Hyderabad, June 12: Ramaiah is a broken man. Ever since it became publicly known, that he and his wife are HIV positive, his life has crumbled around him.
He was forced to vacate out of his rented home and he has stopped getting work as a mason.
“They drove us out of our place of stay, I lost my livelihood, I am facing social discrimination, I don’t know what I am going to do with my children,” he said.
The couple and their two children now live in a makeshift tenement belonging to a childhood friend. His wife Seetha occasionally manages to get work as construction labour.
“Some people say they should be driven away from here. At work, I am not allowed to go near anyone. I can drink water only when they pour it out for me. I can’t touch the pot or the glass. Some people will say, if she works here, we won’t come. So they won’t give me work from the next day. If we die, what will happen to our children? We don’t have any hope on anyone in this world. That is what experience has taught us,” said Seetha.
What should this family do? Whose door should they knock for justice against stigma and discrimination? The truth is there is no mechanism that they can access to ensure protection of their rights and demand delivery of even essential services.
-Courtesy: NDTV