Friday, November 26, 2010

16 Days of Activism: Abandoned because of HIV status:

From November 25 to December 10, every year countries world over observe 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

As the world take action this year I tell stories of women and young girls who have suffered gender based violence because of their HIV status. Today, we hear from Ivy Kazembe.

Born on November 25, 1969, Mrs. Kazembe, is a window looking after five children. She comes from the area of Traditional Authority Mpama Chiradzulu District. She is currently putting up in Area 22 in the capital Lilongwe.

“My husband died on 20 March 1997 after he suffered from meningitis. After my husband died, I decided to get marry to another man in 2004”.

However, Mrs. Kazembe did not get the happiness she sought in a second marriage as her new husband abused her after realizing that she was HIV positive.

“But because of my status he said, he could not continue staying with me despite that he had made me pregnant. He just left and never come back. Currently, I have a child who is lacking support”.

She confesses that she entered into the new marriage without informing her new husband of her status.

“I know he heard from of my neighbors. You know, there some neighbors who are always speaking about your status”, says Mrs. Kazembe.

She says her new husband went away with all house belongings, including a mattress she was sleeping on when her condition had deteriorated.

“He pulled me down the mat! I felt very hurt and sorry for myself”, says Mrs. Kazembe, “I thought we should have sat down to discuss the issue.”

Mrs. Kazembe, like many other women did not report her predicament to any authority. “Even I had reported I knew, there was nothing that could have been done because no one knew where the man had gone” she narrates her story. “I heard that he died in Blantyre”.

Adding to this Mrs. Kazembe says she feels discriminated when she goes to hospital to receive medication. “We are not treated well. We are told to stay on one side and some people point at us, saying we are HIV positive”, she says.

In her neighborhood she also says some people try to avoid her and her relatives are also not helping her the way she expected.

“You see, I am widow with five children depending on me. Despite having several relatives, I find it hard to take care of the children”, she says, “It’s hard for me to find food and school fees for my children”.

Mrs. Kazembe says she has ever heard that government wants to prioritize women in the subsidized farm input programme, but he she has never benefited.

Currently Mrs. Kazembe is engaged in a charcoal selling business to make ends meet, but she says she does not get enough income from her business to meet all her needs.

She once tried to start pig farming with support from a community based organization called Meaningful Action on HIV/Action Support Network Association, (Masuna) in Lilongwe but thieves pulled her down when they stole the livestock.

The role of support groups

Mrs. Kazembe, nonetheless, points out that the situation has changed significantly compared to years between 2003 and 2005.

“We meet here (Masuna) men and women who are HIV positive and encourage each other to follow good health practices in a bid to sustain our lives.

Working under the Coalition of Women Living with HIV and AIDS, Masuna which was opened in 2005 is also involved in community civic education on HIV/AIDS, farming and orphan care.

All the 63 children under Masuna custody lost their parents due to AIDS relates ailments.

“We have 58 women and 22 men”, says Mrs. Kazembe. “We also assist widows and some other people who came with various problems.

“We strongly urge all our female members to avoid getting pregnant. If a man impregnates a woman who is HIV positive, we regard that as gender based violence”.

According to Mrs. Kazembe her decision to join a support group has helped to transform her life. “I no longer have any worries. I am now confident of my life and I can now relax”, she says.

“I urge my fellow women who have gone through similar challenges to report to relevant authorities. If you don’t they will suffer in silence”. “You can also report to the victim support unit at your nearest police station”, adds Mrs. Kazembe.

A call for Action

In order to improve the welfare of HIV positive women in Malawi, Mrs. Kazembe urges government to create jobs for them and provide them with loans to start up small scale businesses so that we can easily raise the children.

“We need to receive loans and do some business, because, staying idle can also lead us into risky behaviors instead of taking care of our lives”.

“I also would like to urge nongovernmental organizations to continue providing support to women living with HIV so that they can progress in their lives”.

My Survival Story on Online is sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (Osisa).

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