Comment

Comment by Avnish Jolly on November 12, 2009 at 7:59pm

Dear Associates,

We are beating around the bush, I sometimes feels perturbed when most of us focus upon positive developmental issues and hush-up the core problems. I am extremely sorry that I am pinpointing the other side of the coin. I may be disturbing the prime focus of the discussion.

Most of my associates know that I involved in the social service through organizations which are primarily involved in National Integration, South Asian Cooperation and Indian Freedom Struggle. There main objective is advocacy of peace, social harmony and freedom for all.

While volunteering in those organisations I find that the Truckers are very much involved in Trafficking (Drugs, Arms and Human) and back bone of antisocial activities. Even we often find Brothel on Wheels - while one person is driving the truck other persons involved in sexual activity with FSWs even few FSWs lease the truck for their customers’ to for the sexual activity.

Please find below few links to strengthen my statement:

Namibia: Human Trafficking Mirrors Society's Underbelly
http://allafrica.com/stories/200902060690.html

Symposium on Human Trafficking Session 2: Human Trafficking and Global Health [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service, Inc.]
http://www.cfr.org/publication/10654/symposium_on_human_trafficking...

Horror of Teen Sex Slavery Not Foreign Woe; It's Here
http://www.truckersagainsttrafficking.com/human-trafficking-issues/...

Trafficking in immigrants at the border has a feminine aroma
http://www.indypressny.org/nycma/voices/297/news/news_1/

Brothel on wheels
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/25/brothel-on-wheels.html

Shady Lady Ranch: Free Gas at Nevada Brothel
http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=1659

In such conditions the project implementing agency and resource persons as well as staff must have proper knowledge to address this issue we must have understanding on Motor Vehicle Act, Drug and Excise Act, Sate Tax Act, ITPA (Immoral Trafficking and Prevention Act), CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code), IPC (Indian Penal Code), Prison Act, and Evidence Act off course Applied Socio-Psychology-Religion-Racism in the purview of Sustainable Development.

Even I know many time truckers gave few illegal articles to deliver someone else to the project staff and keep these articles also in the project office, in such condition how one should implement the project and face the situation.

On the other hand project staffs supply FSWs or their contact information to the truckers in lieu of cash or kind.

All these issues are related to economical development how we work for holistic development with these circumstances. I am not against anyone but these are the grass root realities.

Kindly ponder upon these issues also.

Regards,
Avnish

Comment by Onesmus Mutuku on November 12, 2009 at 4:36pm

Dear Rituu,

I have tried to respond to your concern in a Blog post comments below;

http://aidscompetence.ning.com/profiles/blogs/salt-visit-with-truckers

See if it brings something in here.

Regards,
Onesmus

Comment by Rituu B. Nanda on November 12, 2009 at 4:00pm

Dear Gaston and Bobby,

Thanks for raising a very pertinent question on how to ensure continuity in HIV programs and sustain activities as same truckers might not turn up. I have especially been wondering in the context of SALT visits where building a bond with the community is an essential element of the process.

I asked the same question from Ash Pachauri and Divya Verma (ILO India). They shared that in their initiatives with truckers the allied community was engaged to ensure continuity with the truckers. For example Bala Devi runs a dhaba (small tea/food shop) at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Delhi. She now has become a peer educator. She educates truckers who come to her dhaba as part of an intervention set up by the Apollo Tyres and facilitated by ILO.

Fr. Joe in his posting has mentioned Mr. Sopan, the automobile shop owner who provides accommodation and parking facilities to the truckers. He could be used as a link with the truckers.

Another thing that has been disturbing me is that access to health services for truckers is a challenge because they do not stay in one place for long and often do not have official residence in the municipalities in which they travel. How has this been taken into account in HIV programmes with Truckers?

I would love to hear experiences of the members on the above stated challenges.

Regards,

Rituu

Comment by Sanghamitra Iyengar on November 12, 2009 at 10:33am

Hello everyone!
I think Bobby's point about family relationships is really critical. Change really happens at points where we care and for whom we care. This is what I have found with people who need to make a difficult life change or have to care for themselves and I think in in all our lives too...certainly in mine!!

Sanghamitra

Comment by Onesmus Mutuku on November 12, 2009 at 8:46am

Dear Bobby,
In addition to Carols contributions,

There has been issues of concern among Truck Drivers that i have experienced in the GLIA Process,

Fear and Denial
Drivers and their turn boys live with a lot of fear and do not want to talk about AIDs. This limits their openness to seek Medical Care.
We have heard of a situations where Truck drivers have been found dead in their truck Cabin.

The propensity of Truck Drivers and Turnboys to put themselves in situation of RISK
They put the blame on their employers- They say, 'we are away from home for many days and we are not given time to visit our families. Most truck drivers then end up hooking up women stationed in major truck stops along the transport axis.

Just thrown afew,

Regards,

Onesmus

Comment by Onesmus Mutuku on November 12, 2009 at 8:23am

Carol Wrote to Rituu

Yes I wouldn't mind,
So far we've had 4 salt visits where by in all we had expiriences with the truck drivers.From this 4 we realized that there is a lot of HIV sensitization needed.This is because as they talk and reason you realize there is alot 0f stigma and discrimination,Some of them also said they can not share the information with their families because no one in their family can be infected.Regarding to this we had a workshop on HIV sensitization.
The outcome of it was so good, the ones we managed to train appreciated and said that now they are now informed and will share with the others.As much as it is hard to train truck drivers because of their availability,we are looking forward to train more.

Thanks,

Carol

Comment by Onesmus Mutuku on November 12, 2009 at 8:18am

Rituu,

I will post Carols note on her behalf which also brings some concerns noted by the Team at Mlolongo in addition to what Bobby has put across.

Regards,
Onesmus

Comment by Bobby Zachariah on November 11, 2009 at 8:06pm

Hello Onesmus,

Having participated in the SALT visit in Dimpaur, I noticed that the following were their hot / relevant issues:

- Sense of self worth/esteem in the midst of constant difficulties they face
- Strategies to keep themselves disease (HIV/STI) free. Also, how do the truckers help one another to stay healthy?
- The quality of family and community relationships back home and its impact on their life.

We found that the question of their dream for their family and community can open up a lot of conversations.

Kind regards.

Bobby

Comment by Onesmus Mutuku on November 9, 2009 at 10:38am

Dear Friends,
Greetings!
Just met Mbugua, Carol and Sammy this morning and proposed that we do our SALT visit in the Last week of november.

The SALT team will too meet to plan a week before the SALT visit.

Do we need to begin thinking of the topics as early as this time?(Rituu and Bobby)
Regards

Onesmus

Comment by Sanghamitra Iyengar on November 2, 2009 at 3:03pm

Hi everyone!!

Very happy to be here! Just wanted to share something I found very inspiring...that connects truckers and the larger communities that they live in.

When communities discuss risk and vulnerability for the first time openly in the village, they often talk about those who bring in HIV infection from outside and there is some blaming of people who travel like those who migrate for work and truckers.

I was in a village where the community shared its dream " we want all our people who migrate and drive on highways to come home safely to us, with their life and health intact"

This is the strength of ACP, it is so inclusive and helps communities to think collectively. I found this dream very inspiring!!

Sanghamitra

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