|
|
| CS |
Profiles in Action: Bianca Jagger
[12.05.02]
Source: FPA
Author: R. Nolan
Click here to play streaming audio of this interview.
Hello, and welcome to the Foreign Policy Association's newest online radio series, Profiles in Action. Today we are most fortunate to be joined from London by Ms. Bianca Jagger. Ms. Jagger has recently returned from a trip to India, where she offered her time and assistance to underage sex workers caught in a vicious circle of sex, exploitation and AIDS. Ms. Jagger has been unwavering in her efforts to bring the issue of HIV awareness to the forefront of the international agenda, and has also been active in speaking out for human rights across the globe � from Bosnia to Latin America � and on environmental issues that continue to impact nations worldwide.
Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today Bianca.
Thank you so much for having me.
As I mentioned, you've recently returned from India, where you worked on a number of HIV/AIDS education projects to improve HIV awareness and prevention among commercial sex workers. Obviously India has one of the world's largest populations infected with HIV. What are some of the challenges that women in particular are facing in India today?
One of the most significant differences between conservative societies in some developing nations and the United States or Europe is the amount of emphasis put on the practice of safe sex and the use of condoms. In a patriarchal society such as India, women don't have that option, especially when we refer to sex workers and children engaged in prostitution. There are an estimated 4,000,000 people infected with HIV/AIDS, and according to a U.S. Government report there will be approximately 25 million people infected with HIV/AIDS by the year 2010.
I had the opportunity to speak to many women and children in the Red Light area of Calcutta for whom safe sex is simply not an option. I went to India with Christian Aid to support and learn about the work of Sanlaap, an organization working with sex workers and trafficked children in Calcutta. I visited one of their shelter homes for girls, called Sneha, which means affection, where 48 girls ages 10 to 18 had been rescued by the police after being trafficked. Children who are rescued have to undergo a mandatory HIV/AIDS test, and 28 of the 48 girls were already infected with the virus -- more than 50 percent!
I had a very upsetting conversation with one group of girls who told unspeakable stories of abuse, cruelty and betrayal. One of the girls described how men that looked emaciated, sick and sometimes covered with scabs would come to solicit their services at the brothel. She said that the children would beg the madams not to have to sleep with them, but the madams wouldn't care because those men will pay more to have unprotected sex with a virgin, since they are considered to be safer and more fresh. If they refused, they were abused, beaten and burned with cigarettes. There were adult women who told me that men would pay more if they had sex without condoms as well. By doing so they were condemning those girls to die.
And there isn't any kind of regulation of the commercial sex industry in India, is that correct?
There are 400,000 children involved in prostitution in India, and most of them were trafficked. If we talk about regulation -- is the law enforced to protect them? No, it is not. Are there many pimps, traffickers, madams and brothel owners who are brought to justice? No, very few. Is that only happening in India? No, it is happening in many countries throughout the world.
There are about 2 million children who are being sold into prostitution today in the world, and the worst aspect of this is that many men infected with HIV/AIDS believe that if they sleep with a virgin, especially a child, that they will be cured. It is happening throughout Southeast Asia, all the way down to South Africa, where this terrifying belief is driving the sale and commercialization of children.
In your opinion, how might the international community better combat some of these issues and misconceptions?
Every country in the world -- with the exception of the United States and Somalia -- has ratified the convention on the rights of the child. Every government has an obligation to protect their children. They have an obligation to bring the culprits to justice -- traffickers, pimps, brothel owners, madams and all those who engage in the commercial exploitation of children. The international community needs to put pressure on governments that are permitting these unspeakable crimes to go on unpunished, because sex trafficking is taking place across borders, between developed and developing nations. The laws need to be enforced.
When we talk about AIDS, there are various issues that need to be addressed. Perhaps the most important is the issue of poverty, because poverty fuels HIV/AIDS. That is probably the reason why the spread of AIDS is devastating Africa, where you have countries with up to 40 percent of the population infected. I visited Zambia last year with Christian Aid, and there you have an estimated 20 percent of the population infected with HIV.
I should point out that today that there are more women infected with HIV/AIDS than men. Those who say we shouldn't be concerned about HIV because it only infects a certain segment of the population are utterly wrong. HIV/AIDS is afflicting the heterosexual segments of the population in most developing nations, and it is beginning to happen in many developed nations. In England alone, for example, this year and over the past eight months there has been an increase of 25 percent in HIV/AIDS infections. We have had an increase of more than 3000 new people infected with HIV/AIDS right here in England in the last eight months, most of them under the age of 25.
