous leadership capitalizing on
social mobilization.
Adolescents girls are physiologically, socially, culturally and
economically more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Sexual
behavior guided by ill-believes, dogmatic social attitudes,
lack of economic empowerment and equal accesses to
livelihood education promote vulnerability of adolescent
girls to HIV/AIDS as a whole. Gender-related social norms
may diversify adolescent girls’ vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
Cultural and social factors confine their choices and
opportunities to get information regarding reproductive
health and how to practice safe sex.
Intending to come up with a spontaneous and effective
response to HIV/AIDS, it is very much necessary to have
key knowledge about reproductive health and how to
confront the epidemic. According to the findings of recent
research works, if prevention programs are not successful as
per the desired outcome, China alone will have more than 3
million adolescents with HIV/AIDS as well as India
undoubtedly will have 5 million adolescents by 2010. Only
far-reaching and comprehensive program integrated by
reproductive health packages can foil the spread of
vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
Promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment
leads to extensive awareness maintaining linkage between
sexual and reproductive health (SRH), existing social issues
and HIV/AIDS. Having it in mind, adolescents should be
made strengthen their voices receiving skill development
training to be a successful social advocate. For that reason

they will be able to arrange and conduct focus group
discussion, courtyard meeting, colloquium, workshop, and
in-depth interview with peer group to get their views on how
to protect themselves. With the help of local level
implementers, adolescents’ group can take steps collectively
to understand the interplay of challenging economic and
social factors that brings about vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
These kinds of study oriented initiatives have to be done in a
way guided by text-curriculum under the local educational
institute that would make possible to generate findings
consistently. In the course of exchanging views and
interaction with target community people, the adolescents
having reproductive health literacy may share their exclusive
findings and result of message dissemination among the
local policy makers and relevant stakeholders to reduce
vulnerability in the community as a whole.
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Environment Protection Underpinned by Sustainable
Awareness through Training
Gearing human resources
Greening environment with long-lasting achievement
Our environment on the planet earth is the only known
environment that is supporting human survival in full sense.
But environmental condition all over the world is degrading
every day very severely. The existence of human being is
very much interrelated concern of maintaining sound
environment in sound dealing. Environment is being
deformed frequently in different ways related to
overpopulation, unplanned urbanization, pollution,
declination of cultivable land, deforestation, global warming,
using pesticides, unsustainable agricultural and fishing
practices, over consumption, mishandling and
mismanagement of wealth, sky-rocketing corruption,
illiteracy & ignorance, drastic poverty in the third world,
militarization and wars and so on.
Environmental degradations are being diversified by human
being rapidly. The human race is thus endangering their
existence. The first world habitually is promoting
environmental degradation in diversified routes for making
availability of their extreme contentment and prosperity. But
they are not taking enough initiatives that people’s capacity
of protecting development may be developed keeping pace
with time and need.
Protecting environment is one of the flagship components of
sustainable development. The United Nations Conference on
the issue of Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972
was the first global conference to highlight that

environmental concerns had increasingly become the subject
of mainstream socioeconomic policies and strategies. The
United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992
was the second major global conference in the field of
protecting environment. It was recognized through this
conference that sustainable development should integrate
environmental issues. For sustainable development,
developing human resources is one of the main
preconditions. Awareness building through training oriented
activities on different social issues like environmental
preservation may translate the unskilled human resources in
the skilled human resources for maintaining environmental
soundness in innovative and their own ways. Under these
activities, courtyard meeting, community convention,
workshop, orientation and so forth may be organized as the
part of knowledge management at disadvantaged community
level for making their awareness sustainable.
Burning sensation of environmental degradation is
mushrooming constantly with wide ranging speed. It results
in undesired natural calamity like flood, tornadoes, volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslide, avalanche,
tsunami, draught, arsenic contamination and so on. In the
1990s, it was discovered that many of shallow wells of
Bangladesh established by aid agencies like UNICEF got
contaminated by arsenic. Arsenic is a poison that is created
naturally in alluvial soils. As per the estimation of the World
Bank, 25 per cent of the century’s 4 million wells may be
affected by arsenic. The people of some part of Bangladesh
are tremendously suffering from arsenic problem. But most
of them do not know how they will cope up with such kind
of environmental disaster. The Environment Conservation
Rules 1997 has already been passed by the Parliament. But
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minimum number of Bangladeshi people does not know
about the rules and regulations to protect the environment.
People’s lack of information, knowledge and technology
widens the scope of environmental degradation. In this case,
general people should be properly aware of environmental
calamity and familiar with the means and ways through
different training oriented activities to overcome different
environmental disaster.
Throughout their lifespan, people should be learned that how
they will be able to contribute to the well being of
environment. Training arranged by government and non-
government initiatives on environmental conservation issues
may relate the awareness of causes and consequences as to
poverty endemic, overcrowding, food crisis and food
insecurity, weather extreme, introduction of invasive species,
species loss i.e. loss of biodiversity, acute and chronic
medical illnesses, release of genetically modified organisms
and toxics, war & human resource abuses and a growing
mayhem among global green community portending
Malthusian chaos and disaster. For instance, the name of
Environment Protection Training and Research Institute
(EPTRI) may be mentioned. It a premier agency set up in
1992 in India has been providing training, orientation,
consultancy, applied research services and extending
advocacy in the area of environment protection to industries,
regulatory bodies, Government Organizations and NGOs and
works towards bringing about change for a more balanced
development.
If environmental preservation training program is mapped
out involving people's participation and social mobilization
for ensuring environmental sustainability it would be with
the essence of demand driven approach. Specific suggestions

for action may be discussed and well-defined guidance
should be provided in the training sessions. At the same
time, the scopes and opportunities of taking such kind of
training should be available. Otherwise, people feel
discouraged and lose their interest for taking the desired one.
According to the findings of the research recently initiated
by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation,
disadvantaged community people may get the proper
messages and skills as to environmental preservation easily
and effectively through training in the form of participatory
rural appraisal (PRA). As they have no minimum
educational background and do not have the possibility to go
to any educational or training institute for being educated
about environmental preservation, it would be the right way
to arrange community based training program for them.
Any how we have to be committed to our environment
because the soundness of environment controls the quality of
our living on earth. Environment in good condition ensures
our all goodness. All of these are maintained by proper
preservation of biodiversity. Minimum 40 per cent of the
world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor
are derived from biological resources. Human resources
should be geared to be well-equipped with a range of life
skills which will be the key instrument for protecting the
environment. They should learn that how they will be able to
increase the environmental security catering to them and
make the environment greener towards sustainable green.
Published: The Financial Express, 7 November 2009
14
Building Life Skill through Reproductive Health
Literacy Reduces Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
Reproductive health literacy has a sustainable preventive
impact to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as responsible
behavior. It is among the most powerful tools for reducing
adolescents’ vulnerability to HIV/AIDS through providing
necessary knowledge, stimulating positive attitudes and
bringing about life skills. Life skill engendered from
reproductive health literacy mobilizes efforts targeting to
lessen high risk behavior.
Best practices may be adopted undoubtedly through peer
education resulting in positive attitude within positive
environment. An effective reproductive health literacy
approach is multi-sectoral and integrated to address all
factors that increase vulnerability as for HIV/AIDS.
Vulnerable sexual behavior nourished by ill believes,
discrimination, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure and so
on deprives people to enhance ability to prevent STIs.
Ensuring to attain life skill, reproductive health literacy
fosters analytical thinking and healthy habits. Adolescents
having qualitative reproductive health literacy are very much
responsible to gather adequate knowledge and potential
expertise to curb infection of HIV/AIDS.
Adolescents need skills necessarily to practice safe behavior
through reproductive health literacy with a view to creating
self-esteem extensively to foil undesired peer and adult
pressure. Thus they may have such core life skills as
negotiation, ability of working together, self-awareness,
decision-making, critical thinking, bargaining and diversity
of creativity through gender session, orientation, training,
courtyard meeting for exchanging views and experiences.
 15

