women..aids..stigma

Kes pertama HIV/AIDS dikesan pada tahun 1986 dan semenjak itu bilangan kes tersebut boleh dikatakan semakin hari semakin meningkat. Kaum wanita tidak terkecuali menjadi sebahagian daripada kes ini. Aku tergerak hati nak tulis pasal benda ni sebab aku nak kongsi serba sedikit dari pengalaman aku.It started when i completed my SPM. In order to abolish rasa bosan aku, aku terpanggil untuk join satu badan NGO ni. Actually, aku join benda ni atas dasar nak teman kawan aku je. This non-government organization ni also known as Pertubuhan Masyarakat Prihatin (PMP) which is the main objective is to help the single mother that got infected with HIV/AIDS. To tell you the truth, before this aku tak kisah pun dengan benda2 camni sebab bagi aku buat ape nak pikir, lagi pun family aku takde pun yang kene infected but because of my involvement dalam NGO ni, it apparently change my view and perception.

Let me tell you one of my story. One day, me and my other colleague and of course my leader of the team, Abg.Yien and his co-assistant Abg Zul had a mission in Pusat Serenti Bachok. At first, seriously aku rase cam alien je, ye laa, ne kan first time aku masuk pusat serenti and the way diorang pandang pun buat aku seram. Tapi, teguran lembut dari seorang akak pegawai kat situ make me felt much better.First thing yang aku tgk adalah diorang ada sistem sendiri. Ada banyak partition dalam komuniti diorang mcm biro2 laa. Memang teratur and very organize. As usual, satu kumpulan mesti kena ada ketua kan. Dari pemerhatian aku, ketua yang dipilih memang garang gile and they seems can control all the group members kalau diorang macam ganas ke, high ke, ketua2 ni la yang handle.

Next, tibe la saat yang ditunggu2. Ne kire macam sesi suai kenal and luahan hati.Setiap fasi kene duduk dalam group yang ditetapkan. Macam2 aku tau dari sesi ne,ade sorang akak ne cite sal hidup die. According to her, she was a prostitute before, die start keje dari muda lagi, time tu ape yang dia pikir hanya nak sara keluarga je, husband die mmg tak gune, tiap2 ari balik pukul, dera, anak2 pun jd mangsa. Lebih malang lg, husband die ne mmg penagih dadah tegar, and obviously die pun terinfected. Nasib baik anak2 free from it. Bile aku tanye, ape plan bile dah kuar dari pusat ne, die cakap die nak jumpe anak2 and pastu balik semula ke pusat ne and keje kat sini. The reason is die tak nak anak2 die malu sb yang pertama die ne bekas pelacur and sb yang ke-2 die malu dgn orang sekeliling yang suka hina, cemuh disebabkan she infected by AIDS. Aku rase geram and feel its so unfair nak judge orang sampai camtu skali. She become a prostistute with a reason, not just playing around and she got infected because of her bloody husband. She doesn't asked for it.Satu lg story berbunyi begini. Her husband worked as a taxi driver, she is from Kelantan and according to her, her husband selalu pergi belah2 Siam cari perempuan lain and from that he got infected and bile balik he transmitted it towards her pulak. She never know that her husband got infected but one day when she made some medical checkup, cek darah sume, baru la die realised yang husband die laa yang bertanggungjawab transmit this crap. Start dari situ la, org kampung duk mengata, perli, hina bagai sedangkan diorang tak tau yang jadi punca adalah suaminya.

Bile aku teringat balik sume cite2 ne, aku terfikir, when it comes to women, ade je yg tak kene.Bukan aku nk jadi sexism ke ape, tapi itulah yg dapat aku simpulkan. Aids, women and stigma, 3 benda yg berkaitan. Aku secara jujurnya, bukan nak jadi saint ke ape, tapi dengan rasa kemanusiaan bercita2 mahu menolong golongan wanita yg infected ne supaya dapat hak mereka masing2. Aku tak sanggup tgk diorang menderita, nak beli ubat pun tak mampu, nak sara anak lagi sedangkan suami sendiri lari entah ke mana. Bukan setakat tu je, diorang kene mengadap pulak masyarakat yang kadang-kala perangai macam sampah, sorry to say laa, asyik hina diorang je. Come on laa, diorang tak pernah mintak jadi macam ni, jd buka minda and fikir.

Kudos to PMP and others organisasi like PinkTriangle, Malaysian Aids Council yang ade inisiatif nak bela nasib diorang ni. Women especially should have some sort of knowlegde about AIDS, how the treatment and so on. The society also should be taught about this. This kind of stigma should be stop!!! Don' t ever judge people just like that, but help them whenever you can. They need us.Please.. and don't forget the children who got infected, they need our help.