HIV/AIDS
Stigma, Youth
and the Private Sector in India
Indian Business Trust for HIV / AIDS
Confederation of Indian Industry
IBT / CII
• India has an economic growth rate of 8.5%
and is a leading destination for FDI
• The private sector contributes about twothirds of India’s GDP
• 60% of GDP comes from the services sector
• The organized sector employs 8% of the
workforce
However,
• 5.2 million believed to be infected with HIV/AIDS
• The prevalence rate is 0.91%, yet India has the
second highest number of people living with AIDS
• 90% of those infected are in the productive age
group of 15-49 years
• Four States with high economic growth rates are
among the six with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates
About CII
1996
CII begins work on HIV/AIDS
1999
Develops an HIV/AIDS Policy for the
business sector
2000
Red Ribbon Campaign
Sets up the Indian Business Trust
for HIV/AIDS (IBT)
Milestones
Health Smart Card, 2005
Corporate ART Centers, 2007
Goal
6,500 CII members companies with
sustainable HIV/AIDS workplace
programs
Some innovative corporate projects
• ACC - first corporate ART centre
• Tata Steel - corporate training programs include their
HIV/AIDS workplace program
• Modicare - established and manages a VCTC in a
public hospital
• Standard Chartered Bank - an e-learning program
about HIV/AIDS and “Living with HIV/AIDS
Champions”
• Satyam Foundation - works with the community on
HIV/AIDS
Contributing Factors for Success
• Strong leadership
• A corporate culture that believes in social
responsibility
• HIV/AIDS workplace programs added onto existing
social programs
• Companies setting up their own foundations
• Peer reinforcement through membership of CII
The IT Industry*
• The IT industry contributes around 4.8% of India’s
GDP
• Annual revenues for the FY 2005-06 were over USD
36 billion
• Has achieved a year-on-year growth of 34% in the
exports of IT and ITES products and services
• IT software and services industry has over 1.3
million highly qualified employees
*Information
Courtesy NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies)
The IT Industry
Distribution by Size and
Ownership*
•
•
•
•
•
Large companies: 10.5%
Medium Companies: 11%
Small Companies: 54.5%
Service providers: 3.5%
Multinational companies: 21%
* NASSCOM
The IT Industry
Membership by cities
More than 65% of
NASSCOM’s membership
base operates in high
prevalence States*
* NASSCOM
Why focus on the IT sector?
• A young workforce, between the ages of 21-45 years,
with significant disposable income
• Away from traditionally restrictive families, and
“partying hard”
• New social freedoms make them vulnerable to
contracting the virus, resulting in a new risk
category
• 7% of 1,300 adults in a survey reported having more
than five sexual partners*
• Misperception that educated people do not contract
HIV/AIDS
• No macro study yet of HIV/AIDS and IT sector
* Wall Street Journal 8/9/06
Stigma
• Pre-existing prejudices reinforce stigma of HIV/AIDS
• A conservative society responds to HIV/AIDS with fear,
denial, discrimination, ostracism
• Fear of discrimination leads to denial
• Stigma affects women and families
• In the workplace, fear of loss of employment
• Testing for HIV/AIDS: a complex issue
• Inadequate knowledge and false beliefs are responsible
for stigma
Youth
• 35% new infections took place among those below age of 25
• One third of India’s population is in this age group
• A recent study* revealed that, despite strict parental supervision and
societal norms, 30% of young men and 10% of young women
indulged in unmarried relationships
• Another study** reveals that, despite a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic,
many young people have unprotected sex
• In the BPO sector, a majority of employees are around the age of 25
years
* Population Council of India
** National Institute of Health and Family Welfare
Youth
• Increasingly, youth is emerging as the new high risk group
• Young people do not have reliable sources of information on
reproductive health
• YUVA (Youth Unite for Victory on Aids), a national initiative to
disseminate HIV/AIDS prevention information and action
messages:
for urban youth - interactive YUVA website, FAQs,
E-counseling
for rural youth - youth clubs and youth development
centers
• However, six States have plans to ban sex education for
adolescents*
*
Reuters 17/5/07
HIV/AIDS Prevention in the IT Sector
• An educated workforce, hence, easier to provide
information
• New forms of communication (e.g., chat forums) can be
used, for interactive communication and privacy
• A dynamic sector, where companies have enlightened
leadership that embraces prevention activities for
employees
• Companies willing to extend their participation in
HIV/AIDS programs by working with the community
• Especially in the innovative use of technology to provide
health education for youth in general
Business has an unparalleled
opportunity to use its
expertise, influence, and
acumen in the fight to end
HIV/AIDS by intensifying
prevention efforts through
workplace programs, targeted
behavior change marketing
campaigns, and strengthened
advocacy to reduce stigma
and discrimination.
www.indianbusinesstrust.org