community based organizations (CBOs) in order to raise

Adolescent girls are very much vulnerable suffering from
discrimination and depriving of rights due to their social and
cultural values and ill believes. Consequently they are
mostly drop-out from formal education and made resort to
risky behavior. Lack of access to HIV/AIDS information and
prevention services provokes them to practice unsafe sexual
behavior.
Adolescents, especially the girls, have to have exclusive
opportunity to be aware of HIV/AIDS through preventive
education that they are able to maintain their future partner’s
reproductive and sexual health. Parents often feel
embarrassed and hesitate to discuss with their adolescents to
teach them about STIs frankly due to their strong religious
believes, superstition practices and moral resistance.
Qualitative reproductive health literacy integrating
preventive education to promote life skill ensures the social
empowerment of adolescents. Academic curriculum should
be designed and conducted to stimulate the creativity of
adolescent girls through the holistic approach of income
generating activities (IGA) internalizing gender awareness.
Thus the impact of qualitative reproductive health literacy
will sustain comprehensively making them socially
empowered. After a certain period completing their
secondary education, they will be able to influence their
community as a persuasive pressure group to be aware of
HIV/AIDS. In the name of women empowerment, this kind
of life skill has a far-reaching and promising development
output.
awareness. In the course of ongoing community mobilization
through CBOs, adolescents will be able efficiently to set the
community people thinking about HIV/AIDS prevention.
Eventually the knowledge on HIV/AIDS can spread quickly
and effectively as per desired outcome. Leaving a long
lasting mark upon the community people, thus community
based HIV/AIDS prevention program will be expanded by
way of advocacy and behavioral change communication
(BCC) on a great scale. In this aspect, the adolescents have
to be trained up to conduct intensive interpersonal
communication (IPC) that they may present information on
HIV/AIDS prevention in a brief, dramatic and memorable
fashion.
It is the utmost important to realize the potential that the
academic curriculum has to fulfill the right of adolescents to
reproductive health literacy as for attaining life skill. Then
the aftermath makes them committed to the campaign of
HIV/AIDS prevention seriously.

Adolescents have the consecutive acceptance and access to

the respective community people. They may organize

Protecting Bio-diversity Promoted by Trained Human
Resources
Biodiversity is the source of our life. All the species are
directly and indirectly holding our medical, agricultural,
ecological, commercial, cultural and recreational value as a
whole. If biodiversity is not preserved properly, the
existence of human race on earth will be threatened very
drastically. So any how we have to conserve the biodiversity.
Human resource development through comprehensive and
integrated training on scaling up life skill related to
environment awareness may play important role in this
regard. To preserve the bio-diversity, at first, the capacity of
the people from different walks of life should be developed
that they may contribute with great commitment to save the
bio-diversity and eventually enhance environmental
sustainability.
Day by day our environment is being damaged at alarming
rates causing habitats to be altered and modified. The
changes are occurring at a fast pace that the time is too little
for individual species to cope with or adjust to new
circumstances. So every day some species lose their
existence. Every species is dependable on each other. If one
species is endangered that spreads bad effect allover the
biodiversity. As per the estimation of the U.S. Fish and Wild
Life Services, losing one plant species can trigger the loss of
up to 30 insect, plant and higher animal species. In thus way,
human being is affected by the deformation of bio-diversity
as well.
Preservation of bio-diversity is the gateway to continue the
existence of human being properly. But every time we are
16
doing harm to the bio-diversity in our conscious and
subconscious mind. All over the world, biodiversity is under
pressure from unplanned development, habitat destruction,
pollution, bad grazing management, over-exploitation and
the list goes on. What’s more! Other indirect human induced
pressures like, climate change, global warming also are
making environment unworthy of preserving biodiversity in
sound condition. We have to have enough awareness and
capacity to underpin the biodiversity. With this point of
view, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) contains specific provisions on the need to strengthen
specific and technological capacities for conservation.
Article 12 of the CBD highlights on research and training
with focus on the need to establish programs for scientific
and technical training.
In the name of modernism, we are related to some risky
behaviors like taking more land for urbanizations, changing
in woodland and forestry management practices that are
plaguing the environment with different problems and
difficulties very gravely. One of the endangered species
Panda is dying out mainly because of one main reason:
habitat loss. Bamboo their main source of food takes a long
time to grow. This problem wasn't present when pandas were
spread all over the greater south-east of Asia, comprising
China. When a forest of bamboo was being consumed by
them, they could easily move to another bamboo forest. But
nowadays wild pandas have been reported to die because of
starvation just for the reason that they cannot reach in time
the next bamboo forest limited rigorously and being
destroyed by human activities. As per the red list prepared
by the International Union for Conservation and Nature
(IUCN), 54 species of inland fish, 58 reptiles, 41 resident
birds and 40 mammals are threatened with extinction in
 17

Bangladesh. The National Herbarium has made a list of 96
plants as threatened species in Bangladesh. Royal Bengal
Tiger and Hilsa fish for which Bangladesh is exceptionally
famous are no longer available in plenty. In view of the
nature of human activities in overexploiting the habitat of
these species, it is evident from the list of endangered
species that the ecology of Bangladesh is deteriorating under
pressures of overpopulation, industrialization and
urbanization. In the light of previous history, we may say
that it is a fairly recent phenomenon.
Improving knowledge and skill as for biodiversity
preservation should be ensured in all areas of life including
home, community and at work. In relation with this,
utilization of local training providers may be set as the
necessary part of strong community network to provide
environmental learning opportunity for all.
Published: The News Today, 17 November 2009

For conserving and promoting sustainable use of

biodiversity, foremost, general people should be aware of
avenues as to environment protection. Their capacity should
be developed that they are able to be well-equipped with
enough means, and ways and technologies to protect
environment from degradation. With this great mission,
Aquis Consulting Group of Australia founded in 1993 has
been delivering best practice environmental training for
businessmen and government clients both within their
capacity and through their partners worldwide.

Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation conducting

and offering training in biodiversity prospecting over the
years organized socio-economic assessments on preserving
environment in its rural intervention areas in 2007. As per
the findings of the assessments, it is possible to develop
capacity of rural people of Bangladesh easily and effectively
through human resource development activities and
courtyard centered orientation cum training is the very
effective means to make aware them about their
responsibility to preserving biodiversity and environment.

