Drugs & Sex: Mizote HIV+ min vei tîrtu

posted at misual.com on May 12th, 2012 9:45 am by Nundika Hnamte

MSACS official website-in a record dân chuan October 1990 aṭanga March 2012 thleng khan Mizoram-ah blood test nei mi 1,88,186 (Nuai khat sing riat sang riat za sawm riat leh paruk) an awm a, chûng zîngah chuan HIV+ mi 6,829 (Sang ruk za riat sawmhnih leh pakua) an awm.[1] Hei hi mi 100 blood test a mi 3 zel HIV+ vei ang an ni. Hetih lâi hian AIDS vanga thi mi 295 chiah an la awm thung.[2] HIV+ nei mi 6534 (6829-295=6534) khawlaiah an la lêng tihna erawh a ni lovang! Mi sang eng emaw zat chu chhan (cause) dang vangin an liam tawh ang tih hriat a ṭha. Chutih rualin vei reng, blood test neih lêm loh vanga record loh erawh mi eng emaw zat an awm ang tih chu a rin hriat theih awm e.

MSACS hian HIV+ inkaichhawn a nih dân (Mode of Transmission) hi record bawkin ‘sex’ hman aṭanga vei (sexual contact) mi 4,461; drugs-a inchiu vanga vei (Injecting Drug Users/IDU’s) mi 1,918; nausen vei (perinatal) mi 255 leh chhan dang (others not specified) vanga vei mi 195 an awm tawh a ni.[3]

HIV+ zîngah 65% hi ‘sex’ hman aṭanga vei an ni a, Mizote’n sex hman kan fimkhur a ngai hle tih a lang thei. Tin, 28% chu drugs-a inchiu vâng a ni thung. Hei hi MLTP nghawng chhuah a nihna lâi a awm. Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition (MLTP) Act, 1995 kan neih hma, 1988 daih tawh khan zu zawrh phalna ‘license’ kha ‘expire’-in ‘renew’ a ni tawh lo hrim hrim.[4] Kha mi hnu aṭang khân Mizoramah drugs a hluar ṭanin, zu zawrh lâia drugs vanga thi kum tin mi 1-5 lek lek an awm lâiin MLTP Act kan neih hnuah chuan mi 70 chuang drugs vângin kan thi kumtin a ni deuh mai (1995-ah mi 55, 2000-ah mi 131, 2005-ah 42).[5] MLTP hi a hrisel lo anih dawn hi! Amaherawhchu, 2004 aṭang hian ‘Ruihhlo Do’ kumpuan (2004-08) vang nge ni drugs vanga thihna (drugs-related death) a tla hniam rawih rawih. ‘Drug abuse’ a hniam taa MLTP chu a him ta tihna em ni? Ni kher love! MSACS record-ah tho, March 2012-a blood test nei zîngah chuan sex vângin mi 29 leh drugs-a inchiu vangin mi 21 HIV+ thar an la awm cheu! Sex mai ni lovin drugs pawh kan panna lâi tak a la ni fo mai.[6]

A solution: “Prevention is better than cure.” ‘Sex’ hmang lo tûra inzirtîrnate hi chu nu leh pate’n an fate chungah emaw kohhranin a member-te chungah emaw a sawi tûr a ni a, mimal zalên leh zalên inti chu thu kan inpein kan inkhuahkhirh ngawt thei lova, a sawt dawn hek lo! Chuvangin, a hmasa berah chuan insûm thei lo chuan ‘safe sex’ hman kan zir a ngai a; kawppui thlan fimkhur a ṭul bawk tih hi kan hriat a ngai (prevention). A dawtah chuan ‘drug abuse’ hi tih tlêm a ngai a, inchiu chi ngat phei chu a ngai leh zual. ‘Salvation/Revivial camping’ te hi ṭha viau mahse khuareiah chuan awmzia a nei lêm lo a tih theih ang (long-term-ah a effective tawk lo). Mizorama ‘drug abuse’ ti hluartu, kan MLTP Act hi hlip ta ila, ṭhalaite’n zu ruih tûr mumal deuh tak kan nei ang a, ‘drug abuse’ hi a ziana lâi chin a awm thei awm e, khuareiah. Chutiang a nih chuan inchiu vânga HIV+ pawh a tlêm phah ang.

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[1] Mizoram State AIDS Control Society, National AIDS Control Programme Mizoram Status Since October 1990 to March 2012; available from http://mizoramsacs.nic.in/newsite/hiv_status/latest_status.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Lalfakzuala, Rev. Human Rights vs Ruihhlo. Mizoram: Lengchhawn Press, 2006, 29-31

[5] Excise Anti-narcotic Squad. Drugs-related Deaths (Year-wise) W.E.F. 1984. Aizawl: Mizoram Excise & Narcotics Department, 2010.

