Rethinking effective communication for women

“HIV gives rise to certain specific problems in women. They have little or no access to information. Even if they have information, they do not have the power in relationships to bargain, for what is rightfully theirs.” Sunita Abraham Twenty-three year old Chitithali is a widow from Andhra Pradesh in South India and lives alone with her four-yearold child. She has been thrown out of her husband’s house. Her in-laws are unwilling to support her or give her husband’s share of the property to her. Nineteen year old Venkat Lakshmi feigns ignorance about HIV when she goes to the local hospital for treatment of minor ailments. She feels the need to do this as most hospitals turn out HIV positive individuals without any hesitation. These two lively young women are HIV positive. Both were married at an early age to ‘boys from well-to-do families’. Venkat Lakshmi says, “my husband’s family knew he was HIV positive before marriage but failed to inform me!”. HIV gives rise to certain specific problems in women such as Chitithali and Venkat Lakshmi. They have little or no access to information. Even if they have information, they do not have the power in relationships to bargain, for what is rightfully theirs. As Elizabeth Fox from USAID stated “a finely crafted message on decreasing sexual partners is useless in a world where young women have no access to media, or, even worse, have now power over their partners.” The Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals states that we should “combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases” so that we can “halt the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015”. About 36% of all HIV positive Individuals in India are women (50% in SubSaharan Africa). Communication strategy and ICTs Appropriate communication strategies can help us to attain the above goal. Behaviour change communication (BCC) is a watchword in HIV/AIDS communication. BCC tries to encourage people to make informed choices. Communication strategies are the building blocks of a rights-based approach to HIV/AIDS. Presently we have mass-media awareness campaigns. These campaigns have their own purpose, however is it fair to expect people to change on the basis of a billboard? Simple awareness may be the only possible outcome. So how can communication strategies make a difference to the most vulnerable members of our communities – the women? With Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) making inroads into our lives, we can use this technology to influence and empower the community including its women. People tend to assume we are talking about the internet, but when we start from the needs of the people we can be talking about wall posters, newspapers, community audio-towers, drama, sustainable community radio or even the links between radio and e-mail. ICTs should provide a voice for communities, especially the vulnerable eg.women, and opportunities for dialogue and debate rather than focus on products and messages. A successful strategy to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic should ensure ownership, participation and accountability. Communication strategies and therefore the ICT revolution should provide a platform for all people to acquire and share knowledge. Local schools can become community centres, media centres and information hubs that provide a service to both school children and the wider community. Culturally relevant media can be used to encourage public debate. Communication works best in its own cultural contexts. Media should be community based and have the potential to educate, entertain and inform. Educational content in entertainment as in local dramas can increase knowledge, create favourable attitudes and change behaviours. Interpersonal communication allows for addressing diverse individual and group concerns while honouring the delicate, private nature of human sexuality. ICT can be used to re-inforce interpersonal communication. This can encourage men to engage in dialogue on HIV/AIDS prevention, rather than place the entire burden of decision making on women. The importance to men of their families and their protective roles in their families and community can be re-inforced by mass media. Mass media has typically carried nonspecific and uncontroversial safe sex information. Mass media hardly provide a space to address doubts, misconceptions give rise to stigma and discrimination. ICTs can provide a platform to address barriers to behaviour change and provide specific recommendations to address stigma and discrimination in all settings. Communication strategies must also recognise the importance of human rights as they relate to the legal protection of women living with HIV/AIDS while addressing existing misconceptions. Conclusion ICTs must provide the voice and the platform for dialogue to address and assist behaviour change. There is a pressing need to build capacities of teachers, healthworkers, multi-media providers and other stakeholders on the use of ICTs in combating HIV/AIDS. Can we strive to use ICTs to make a difference in Chitithali’s and Venkat Lakshmi’s lives? Note: Chitithali’s and Venkat Lakshmi’s stories were adapted from interviews by Ms.Reena Luke, Head, Communications, CMAI, in Health Dialogue Issue no.35.  Author: Sunita Abraham is the Senior Programme Co-ordinator, Community Health Department, Christian Medical Association of India.

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