Community Based Strategic Plan
to Curb Spread of HIV/AIDS
Curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS is a human rights issue. A
commitment to solidarity, hope and compassion promotes
comprehensive campaign as for HIV/AIDS prevention. It
may result in a holistic effort to strengthen community based
network through advocacy, capacity building and behavioral
change communication (BCC). Having no minimal
amenities, community people are led to vulnerabilities to
HIV/AIDS enormously. They are mostly disadvantaged due
to having no access to basic rights. If there is any community
based common plan in support of the local response to HIV
epidemic the reasons of vulnerability may be removed
gradually and effectively.
Community based strategic plan to address HIV/AIDS
should be outlined to prevent escalation of epidemic through
action research in ways that recognize human rights and self-
respect. In this aspect, it is greatly essential to organize
social mobilization and accelerate support form local
stakeholders and development partners involved in the
community based response to HIV. There is no doubt that
community based approach is a fundamental mechanism to
stimulate the local contribution to deal with HIV/AIDS. To
gather maximum support for community based efforts on
HIV/AIDS, at first programs have to emphasize on coming
in close contact with the local people. This is the effective
means to be familiar with the values and perception of local
people. Then they will be made to understand and perform
the desired responsibility in response to HIV/AIDS.
18
Community based strategic plan encompassing local
expertise and constructive commitment should be initiated to
subvert the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the light of national
HIV policy framework and Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). It would allow a profound and greater
understanding of the nature of epidemic, its spread and
eventuality.
According to UNAIDS estimates, over half of new HIV
infections are occurring among young people (15-24 years) –
or over 7,000 new infections a day worldwide. Around 95%
of people with HIV/AIDS live in the communities of
developing countries. Nowadays HIV is a common threat to
men, women and children in all communities throughout the
world. The challenges in responding to HIV/AIDS may vary
enormously from community to community owing to
geographical location, livelihood status, social infrastructure
and so on. Cross border movement, women trafficking,
neighboring to high prevalent communities, gaps in health
care delivery, low levels of HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual
bondage because of poverty make the communities
vulnerable affecting public health systems. To combat this
vulnerability with regard to HIV/AIDS, there is no single
solution. But integrated community approach may play an
influential role to protect from sexually transmitted
infections (STIs). This is why adopting a gender sensitive
and human rights based approach, community oriented
strategic plan will be well-equipped and groomed with a
wide range of local stakeholders’ support and participation
to address HIV/AIDS. Side by side community people will
be efficient to discuss and develop norms, values and
practice as to safe sexual behavior.

Community focused strategic plan for HIV/AIDS has to be
based on the reality of the epidemic engendered from
thorough case studies. The prevalence of HIV may remain
low in communities. But there are some considerable factors
that can play vital role to fuel its rapid spread extensively.
As per the findings of the survey on ‘Reasons of
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh’ recently
conducted by Bangladesh Extension Education Services
(BEES), ‘Polygamy, dowry, gender violence &
discrimination, believes in superstitions as well as lack of
safe health practice are kindling the spread of HIV/AIDS
drastically in rural areas. If the awareness is not shaped
fruitfully community wise in integrated way, all of the
programs to undermine the spread of HIV/AIDS will fail.’
HIV/AIDS prevalence was low for many years in Indonesia
even with lots of risky behavior. But in the past two or three
years, the circumstances have been changed. At present,
HIV/AIDS prevalence is growing severely in several
communities of the country.
At last we may infer that any kind of community based
strategic plan should be comprehensive, consistent,
coordinated, constructive, consequence oriented and above
all committed to community exclusively. Capitalizing on
these key characteristics indicated by six C’s, it will be
possible to attain a high watermark of success to combat
skyrocketing vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
Published: The Daily Financial Express,14 anuary-2010
19
Gender Equality, Beacon of Hope for AIDS Prevention
Gender equality, a well-defined by-product of human
development, always entrenches inclination on how to focus
attention on women empowerment. Simultaneously women
empowerment confronts challenges consecutively in
translating the responsibilities to gender equality into action.
Gender discrimination is the prime source of endemic
poverty leading to skyrocketing HIV prevalence. With a
view to making gender equality a reality as a core
commitment, women empowerment has to be the stepping
stone to sustainable development.
HIV/AIDS epidemic is raging in Africa and mounting all
over the world mostly due to gender discrimination,
stigmatization and unsafe sex practice. To make the spread
of epidemic flagged, widening gender gaps must be
combated. Nowadays young women and girls are at a much
higher risk than men. As per the findings of surveys and case
studies conducted in Africa, adolescent girls are 5-6 times
more likely to be infected by HIV virus than boys.
Taking an inclusive approach to gender awareness, people
should be stimulated to move towards a common interest for
sexual rights. Sexuality comprising sex, gender identities,
amusement, sensualism as well as reproduction is
considered as the cornerstone of being human all over the
life through experiencing and sharing thoughts, beliefs,
perception, values, fantasies, excitement, desire, interest,
attitudes, praxis, behavior, relationships and so on. In the
name of gender equality, sexuality may be guided positively
and creatively by social, economical, biological, legal,
ethical, racial, political, historical, religious, psychological

and cultural factors interwoven inextricably. As a result, it
would be easy to take any kind of promotional activities
fruitfully for reducing vulnerabilities to STDs (sexually
transmitted diseases) and HIV/AIDS.
Sexual and reproductive ill-health results in dire poverty led
to widespread vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS. Sexual and
reproductive health problems account for about 20% of ill-
health of women globally and 14% of men occurred owing
to lack of appropriate sexual and reproductive health. In
Saudi Arabia, approximately half (46 per cent) of HIV
infection was eventuated due to unprotected sex in 2005. All
are mostly the consequences of gender discrimination
attributed by religious dogmas, social ill-beliefs and
monopolistic male hegemony intertwined with unsafe sex
practices.
According to the social development specialist Saiful Islam
Robin, “It should be realized that there is no alternative to
develop and enhance life skills of vulnerable girls and
women to cope with epidemic. They may be assisted on the
various levels to become engaged in grooming their
confidence and organized. At the same time, their voices
should be allowed to be heard loud and clear. Thus the
collective effort of women is born with the sense or purpose
that they will be stirred up to share perceptions improving
their access to reproductive health related information and
services.”
Gender equality helps vulnerable women to be benefited
from poverty reduction, activities for sustainable
development, access to information & communication
technology as well as HIV prevention. As a cross-cutting
dimension of human development, campaigning for gender
20
equality underpins human rights protected in law and
practice. It supports fruitfully capacity development of
women enhancing women’s participation in development
activities.
As per the findings of a recent research entitled ‘Role of
Poverty Reduction to Reduce Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in
Bangladesh’ initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan
Foundation, “To track how epidemic often widens when
vulnerability deepens, gender mainstreaming in poverty
reduction strategies has to integrate multi-disciplinary
approach specially focusing on good governance and gender
equality through promoting participatory resource planning
and internalizing HIV/AIDS prevention into overall
development initiatives. Poverty is closely associated with
illiteracy and women’s so called participation in
development programs. As a result, vulnerability to
HIV/AIDS is fueled promoted by gender discrimination and
power imbalances between male and female.”
An essential fact is that everybody should be committed to
gender mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming is the
keystone in human development. So every development
program like HIV/AIDS prevention should be deliberate in
providing support to establish human rights that women may
be benefited equally from gender neutral development
strategies.
Published: The Bangladesh Observer, 13 June 2007

Reducing HIV/AIDS Vulnerability Among Adolescents
To reduce HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents, there
is a need to develop strategies and methods for effective
curriculum focusing on sex education and life skills
especially. Internalizing more participatory learning-teaching
method, it is felt that a stronger integration of prevention
education vis-à-vis sex & reproductive health approaches is
essential for improving the high-quality HIV prevention &
care. It is estimated that there are 1.2 billion adolescents in
the world. According to the recent survey conducted by
Rural Health Development Society (RHDS), near about
eighty seven percent of these adolescents live in the
developing countries. More than eighty five percent
adolescents of Bangladesh do not know what reproductive
health is and how to practice safe sex. Most of them are not
aware of how to undermine the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
To make them free from such encumbrance as HIV/AIDS,
we have to ensure a healthy and promising environment. It is
believed that if the adolescents have qualitative reproductive
health literacy ultimately HIV/AIDS prevention programs
initiated by GOs and NGos will be successful.
Only effective education can ensure qualitative reproductive
health literacy. This kind of literacy helps adolescents
analyze thoroughly basic information, core messages, values
and praxis related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Simultaneously
they are able to inculcate caring and supportive attitudes
towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). They
possess the basic facts and information bringing about
acquisition of knowledge and development of attitudes,
values, skills and practices (KAVSP) as to undermining the
spread of HIV/AIDS. Consequently they have profound
awareness on practicing safe sex, use of condoms, gender
21
equity, harmful effect of early marriage, premarital sex and
unplanned pregnancy.
Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents may
be promoted auspiciously through evaluating the attitudes
and values within community based social norms/beliefs,
cooperation and teamwork. From the salad days, adolescents
have to be guided by active and participatory learning that
they may analyze, study ideas, solve problems and apply
what they learn. It is important to ensure that active learning
would be fast-paced, enjoyable and personally engaging. In
this regard, cooperative learning may play a vital role to
make the adolescents aware of HIV/AIDS significantly. It is
one kind of effective group approaches with a view to
learning with common objectives, mutual rewards, shared
resources and complementary roles. Through this approach,
group members are stimulated to help each other to master
the lesson or activity. Thus an atmosphere of mutual trust
and respect are established. Eventually the learning
environment is warm as well as adolescents are made to
express their views, opinions, attitudes and behaviors freely.
Adolescence is the prime and sensitive period of so many
physical, emotional and cognitive developments. So
adolescents have to experience many changes unexpectedly.
In most cases, they remain unaware of how to efficiently
cope with these kinds of physical and psychological changes.
Attitudes to sexuality are being developed gradually during
puberty. In this time, if adolescents are misguided or
deprived of acquiring reproductive health literacy they will
suffer all the time in their lives. There is no doubt that sexual
maturity leads to happiness and fulfillment in future personal
and social relationships. So there is no alternative for

