The term HIV/AIDS is known to all of us and different initiatives have been taken for last few years to address it. If a sustainable development goal is set to achieve zero level of HIV infection prevalence, then the monitoring ought to be target based and in structured form. Monitoring should start from community level and a committee has to be formed in each union to scrutinise focus groups. Support group carries accountability for giving proper support and aid to community people. Local leaders need to be selected and household surveys must be conducted in districts, upazilas and unions through health workers. Pressure groups should take necessary actions to convey information to government so that root level problems can be solved.
When registered migrants leave the country, all kinds of examination and inspection take place but after their returning home that process is not applied. If any male migrant returns with HIV virus that may affect his wife and she can be totally unaware of it. In Bangladesh considerable numbers of people are going abroad (mostly to India and Middle East) without any authorized papers, very few numbers of people go abroad in the registered way and from rural areas many people pass the border through illegal ways. Therefore survey can be conducted at union levels to know the actual number of migrants and according to that training, counselling can be given in a friendly manner to the spouses of the migrants. The HIV issue has to be sensitized among the migrants and their spouses. Addressing the specific needs of female migrants is very important. Many females are transferred to other countries and districts as sex worker, labourers through trafficking and when they return no measures to examine their health condition are taken. If any sexual intercourse occurs by female migrant they don't get any privilege to know their health status and also they cannot share with anyone if they feel apprehension of being HIV positive. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, donors and other NGOs can play roles for the advocacy on migration issue and can negotiate with embassies and health groups of Middle East and other countries to support the migrant people of our country.
Women's participation in eliminating the HIV virus by 2030 is very important. If women participate in creating awareness in society, then female migrants and wives of migrant people can get proper counselling and training about how to avoid HIV virus. Gender equality can play a vital role to control the social deprivation and safeguard rights of people. Creation of stigma awareness, laws for violence and legal support in other issues, mainstreaming through government for HIV migrants is necessary. Government and donors can allocate funds for HIV. Tracking the flow of migrants (both outgoing and incoming) through establishing a database/record is very important and awareness has to be created by giving training, sharing knowledge among all registered and unregistered migrants. Orientation with health check-up must be done both before leaving and after returning to the country.
Many promotional materials/advertisements have been published to promote precautions for HIV/AIDS but to address the migrant issue is also necessary to completely eliminate HIV/AIDS. If all people cooperate and work together for the empowerment (e.g. decision making, access to information etc.) of female migrants and gender specific services for women (e.g. counselling, address violence) then it will help in a great way. Government needs to establish professional partnership/collaboration with relevant stakeholders locally and abroad (e.g. SAARC, Colombo Process, OIC etc.). Female migrants should know about UBR (United body rights) and when they leave the country they should get full counselling about health insurance, their property rights. If these problems and issues get addressed, then no more people will be attacked by HIV virus in our country. And it will be possible to eliminate this menace.
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