Women’s Mela organised by SACS and Yuvsatta at village Daria

School News Network

Chandigarh, March 09 2018

To change peoples' perception about HIV/AIDS, Women’s Mela was organized to celebrate International Women’s Day by UT SACS and Yuvsatta in association with Panchayat of village Daria at its Dispensary campus in Chandigarh. Over 300 ladies of the village participated in an event of fun, fervor and information on Women Rights. Prominent people who participated included  Teenu Chopra, DD-IEC and Sandeep Mittal. DD-TI at Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society, Gurpeet Singh, village Sarpanch and Pramod Sharma, Coordinator of Yuvsatta.

Girls participate in Fashion Show during the event.

Young women and girls of the village and volunteers of Yuvsatta organized a Fashion Show on the occasion. In which Neeta, Minakshi and Kusum of Daria were adjudged best overall winners. Students of KIHMS College of Nursing, Panchkula staged a play ‘Stop HIV’ on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering Sandeep Mittal shared that women account for more than half the number of people living with HIV worldwide. And young women (10-24 years old) are twice as likely to acquire HIV as young men the same age as HIV disproportionately affects women and adolescent girls because of vulnerabilities created by unequal cultural, social and economic status.

Tinnu Chopra added that unaccommodating attitudes towards sex outside of marriage and the restricted social autonomy of women and young girls can reduce their ability to access sexual health and HIV services. As much has been done to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, but much more needs to be done to reduce the gender inequality and violence that women and young girls at risk of HIV often face.  

In the end Gurpeet Singh, village Sarpanch and Pramod Sharma honoured all prominent participants.