adolescents to learn about issues related to reproductive
health from parents, teachers and other elders for being able
to understand and develop a healthy attitude.
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing in the developing
countries jeopardized by lack of qualitative reproductive
health literacy among the adolescents. But reproductive
health literacy itself offers one of the key hopes against
HIV/AIDS epidemic as well as its influential eventualities.
In fighting the pandemic, reproductive health literacy
comprising transfer of skills and attitudes to reduce
adolescents’ vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS is the most
effective means. It is seriously necessary to reduce the fear
of HIV/AIDS any how. Reproductive health literacy can do
a lot to combat HIV/AIDS facilitating adolescents in
attaining the knowledge, attitudes and skills that they need to
delay sexual intercourse, reduce their number of sex
partners, prevent illicit drug/substance use and avoid
infection by using condoms.
The academic curriculum of the developing countries like
Bangladesh should provide adolescents with opportunities to
learn and practice life skills, such as decision-making and
communication skills, which can strengthen other important
areas of early life development. It is expected that different
aspects of inclusive HIV/AIDS/STI study must be built-in
into all suitable subject areas, such as reproductive health,
human rights & legal aids, home economics, gender
development & women empowerment, social studies and
science.
Published: The Bangladesh Observer, 12 January 2009
22
Signposting Human Resources for Biodiversity
Preservation through Timely Training
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where every
living organism has an individual role to play in our
environment. A larger number of plant species is ensuring a
greater variety of crops catering to us. It is to say that more
than 90 per cent of the calories consumed by people
worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. What’s
more! Almost 30 percent of medicines are developed
directly from plants and animals and numerous are derived
from these sources. For instance, we may say about the
medicine of heart disease still produced from wild foxgloves.
But general people are not properly aware of how their
behaviors are endangering these kinds of species gravely.
They have not enough environmental education and training
by which they will be able to contribute to sustaining
biodiversity in a sound condition.
Scientists and researchers are consecutively screening wild
plants in search of cures for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other
serious diseases. All farm crops and animals are emerged
from wild organisms. Fruit crops are dependable on many
insects that are pollinating their flowers. We gather the
natural biodiversity from the oceans and rivers for fulfilling
our needs. Endangered species have to be protected and
saved that future generations may experience their existence
and importance. So it is urgently necessary to signpost the
whole human resources globally for environmental
education and training that they are well-equipped with latest
information, knowledge, timely technology and know-how
to preserve biodiversity as a whole. Since 1996, Rainbow
Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has been organizing

knowledge management activities in its intervention areas
and through these need based performances, the deprived
people of Bangladesh are being motivated and empowered to
own the problems and identify solutions as to biodiversity
i.e. environment preservations.
It is a very cruel crime to endanger any species of the nature.
There are a lot of rules and regulations launched previously
in response to the need. To safeguard the endangered
species, it has no option of initiating legal steps on behalf of
society, country as well as the United Nations. The United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP) a branch of the UN
specifically for dealing with worldwide environmental
problems has helped with different flagship efforts at global
environmental regulations entitled: The 1987 Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, The
Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, The
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and so on. There are very
little people who know that to retain the soundness of our
biodiversity they should be aware of some rules and
regulations. In this case, human resource development
through training is necessary by which general people’s
inner beings may be stimulated to learn new information and
be familiar with existing laws and conventions to practice
them in their individual and social life.
Bangladesh has National Environment Policy 1992 and
Environmental Conservation Act 1995 to identify source of
pollution and control it. But we are not obeying or caring for
them. The laws regarding aspects of environmental
preservation are not always seriously being implemented.
Even of when an urgent decision is taken, its implementation
23
gets delayed or bogged down by different negligence for
long time. Relocation of the tanneries at Hazaribag of Dhaka
city is a case to be mentioned as a perfect example in point
and still is endangering the species in the river water and the
located area tremendously. All of these are happening
because we have not enough access to necessary awareness,
knowledge, information, messages, training and education
with technical know-how to maintain such kinds of rules.
Different species are not only saving and sustaining our lives
on earth. They are supporting on a great scale to flourishing
pharmaceutical industry worth over $ 40 billion annually.
The unfortunate fact for us is that, only 5 per cent of known
plant species have been screened for their medicinal values;
whereas, 100 species on an average are being lost from our
environment daily. To make us get rid of this critical and
unpleasant situation, different human resource development
institutions may play significant role and execute such
support programs as behavior change communication
(BCC), advocacy, social networking and community
mobilization integrating training oriented activities. In this
point of view and with all of these development
interventions, Bangladesh Extension Education Services has
been implementing Agriculture & Social Forestry Program
over the years in 30 districts of Bangladesh in down-to-earth
method for safeguarding environment and protecting
common species from being endangered.
To conserve the great variety of species with special
attention and their habitats, we should feel the need of a
diverse range of life skills for all that can be used in real life
enterprise, educational and conservation activities. It is
necessary to expand the scope of providing expertise through
orientation training on nature interpretation and conservation

to both of the educated people with all of basic amenities and
the disadvantaged & poor people – the greatest part of the
population in the developing countries like Bangladesh –
bringing knowledge as to importance of nature and natural
resources. By the way, developing local people’s capacity on
biodiversity preservation may get especial emphasis in the
point of making all the segments of the communities
involved with sustainable environment awareness campaign.
Published: The Independent, 21 November 2009
24
Women Empowerment, Cornerstone
of HIV Prevention
There are some forms of risky behavior that directly makes
women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in the developing countries
like Bangladesh. It should be cornerstone of life to get rid of
risky behavior through improving living standard any how.
For the greater involvement of vulnerable women in every
aspect of curbing epidemic, they have to be able to respond
to the epidemic in a meaningful manner.
In a society, if women and girls are not empowered to
develop life skills they are severely vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
Gender discrimination, sexual violence, women trafficking,
dowry, early marriage and low levels of reproductive health
literacy are considered as key factors in the spread of STIs.
A large proportion of women is infected with HIV from
regular partners who were infected during paid sex. For
instance, in Mumbai and Pune (in Maharashtra), 54% and
49% of sex workers, respectively, had been found to be
HIV-infected in 2005. Across sub-Saharan Africa, women
are more likely than men to be infected with HIV. The
unfortunate fact is that vulnerability among women is
mounting all over the world. Only women empowerment can
contain this vulnerability.
Profound advocacy can be an important and familiar way of
breaking down barriers for undermining gender
discrimination and stigma. The spread of HIV/AIDS is being
fueled among the women of developing countries through
such risky factors as exorbitant prevalence of HIV in the
neighboring countries, increased population movement both
internal & external, existence of commercial sex with

