The second global gag rule’s implications for India
As reported on CNN-IBN (6 Mar 2006, “US gag rule hits India’s AIDS fight“)
In 2003, the US passed the Global AIDS
Act, but it came with a rider that stops funds from going to any NGO
that did not sign an anti-prostitution pledge, which states
specifically that they will not work for the empowerment sex workers. A
sore point in NGO circles, this order has almost derailed the fight
against HIV/AIDS. More so in a country like India where sex workers are
considered the single-most high-risk group in the fight against AIDS…
As per the order, any NGO that refuses to
sign the pledge doesn’t receive USAID funds. Last month, SANGRAM, an
NGO in Maharashtra, refused to sign this loyalty oath. Interestingly,
this coincided with raids on some brothels in the area.
Filed under: Politics and Policy