BANKE, DEC 30 - Despite
awareness campaigns of various
government and non-government
agencies, people living with HIV
are still discriminated against in
the district.
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In a recent incident, 8-year-old
Anu and 6-year-old Durlav--dren Durgam Kumar and Sani
Adhikari--were expelled from their
school for no apparent reason
other than their parents being
HIV infected.
The children were admitted to
the Karkando-based Model
Academy School in nursery and
grade one, respectively, on August
5, but were expelled just five
days after their admission. “When
asked about the reason for their
expulsion, they said they will not
admit the children of the HIV-
infected parents," Durgam Kumar
said, adding they even told that
their children were infected with
HIV.
The couple contracted the
disease 12 years ago and are
taking antiretroviral drugs.
The school administration
allegedly expelled the children
going after a rumor mill that
labeled the children as HIV
infected. The children have been
traumatized after their
classmates started despising and
calling them HIV infected.
As their house is located just 200
metres from the school, Anu and
Durlav cannot help but cry seeing
children of their age going to
school. The parents said they
have no answer when the
children ask them why they
cannot go to school like other
kids.
Meanwhile, Bhupendra Adhikari,
principal of the school, said they
did not expel the children on the
grounds of having HIV-infected
parents. "We did not expel the
children, it was the Adhikari
couple that took the children
away, even when we called the
couple to school to discuss about
an awareness programme they
were going to organise about the
disease," Adhikari said.
The Adhikari couple, however,
claim that the school put
pressure on them to sign release
papers of their children
promising free education for them
in the Capital.
With his own children
discriminated against in the
school, Durgam Kumar, who works
as the coordinator of Nawa Kiran
Plus, an organisation working for
the welfare of the HIV-infected
children, has found himself at the
receiving end this time.