multiple clients, high prevalence of STIs among the
commercial sex workers, unsafe sex practice through
bridging population, sexual bondage, the trend of rise of HIV
among injecting drug users, unprotected pre-marital sex as
well as dire poverty. On the other hand, sustainable family
bondage as well as integrated praxis of religious and social
values make these countries less vulnerable comparatively.
According to AIDS researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam,
“Women empowerment is the first step to stamp out gender
discrimination and stigmatization. If we promote gender
equality poverty will be reduced significantly. It is
recognized that poverty helps to trigger vulnerability to
HIV/AIDS. So women empowerment through development
initiatives should be ensured to keep HIV/AIDS in bay. In
this aspect, such promotional activities as organizing gender
sensitization workshop, seminar, symposium, open
discussion, popular theatre, door to door work, advocacy
session and so on may play important role bringing about
effective social mobilization. Thus counting on local
resource mobilization and capitalizing on collective action,
women empowerment program may be led by integrated
approach more efficiently to undermine vulnerabilities to
HIV/AIDS.”
It is estimated that more than 14,000 people are getting
infected with HIV all over the world every day. Among of
them, 2000 are children under 15 years mostly getting
infection of HIV through mother to child transmission. So
mother to child transmission (MTCT) is considered as an
important issue in spreading HIV/AIDS. There is scientific
evidence of likely presence of HIV virus in breast milk.
Therefore gender issues comprising improved services as to
25
maternal & child care should be ensured through the
HIV/AIDS prevention program.
As per the findings of National Assessment of Situation and
Responses to Opioid/Opiate use in Bangladesh (NASROB)
conducted in 2001, 14% of the female heroin smokers
started heroin use below 18 years of age and 38% by 18
year. 22% of the current female injectors started injecting
drug by 19 years of age. BEES (Bangladesh Extension
Education Services) found that 90% young girls (15-25
years) of Bangladesh are very much vulnerable to AIDS and
STIs that they do not know how to take care of their
reproductive and sexual health. They have no inclination or
are not enough empowered to believe it necessary to seek
advice on safe reproductive health as well.
Reproductive health is still a taboo in Bangladesh,
particularly with adolescent girls. With very limited access
to health care facilities, knowledge and education, they have
no understanding about the ways of protecting themselves.
But women should be empowered through developing life
skills that they can have more control over their reproductive
and sexual health. Consequently HIV/AIDS prevention
program will sustain comprehensively attaining high
watermark of success in reducing vulnerabilities to STIs.
Published: The Financial Express, 5 April 2007

Counting on Gender Development Containing Spread of
AIDS
HIV/AIDS is not merely a health issues. It is sorely a
development issues undoubtedly. The vulnerability to
HIV/AIDS has a grave and in-depth impact on every aspect
of life. So the responses from all the levels and parts of the
societies are very much necessary to curb the spread of
HIV/AIDS any how. In this regard, centering upon the
collective action, gender development should be well-
defined involving the particular roles of government, civil
society and the private sections.
It is deeply depressing thinking that sixty per cent of new
HIV transmissions are to women and fifty two per cent to
young adults worldwide. To get rid of this pernicious
situation, gender development is the gateway to salvage
commitment to making headway in integrating responses to
subdue the AIDS epidemic. Entering upon the partnership
developed to flourish collaboration with GOs, NGOs and
communities across assorted sections and at miscellaneous
levels, gender development activities have to be tooled up to
contribute to the national fight against HIV/AIDS.
In the development countries, self-sustained development is
being hampered by gender inequality. As per the findings of
an in-depth research entitled ‘Vulnerability to AIDS due to
Gender Discrimination’ conducted by BCC Network in
2006, 80% rural young people who are severely vulnerable
to HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh are certainly women. They do
not have enough livelihood education to win over the war of
poverty at all. So they have to choice the easy way for
26
earning their livelihood apparently engaging themselves in
risky behaviors.
Coping with time and need paying heed to gender
development, AIDS prevention may entail a multi-pronged
approach which integrates reproductive health literacy,
women empowerment, provision of such protective measure
as condoms, prevention of sexual violence as well as
safeguarding human rights. Assessing specific responses to
non-discriminatory practices and identifying the risk factors
for HIV/AIDS for both women and men along with defusing
the associated stigma and gender-based violence come in
containing the impact of HIV/AIDS on a sector
comprehensively. As a result, AIDS education and work-
place prevention underpinned by well-founded gender policy
are able to internalize the gender development effectively.
It is likely that spread of AIDS is more than a social
problem. It is the curse due to the lack of changing societal
values, attitudes and behavioral patterns that fuel the
endemic. Poverty associated with gender discrimination and
stigma contributes to swelling the onslaught of HIV/AIDS as
a whole. In many countries with high HIV/AIDS prevalence
rates, the available evidence indicates that gender-based
disparities sustain the impact of HIV/AIDS robustly.
Gender discrimination has magnified the AIDS endemic into
an economic and social calamity, mostly in greater Africa.
For instance, by now 57 per cent of all HIV-positive adults
are women, and 75 per cent of young people living with HIV
are women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa. If gender
development is ensured through life skill development, the
vulnerable people, especially women, will be empowered

financially and socially. They will not be compelled by
hunger and poverty to be engaged in risky behaviors.
According to a survey conducted in Central Asia, one third
of young women had not still heard of HIV/AIDS – yet
globally the rate of infection among women is mounting
inexorably. In the light of the recent study conducted by
Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation, inclusive
initiatives have to be taken on the urgent basis in Bangladesh
to empower women and enhance their abilities to withstand
health threats like HIV/AIDS. Catering to the vulnerable
groups especially the destitute and disadvantaged women,
there is a need for generating different pilot interventions
and educational effort in response to campaign of AIDS
prevention.
Strategies and interventions should tune in to sensitizing
policy makers, senior health planners, program managers
and other implementers to create a willing and friendly
environment for achieving equality in every sector. There is
no doubt that gender equality is the key way to sustainable
development. So it is necessary to ensure that both women
and men have to have equal access to information, treatment,
care, support and productive resources. Then in true sense,
gender development will be meaningful all along in
preventing HIV/AIDS.
The Bangladesh Observer, 12 January 2009
27
HIV/AIDS Prevention through
Qualitative Adolescent Reproductive Health Literacy
Parents should be thoroughly taught about HIV/AIDS
prevention from the Community Learning Centre (CLC).
Then they will be able to build up their capacity properly to
make their children aware of HIV/AIDS initially.
Adolescents have more opportunities to be misguided due to
their peer pressure and involved in danger for having
inadequate knowledge as to safe reproductive health. So the
scopes should be made available for the adolescents that they
can learn about reproductive health care through their
academic curriculum. In this regard, teachers having more
friendly behavior may play an important and essential role
coming in close contact with the students. They may arrange
peer group session regularly under the respective course
curriculum. Operating various kinds of cultural and
entertainment oriented events in the campus may add extra
attraction stimulating students’ interest in HIV/AIDS
Prevention Program. If we fail to take necessary and timely
initiatives comprehensively for ensuring qualitative
adolescents reproductive health literacy HIV/AIDS
prevalence will be climbing higher into new population
rapidly in the vulnerable parts of the world.
Qualitative reproductive health literacy comes in to bring
about positive attitude among the adolescents to prevent
HIV/AIDS. Simultaneously a promising and profound
perception is engendered throughout their inner beings to
practice general health care regularly. As a result they will
not be affected easily by superstitions and ill believes. They
can help other people to combat such kind of social
problems as well. Early marriage, dowry, polygamy and so
on create various kinds of social ailment which gives rise to