If we are serious about winning the battle against HIV/AIDS there are various issues we need to tackle -- issues of poverty, education and the enforcement of laws. There are, of course, the issues of prevention, finding a cure and gender discrimination against women as well. Who will provide the anti-retroviral drugs for those that are already infected? In most developing nations, just one dose of anti-retroviral drugs is equal to what a person may make in an entire year.
There is also the issue of the health infrastructures in many countries, such as those in southern Africa, that need to be better developed to distribute drugs and treat patients�
Even in India, where it is more developed, if someone is willing to undergo a test, they will find very few places that can provide anti-retroviral medicines.
One of the other issues I wanted to ask you about is the problem of AIDS orphans. I think a lot of people don't understand exactly how many of these children are being left parentless by the deadly disease, and the numerous social problems that arise from having a large population of orphans. Could you tell us a little bit about your experience with this issue?
There are approximately 30 million orphans on the continent of Africa. It's not that they have been abandoned by their parents -- their parents have died. A lot of these children are living with their grandparents, and many are infected themselves. We are seeing entire generations lost. There are many reasons why we should care. Not only is it a moral responsibility, but soon there will literally be hundreds of thousands of people trying to escape countries where HIV/AIDS is ravaging their society, who want to go looking for a better future.
We talked a little bit about the difference between �activism� and �campaigning� before we began the interview. The work undertaken overseas by people such as yourself does not stop once you leave a country such as India. Could you tell us about some of the efforts you make in cities like London and New York to bring what you see back to the people?
On AIDS Day here in England, 22 NGOs got together and launched a �Stop AIDS� campaign. One of the objectives was first to convince the public to lobby the British government and other industrialized nations to increase funds given to combat HIV/AIDS to the $10 billion that has been requested by the United Nations. Secondly, the campaign was meant to persuade the British government to increase its aid from 200 million pounds to 750 million pounds, and to raise awareness. We need our children to understand that HIV/AIDS is not a disease that has been controlled, and that we are not immune. We need to continue to take precautionary measures.
What challenges do people like yourself -- who are really campaigning for more awareness and to make the connection between Western nations like the United States and the UK with places like India and Africa -- face on a daily basis?
Well, some of the challenges involve convincing people why we should be focusing so much money and attention on these issues. We have an interconnected world. We cannot regard Africa as a far away land that has no impact in our society. We need to understand that. If we want to create a world that is more equitable, that is based on justice and democracy, then we need to ask our governments to provide funding to help face up to the challenges of preventing and combating HIV and AIDS.
The battle for hearts and minds is one that has moved to the forefront of international relations, particularly for the United States. Based on your experiences in promoting health education, human rights and a better environment around the world, how are Americans perceived by those you have worked with?
I wish that Americans were able to go to some of the places I have visited this year. I was in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East, and India, and there is a lot of resentment toward Americans in many of these places that needs to be addressed. It would be helpful if the U.S. government and Americans had a better understanding and communication with places such as Pakistan, where there is a very dangerous anti-American feeling at the moment.
In Afghanistan people are still hopeful � they are still hopeful that the promises made will be fulfilled. They are worried about the consequences of a war against Iraq, and they fear they will be forgotten. If the U.S. government doesn't seriously engage in nation building, we may see a repetition of past defeats that other conquering nations have suffered in Afghanistan. Let's not cry victory too soon. It is so important for the United States to maintain relationships with all developing nations, and for Americans to continue to be engaged and interested in what is happening in the rest of the world.
Many within the foreign policy establishment have been quick to dismiss the efforts of those who may be better known for their celebrity status than for their international campaigning � yet you yourself have been given awards by the United Nations, and you have testified in front of the U.S. Congress and British and European parliaments as well. Is that something you have come up against � people failing to take you seriously because they are hung up on your past romances or your fame?
Not really, not anymore. I have been doing human rights and humanitarian work for the last 21 years, and I think that I am no longer considered to be a celebrity as much as I am a human rights campaigner. I have dedicated my life to the issues of human rights, civil liberties and humanitarian causes. But it is an issue, I think, that a lot of people will question celebrities who just do photo opportunities, and soon forget the issues they are trying to raise.
What can we expect from Bianca Jagger in 2003?
I have made a pledge on AIDS Day that I will work on combating the commercial sexual exploitation and the trafficking of children. I think that it is an issue that we all need to address � the dreams of children around the world are being betrayed because governments are not fulfilling their obligations to bring the criminals to justice.
Bianca, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. We appreciate your time and efforts in the field of human rights across the globe, and hope to see you in New York soon.
Thank you.
http://www.fpa.org/topics_info2414/topics_info_show.htm?doc_id=137235 |
|
|
| riffhard64 |
what a waste of bandwidth... |
|
CHAT ROOM aka THE FUN HOUSE] [
RESTROOMS]