[6] Mizoram State AIDS Control Society, Op.Cit.

How our mind works

How our mind works is a wondrous miracle.
How do you manage to throw a ball of paper in a dust bin that is located at the corner of your room?
And what makes you run when you cross a road and you suddenly see a vehicle swiftly approaching?
Besides the mind being designed to understand, perceive and calculate things by thinking, it is also highly automated. After years and years of experience, there are certain times when it works by itself with little or no thinking at all.
Therefore, we may even have the capability to preconceive things before they actually happen or are proved. Suspect someone or something? You could be right!

The Night He Died

I visualize that night as a wretched night
For the followers of the crucified master.
The Man whom they had served for so long...
How they must've wished that they could see Him;
See their master just one more time.

I see Peter, the reckless,
So dejected and apathetic losing all his enthusiasms;
And the sensitive John,
Wiping his tears away as it runs down his cheeks.

They did not know what they are supposed to do,
Where they are supposed to go
And whom they are supposed to follow anymore
But to return to their old selves.

They, who had been awfully drowsy
And tired since the night before,
Must have seen Him in their dreams
With a wake shouting, "Master!"
But the Lord was in His grave.

Mizoram: MLTP Act leh Rape Crime

Mizoram hian zu khapna dân, Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act (1995) kan neih avang hian kan khawtlâng hi a himin a nuam a ni tia sawi a awm fo ṭhin. Hei hi zu khapna dân kan neih chhunzawm zêlna tûra sawrkar, kohhran, pawl leh mimal thlenga kan ṭanfung pawimawh tak pakhat pawh niin a lang. Kum 2009 pawh khan kan Excise & Narcotics Dept. commissioner chuan MLTP Act kenkawh nâna YMA hmalâkna avangin kan khawtlang chu eng hunah pawh hmeichhia leh naupangte tân a him thu a lo tlangaupui tawh hial a. Tin, 2009 vêk khan kan Synod hotu pakhat chuan MLTP Act hi 100% in hlawhtling lo mahse he dân kan neih hnua kan khawtlâng nawm sawt zia a lo sawi bawk

Mipuite himna leh muanna hi state mawhphurhna lian ber pakhat a ni a, Hobbes, Locke leh Rousseau-te ‘Social Contract’ theory pawha ‘state’ awmna chhan ber pawh a ni nghe nghe a ni. Khawtlâng himna leh muanna kawnga tûnlai Mizoram kan panna lâi ber nia lang chu ‘rape’ (pawngsual) crime hi a ni. Tute nge ‘victim’ chu kan hre tlâng e! Tûn kum, 2012, kum chanve êm pawh a la vei hma hauh pawhin he dân bawhchhiatna thuthang hi kan hre nasa tawh hle a ni. Entîrnân: New Year khan Zuangtuia TB vei patlingin naupang kum 5 mi a pawngsual; February khan police-in rualbanlo nula Lungleiah; March-ah naupang kum 8 mi N. Vanlaiphaiah leh a dang tam tak a awm tawhin a awm mêk a ni. Heng entîrna aṭang ringawt pawh hian rape crime hi kan hmeichhia leh naupangte khawtlanga an him lohna entîrtu leh an him leh him lohna tehfung pawimawh ber pakhat a ni a tih theih a ni.

Mizoram rape crime rate hi National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) annual publication, Crime in India aṭangin a hriat theih a ni. NCRB official-te chuan ‘crime rate’ hi ‘the number of incidents per lakh population’ angin an chhût a; state tinte ‘rank of criminality’ pawh a rate sân dan indawtin an chhinchhiah ṭhin. NCRB chhinchhiahnaa Mizoram, rape crime bîka kan dinhmun, kan thlir dawn a ni.

Kum 2010 khan Mizoram hian rape crime rate 9.1 kan nei a (case 92 register niin), India state 28 leh UT 7 te zîngah sâng berin criminality rank-ah 1-na kan ni. 2009-a 8.3 rate aṭangin kan criminality chu 0.8 in a tam belh. Min hnaihtu state-te chu kan ṭhenawm, Tripura 6.6, Assam 5.6 and Meghalaya 5.7 te an ni. Zu heh ram kan tih ṭhin, Kerala (1.8), Punjab (2.0) te chu pawngsual lamah hian an khawtlâng a him fe zawk tih a hmuh theih. Tin, ‘Ram thim, Kristiante tihduhdahna ram’ kan tih, Orissa-ah pawh pawngsual rate hi 2.5 chauh a ni. Zu khapna dân nei ve tho, Gujarat leh Nagaland te erawh kum 2010 khan rape crime rate 0.07 chauh an nei thung a ni. Tin, MLTP kan neih hma 1990-1994 quinquennial (kum 5) average chu 6.14 niin MLTP hnuaiah hian rape rate hi a tlâkhniam loh mai bâkah pun lam a pan zawk a ni. 