sexual wantonness. The adolescents may be involved to foil
the spread of social deterioration promoted by early
marriage, dowry and polygamy. They may create awareness
working door to door and arranging courtyard meeting on
the importance of reproductive health literacy. Thus
community based reproductive health campaign can be
strengthened with the help of collective effort of local
adolescents. This promising endeavor has far-reaching
sustainable impact to lessen the vulnerability related to
HIV/AIDS calamity communitywise.
Qualitative reproductive health literacy helps to kindle the
inner beings and values of adolescents to do something
having a well-thought-out plan. Thus counting on strong and
deepest confidence, adolescents begin to learn that they have
right to know how they can protect themselves and how to
mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS. Many persons think that
reproductive health literacy may lead to greater sexual
activity and promiscuity among the adolescents. But it is not
true at all. As per the findings of various in-depth surveys,
there is no alternative of qualitative health literacy to
increase responsible behavior. Responsible behavior makes
adolescents interested to know about basic facts on
HIV/AIDS and other STIs and the essential skills to protect
themselves. Concurrently adolescents are stirred up to know
how to safeguard their family members and friends from
HIV/AIDS as well as how to make them participate in
promoting HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
Community based HIV/AIDS prevention activities should be
conducted gathering assistance and support enormously from
the community people through giving emphasis on their
perceptions especially. In this regard, social mobilization
may be ignited organizing community based adolescent
28
welfare organization all along. This strategic plan results in
more community participation through the perspective of
action research. Community’s participation towards the
HIV/AIDS prevention program promoted by social
mobilization can equips people to make healthy decisions
concerning their own lives. To bring about long-term healthy
behaviors and give community people the scope for
economic independence and hope, qualitative reproductive
health literacy may play a significant role. It helps to slow
and reverse the spread of STIs contributing to social
upliftment through preventing dowry, early marriage,
polygamy and other social diseases.
So to outline an integrated and ideal HIV/AIDS prevention
program, participation of community people comprising
adolescents having qualitative reproductive health literacy
should be ensured any how. As a whole in the aspect of
implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention program
successfully, it certainly needs to fulfill and guarantee the
right to qualitative reproductive health literacy for the
adolescents.

Reducing Vulnerability to AIDS through Comprehensive
Training Program
Gearing human resources through training
Steering AIDS prevention towards sustainable attainment
HIV/AIDS has been multiplying human resource crisis
throughout the world. So it is sorrow for us that development
efforts are being stumbled again and again. Already a lot of
vulnerable people have been on the way to be turned into the
burden of their country and nation. It is happening because
they are not well groomed with necessary knowledge and
skill. The findings of Surveys conducted in different
countries shows that in Bangladesh over the period of 1999-
2000 and in Nepal over the period of 2001, at least 50% and
72% of men have heard of AIDS respectively. On the other
hand, in four countries, like—Bangladesh, Haiti, India, and
Nepal—no more than half of women have heard of AIDS.
People susceptible to AIDS are practicing risky behavior due
to their ignorance and lack of awareness. If we want to
safeguard our social existence from such kind of
vulnerability we have to ensure and orchestrate
comprehensive and quality training for them.
Gender discrimination associated with trafficking,
psychological and financial abuse, stigmatization, biasness,
domestic & social violence, lack of access to legal aid &
productive resources like land, loan and so on is the root
cause of gender violence. Moreover, gender violence
increases the likelihood to be affected by AIDS. Then again,
some social ill-practices i.e. dowry, early marriage and
polygamy make our society worthy of being attacked by
AIDS. In the light of the findings emerged from the recent
research organized by Bangladesh Extension Education
29
Services (BEES), poverty and illiteracy, and other
developmental deficiencies that is to say food insecurity,
poor healthcare provision, disempowerment of women are
contributing to the further spread of HIV extremely.
Addressing all of these social issues, integrated training
program should be mapped out on the basis of need. This
will contribute to scaling up life skill of the underprivileged
people as a whole. When training is provided to the target
groups it should be ensured that they are getting the
messages in the understandable way. Consequently, they are
encouraged to participate in preventing HIV/AIDS. What’s
more. In so doing, they will be well-equipped with enough
efforts and timely life skill to tackle the epidemic.
Social mobilization is another important factor to make
training program on HIV/AIDS prevention more effective. It
helps programs to be cost effective and achieve the desired
outcome. Social mobilization stimulates the community
people to participate such kind of development program
related to reproductive health awareness. In thus way, it is
possible to utilize their interest, eagerness, enterprising
attitudes and courage for providing potential pace and
prosperity to the program. There is no doubt that in this case,
utilization of local resources will add an extra dimension in
preventing AIDS.
In the training session, some case studies may be presented.
Going through the case study, the trainees may realize that
any how they have to gain enough life skill to confront the
social disparities. As resource person, HIV positives may be
invited in such training session to present their real life
experience what made their life severely unrest. Under this
training program, advocacy session may be arranged as well.
Influential persons like doctors, teachers, Kazi, social

workers, CBO (community based organization) Leaders,
such representatives from local government as Union
Parishad Chairman, Member and so forth in the community
play important role as local policy maker. If they are
involved in HIV prevention the program will gain extra
stride. So they should be oriented properly on the social
issues contributing to the spread of HIV and trained up on
the means and ways to reduce the vulnerability of the
community people.
If we want to translate vulnerable people into potential
human resources they have to have enough awareness of
reproductive health, accurate perceptions of HIV/AIDS, and
coping ability to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and
other STIs (sexually transmitted infections). As per the
research on reproductive health literacy conducted by
Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation in 2008 both
in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh, awareness of AIDS
is by and large lower among men and women in rural areas
than among urban men and women. Awareness of AIDS is
poorer among men and women with little or no schooling
and training than those with more schooling and training.
That is why, it is urgently necessary to improve the
knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the disadvantaged
community people especially in rural areas. In this regard,
behavior change communication (BCC) should be brought
about through integrated training activities. By way of BCC,
the inner beings of community people will be stimulated to
leave their bad practices as well as to be updated in having
knowledge and information to prevent HIV/AIDS.
Published: The Independent, 13 November 2009
30
Stamping out Gender Discrimination to Prevent
HIV/AIDS
Gender discrimination saps social consistency jeopardizing
health and educational development. It is increasingly
recognized as a key factor that makes women gravely
vulnerable to AIDS and STIs (Sexually Transmitted
Infections). Improving and intensifying poverty reduction
strategies pragmatically, overall development programs
should be en-gendered. Otherwise development
achievements may be endangered failing to contain
epidemic.
Approximately 17.7 million women were living with
HIV/AIDS in 2006 all over the world. Multiple
vulnerabilities like social, cultural, economical and
biological factors intertwined as a vicious circle may make
prevalence sky-high anytime among women in the
developing countries of Asia. So we have to raise a clarion
call on combating the spread of epidemic through ensuring
gender equality.
Gender discrimination promotes unequal access to resources
and opportunities, sexual violence, practice of unprotected
sex, women trafficking and women’s paltry representation
and participation in social development activities. All of this
result in power disparities that characterize personal
relationships between male and female undermine the
development of not only women but also a nation to a great
extent. In this context, capitalizing on capacity building
initiatives for vulnerable women encompassing sensitization,
training & orientation, exchanging information, experience
& views and networking may play an important role to
reduce the incidents of HIV as a whole.

Having significant and multifaceted impact on public health,
education, technology, business and administration sector as
well as on demography, household, macro economy and
society on a great scale, HIV/AIDS continues to spread in
Asia and the Pacific. Comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention
programs have been initiated successfully in some countries.
Nonetheless several grave factors like illiteracy, gender
inequality, unprotected extra marital sexual behavior,
increasing use of intravenous drugs, isolation from generic
health care services as well as lack of outreach treatment and
care services are contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS
gradually from most-at-risk population to the general
population. As a result, the number of HIV infections among
women is increasing day by day. This is why focusing very
appropriately and timely on the importance of women
empowerment, policy makers should be made gender
sensitized necessarily.
Adopting an inter-sect oral approach to gender equality and
establishing links between gender, development and
HIV/AIDS, vulnerable nations have to have technical
supports to confront epidemic. There is no alternative to
integrate gender into such major development areas as good
governance, poverty alleviation, disaster management &
recovery, sustainable environment promotion, information &
development communication (IDC) as well as HIV/AIDS
prevention.
An in-depth study entitled ‘The impact of women
empowerment on HIV/AIDS prevention in Bangladesh’
conducted by BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education
Services) indicates that women are mostly vulnerable to
HIV/AIDS due to their inherited conservative behavior,
31
beliefs in superstitions and religious dogmas. They are
deprived of enjoying their minimal rights as well.
Consequently they are affected by gender discrimination
severely. A recent survey initiated by Rainbow Nari O
Shishu Kallayan Foundation showed that only 22% young
women (15-25 years) had heard of HIV/AIDS and do not
know how to protect themselves from AIDS/STIs.
HIV/AIDS epidemic is mounting all over the world
especially in the developing countries being the greatest
impediment to human development. Young girls and women
are greatly vulnerable due to their lack of power and means
to protect themselves from practice of unsafe sex and
ignorance as regards reproductive health. Through a gender
lens, multicultural development strategies should be both
pro-poor and pro-women supporting the integration of
HIV/AIDS prevention into the development planning
activities. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are
intended to halve extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. So in
the course of reducing poverty, promotion of gender
equitable behaviors through gender awareness will be able to
contribute to reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS as per the
desired achievement .

AIDS Mushrooms through Gender-based Violence and
Discrimination
The conventional gender roles that underpin sexual
inequality and violence are entrenched by dyed-in-the-
wool social norms. So women are always in the vicious
circle of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. It is an essential
fact that gender-based violence is a key factor in
increasing women’s risk of contracting the virus
skyward.
Social discrimination engenders several factors
associated with women’s subordinate position that it
results in multidimensional likelihood of HIV infection.
What’s more! Capitalizing on this discrimination,
gender-based violence is the leading route of all
vulnerabilities. Mostly these are the consequences of
harmful traditional practices which put women at
higher risk and socio-economic prejudices which
undermine women’s life skills of protecting themselves.
A study executed by the Asia Pacific Network of
People Living with HIV (APN+) identified some HIV-
related issues in which women suffered extensively
from higher levels of discrimination than man. The
issues are related to being ridiculed and insulted,
physically assaulted, removed from or asked to leave a
public establishment, forced to change place of
residence, excluded from social function, advised not to
have a child after being diagnosed as HIV-positive and
suffering exclusion by family members as well as
32
losing financial support from family members. Another
in-depth study in three African countries found that
both of men and women are to be stigmatized become
of breaking sexual norms. But the society led by
exclusive male hegemony put the blame on women
more easily.
The factors entwined with poverty, illiteracy, female
genital mutilation, polygamy, wife inheritance, rape by
intimate partners, early marriage, having multiple sex
partners, minimal access to productive resources, forced
sterilization, prostitution, sexual harassment and assault
at work-places as well as different conflict situations
make women face an epidemic of violence every day. It
is realized that women are two to four times more
vulnerable to HIV/AIDS during unprotect sexual
intercourse than men. In various parts of the world, rape
and sexual violence are supposed to be weapon of war.
In view of that, gender-based violence is an all-too-
common feature of coeval conflicts. It is used to
attribute a moral code based on rigorously and
thoroughly differentiated roles for male and female. For
instance, women victimized by gender-based violence
are among the casualties of the continuing internal
conflict in Colombia on a great scale.
Realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms
for all is an essential element in a global response to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic through preventing stigma and
respective discrimination against people infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS. Armed conflicts and natural
disasters always add extra dimension to discrimination

oriented violence. So role of cultural, family, ethical
and religious factors should be gender sensitized
internalizing right-based approach in combating
endemic and ensuring treatment, care and support.
As per the findings of the research entitled ‘Role of
Safe Sexual Practices Reduce Gender-based Violence’
conducted by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan
Foundation in 2006, ABC – Abstain (from sexual
intercourse), Be faithful (to one sexual partner) and use
Condom – approach has a great impact to protect the
vulnerable women stigmatized often for their risky
behavior. It has the potential comprehensively to
contribute to protection from exposure to HIV/AIDS.
This approach is the stepping stone to reducing gender
based violence as a whole.
Bearing in mind empowering women is essential for
reducing vulnerability, their social security and
economic opportunities have to be ensured.
Discrimination, unequal property and inheritance laws
and petty access to knowledge confine women’s
income-earning possibilities. Thus inequality between
male and female thrives on enhancing the means of
violence. This is why in the aspect of preventing
HIV/AIDS, there is no alternative of making women
self-reliance that they would be able to protect them
from onslaught of discriminations and gender-based
violence.
Published: The Financial Express, 29 September 2007
33
AIDS Prevention Spotlighted by Gender Mainstreaming
Spread of HIV/AIDS results in risk of losing forms of
social and economic protection. There is no doubt that
onslaught of HIV/AIDS is closely associated with
gender inequality and poor respect for the rights of
women. So to mitigate the multiple impacts of
epidemic, gender mainstreaming should be significantly
integrated into HIV/AIDS prevention programs.
Eventually, HIV prevention and impact mitigation
policy will be able to make the realization of gender
equality one of the most important strategies.
Gender mainstreaming for HIV/AIDS is to ensure
gender equality in all policies, programs and activities
that it would be possible to keep the epidemic in bay. It
is the most efficient and equitable means for using
existing resources with a view to combating HIV/AIDS
internalizing need based approach. At a rough estimate
since the beginning of the epidemic, over 10 million
women have died from HIV/AIDS-resulted illness. 48
per cent of adults newly affected by HIV/AIDS in 2001
were certainly women. The fact that lack of gender
mainstreaming along with domination of social stigma
and discrimination creates a tremendous barrier to
women making them unable to adopt HIV risk-reducing
behavior.
Social stigma and gender discrimination engulf series
of possibilities to reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
successively. The enhanced poverty and developmental
 34

decline nourished by gender inequality may make all AIDS cases have occurred in developing countries.
women and girls engaged in risky sexual behavior in
lieu of getting money, food and other facilities. Having Through promoting, facilitating and supporting the
lack of enough access to quality treatment and care, implementation of gender mainstreaming, AIDS
then they fall into enormous vulnerability to sexually prevention should be brought about under the spotlight
transmitted diseases (STIs) one after another. of women empowerment. Gender mainstreaming and
women empowerment are obviously complementary
As per the finding of Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan strategies. So the strategy of gender mainstreaming
Foundation, 95 per cent adolescent girls of Bangladesh within HIV/AIDS prevention should be outlined that
are drastically vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because of their women empowerment is ensured.
paltry access to necessary information for protecting
their reproductive health. Due to their poverty at the Published: The Bangladesh Observer, 23 September 2007
levels of awareness, skill, knowledge, attitude and
practice all along, they are being more vulnerable
consecutively. When they are enough adult they are not
able to ensure their role as potential manpower in
planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating
pro-gender programs and projects.