NCRB records aṭang chuan MLTP Act hnuaiah hian rape crime hi state dangte aiin a tam zawk tih a hmuh theih a, zu khapna dân hi pawngsual hluar chhan erawh a ni kher lovang (Nagaland leh Gujarat example). Amaherawhchu, pawngsual hluar êm êmna ram hi khawtlâng nuam leh muanawm chu a ni thei lovang. Kan opening paragraph-a MLTP fakna statements-te nen chuan kan records hmuh chu a inang lo hle bawk a ni. Chuvangin, kan rama pawngsual a hluar zia aṭang hian kan khawtlâng hi hmeichhiate leh naupangte tân a him lo tih hi kohhran te, sawrkar te, NGO te, chhungkua leh mimal thlengin kan pawm tlân a, MLTP-te ang ‘solution’ tling lo lutuka inṭawng thlamuana innghat mai mai tawh lova, a ‘solution’ tak tak tûr beng sika kan ngaihtuah tlân a hun tawh tak zet zet a ni.

References:

1 National Crime Records Bureau, "Crime in India" (New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs)

2 Adam Halliday, “Gujarat, Mizoram: United in prohibition, but different in implementation,” The Indian Express (Jul 20, 2009); available from www.indianexpress.com/news/gujarat-mizoram-united-in-prohibition-but/491430/

3 “Mizoram Church no to liquor ban Act amendment,” WebIndia123 (Jun 6, 2009); available from http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20090606/1269373.html

4. Picture available from: http://thekgexpress.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/banned-alcohol.jpg

Hooch Tragedies and Alcohol Policies

18^th December, 2011 (12:50AM) 

A similarity between prohibition policy and price increase policy to control alcohol consumption is that both encourage bootlegging. Under prohibition, bootlegged liquor is the only means to obtain liquor (unless you have a liquor permit issued by a registered medical practitioner). Under price increase policy, legal liquor is too expensive for the poor people. Due to its relatively low prices, bootlegged liquor is consumed by the poor.

We all know the potency of bootlegged liquor in impacting hooch deaths. The rich may afford to consume Indian Manufactured Foreign Liquor (IMFL) under prohibition or price increase but the poor who consume unlicensed local brew are always at the risk of hooch deaths. Hooch tragedies are, therefore, mostly confined to the poor people. For eg., the recent hooch tragedy in West Bengal (December 2011), Gujarat's hooch death in 2009, Karnataka in 2008 etc. are confined mostly to the rural poor.

It remains a challenge for the government to tackle the black marketing of liquor. In response to the recent hooch tragedy in West Bengal, the Chief Minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee said, "I want to take strong action against those manufacturing and selling illegal liquor."¹ prior to this, as a result of the 2009 hooch tragedy in Ahmedabad where 136 people after consuming illicit liquor died and another hundreds were hospitalized, the Gujarat Assembly unanimously passed the Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment Act) on 28^th July, 2009. It provided harsher punishment to those who sell and manufacture illicit liquor.² The bill was passed unopposed by amending the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949 (Gujarat Prohibition Act, 2009) in the absence of the Congress which boycotted the Assembly during that time.³ After keeping the bill on hold for more than two years, the Governor of the state, Kamla Beniwal gave her assent in December, 2011. While the old law provided punishment of imprisonment which may extend to one year only and fine to those who illegally manufacture, supply and sell hooch, the new law provided stringent punishments in the form of seven to ten years imprisonment, fine, and death penalty or life imprisonment in case of hooch tragedies.⁴

Laws, strict laws and still stricter laws! Will all these prevent the illicit market and curb the consumption of hooch? Or would it be a sound policy if:

i)                    a government repeals prohibition of alcohol?

ii)                  a government makes legal alcohol affordable?

References:

1. “India toxic alcohol kills 143 in West Bengal,” BBC Mobile (Dec. 15, 2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16174531

2. “Gujarat Assembly passes bill proposing death for bootleggers,” People’s Post (Aug. 19, 2009) http://peoples-post.com/nation/state/1040-gujarat-assembly-passes-bill-proposing-death-for-bootleggers.html

3. “Modhi jihad against Cong on hooch bill,” (Dec. 21, 2009) http://currentnews.in/2009/12/21/modi-jihad-against-cong-on-hooch-bill/

4. “Hooch tragedy: Gujarat Governor okays death penalty,” DNA (Dec. 6, 2011) http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_hooch-tragedy-gujarat-governer-okays-death-penalty_1622133

5. Picture source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-gallery-display/6516930102.jpg