Considering all the situations related to sexual behavior,

social attitudes and praxis, financial empowerment and
so on, there are in-depth differences between men’s and
women’s access to information, prevention, treatment
and care-giving supports. It is much more common in
all cultures that commitments for guiding sexual
behavior and sexual health are being threatened by
gender discrimination. If women and girls have not
qualitative reproductive health literacy HIV/AIDS will
be turned into as the greatest social problem in
developing countries. According to the findings of
UNAIDS, as of December 2000, ninety five per cent of

En-Gendering AIDS Prevention Gateway to Sustainable
Development
Nowadays gender discrimination is the key challenge
for sustainable development. It widens the likelihood of
HIV/AIDS epidemic. So we have to alleviate all the
discriminations as regards achieving ownership,
leadership and dignity, enjoying freedom, controlling
resources, accessing to information, establishing rights,
making decision, grooming voices, taking responsibility
as well as participating in development activities.
Women are being increasingly affected by HIV. So the
reduction of gender-based discrimination has to be
integral to the strategic response to HIV/AIDS.
Otherwise there is a great scope that HIV/AIDS
epidemic may be feminized. The aftermath of
feminized endemic is very much enough for ruining
overall development achievement. As per the UNAIDS
report 2004, nowhere is the epidemic’s ‘feminization’
more perceptible than in sub-Saharan Africa, where
fifty seven per cent of adults infected are women as
well as seventy five per cent of young people infected
are women and girls.
An essential fact is that lack of good governance is the
ideal vehicle of deprivation and poverty. Concurrently
spread of HIV/AIDS is closely associated with poverty
and discrimination. All of these social issues
intertwined with different byproducts like
stigmatization, violence and sexual abuse affect the
35
endeavors dedicated to establishing just society. People
centered planning with a view to ensuring exclusive
participation, accountability, commitment and
transparency may promote good governance
undoubtedly. Capitalizing on this pro-poor planning,
HIV/AIDS prevention should be led by gender
sensitized policy and strategy. Eventually, as a far-
seeing impact it is possible to achieve sustainable
development.
A socio-economic study in 2006 conducted by Rainbow
Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation shows that lack of
reproductive health literacy attributed by social stigma
and poverty among adolescents at rural level in
Bangladesh makes 98% young women practice risky
behaviors. They are growing as unskilled manpower
having minimal livelihood development. They are
turning into vulnerable especially to STDs (sexually
transmitted diseases) /HIV/AIDS on a great scale. Their
vulnerabilities due to their too little life-skill are
affecting the mainstream process of sustainable
development-extensively.
Being affected by the negative social and economic
consequences of HIV/AIDS, women are compelled to
experience various kinds of deceptions and deprivations
cruelly. Therefore, a gender-inclusive approach to
HIV/AIDS has to play a role to ensure women’s rights
to productive resources comprising land, credit,
agricultural technologies, and other facilities. In this
regard, initiating outreach on HIV/AIDS to rural

communities may help mitigate the negative impact of
HIV/AIDS on sustainable development as a whole.
Without having gateway to health knowledge and
protection comprehensively, women are very much
susceptible to HIV infection. They, especially the
young women, bear the vulnerability of the
reproductive tract tissues to the virus. The stigma of
STIs in women makes them hesitate to get proper
treatment. They are supposed to bear the maximum
burden of caring for sick family members. But often
they have less care and support when they themselves
are infected severely.
As the stepping stone to sustainable development, in the
1980s a new approach was evolved. This is the
mainstreaming strategy which aims to make the goal of
gender equality central to all development activities. If
AIDS prevention is not en-gendered sustainable
development might be endangered. So to en-gender all
the development initiatives, especially HIV/AIDS
prevention, it is necessary to involve a strategy for
making women’s as well as men’s concerns and
experiences an integral part of the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies
and programs in all political, economic and social
spheres. It results in that men and women will be
benefited equally and inequality will be removed as a
whole.
36
Gender Mainstreaming: Mainspring Of AIDS Prevention
With a view to attaining gender equality, gender
mainstreaming plays a vital role as an effective strategy
for making both women's and men's participation,
sharing and experience integral dimension in policy
making, program implementation, monitoring and
evaluation. Mainstreaming the gender perspective, it is
easy to bring about the process for stimulating the
gender awareness being internalized in any planned
action in any area of development and at all levels.
Since HIV/AIDS is not just a health issue and
impacting widely on every aspect of life, it should be
prevented through developing both short and long-term
gender-sensitive strategies from community to national
level.
According to the 2005 national HIV household survey,
one in three women aged 30-34 years were living with
HIV, as were one in four men aged 30-39 years in
South Africa. Present average life expectancy (at birth)
for women in Zimbabwe is now among the lowest in
the world: 34 years. It is estimated to be 37 years for
men (WHO, 2006). So it is significant to note that to
combat HIV/AIDS epidemic, we have to ensure women
empowerment stamping out gender discrimination
through gender mainstreaming at any rate.
Prostitution has been mushrooming in Asia due to
deteriorating economic condition in this region. Young

girls and women having lack of educational and
economic opportunities are being driven to the big
cities in the hope of earning their livelihood. Sometimes
they are involved in such risky behaviors as prostituting
themselves being trapped. They are lured into the job
by the offer of attractive salary that they are engaged
into sex industry by men whom they trust. So
HIV/AIDS prevention program internalized by gender
mainstreaming should be through a framework
integrating social mobilization, social sensitization
activities like advocacy, livelihood skill development
training and creating the scope for self employment,
providing necessary assistance to indigenous group,
ensuring legal as well as financial assistance.
Gender mainstreaming, very much efficient and
equitable way of using existing resources for containing
the spread of HIV/AIDS, may make different
development endeavors focus properly on the pragmatic
needs of the whole population of a nation. It ensures a
framework for developing and implementing policies,
programs and legislation as the corner stone of
sustainable development. Involving gender analysis, the
framework assists to reveal, classify and integrate
women's and men's different social contribution,
relationships, commitment, realities and economic
circumstances.
As per the findings of an in-depth research entitled
'Stepping Stone to AIDS Prevention in Bangladesh
through Gender Mainstreaming' conducted by Earth
37
Foundation, "Women should be empowered by way of
income generating activities. After being self-reliant,
they will be capable to fight for their rights coupled
with ensuring their participation in development
activities. Consequently malnutrition, maternal
mortality rate, infant mortality rate and overall the
vulnerability to STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)
and AIDS will be reduced significantly."
Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation's reveal
extremely high levels of infections among adolescent
girls, which are higher than those for boys. This is
mainly because of the fact that at young age, boys have
sex with girls of similar age, while girls have relations
with older men, who are more likely to be infected.
Sexual harassment of schoolgirls by older men
sometime may be the cause of HIV or STI infection.
Poverty also drives many adolescent girls to accept
relationships with 'sugar daddies' (older men who are
prepared to give money, goods or favors in return for
sex).
Guiding, designing and implementing the process of
mainstreaming gender into all areas of action research,
gender management system (GMS) always intends to
widen the incorporation of gender awareness into all
organizational policies, programs and projects sapping
the impact of HIV/AIDS. In accordance with the spirit
and principles of broad-based community approach,
gender-inclusive environment is automatically groomed
to enrich the ability of community based interventions
 38

to direct and coordinate gender mainstreaming efforts

in the area of HIV/AIDS.

It is hoped that advancing the goal of gender equality

and equity in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic from
a multi-sectoral perspective comes in to curb the spread
of HIV/AIDS fruitfully. If women and girls have
adequate access to sexual and reproductive health
services they would be stirred up to adopt healthier
sexual behavior. Women and girls need information and
education, skills, access to technologies, economic
resources, social capital as well as the opportunity. As a
result they have a voice in decision-making at all levels
as a whole.