India to host parallel conference for those who can't attend International AIDS Conference in U.S.

Jun 12 2012

"When stakeholders from across the world converge at Washington next month to participate in the International AIDS Conference (IAC) to share their experience and evaluations and to influence both popular and official perceptions and practices for curbing HIV/AIDS, India will host a parallel event for those who cannot make it there," the Hindu reports. "The event will be organized in Kolkata by Durbar Mahila Samanway Samiti (DMSS) -- an umbrella organization of over 65,000 sex workers of West Bengal in collaboration with the Global Network of Sex Work Project (NSWP)," the newspaper adds.

"For the first time in more than 20 years, the U.S. ... is hosting the conference," which "is being held from July 22 to 27," the Hindu writes. "However, the U.S. government's strict travel restrictions for sex workers will bar many of them from attending the event, Samarjit Jana, chair of the International AIDS Conference in India and founder member of the DMSS told the Hindu," the newspaper writes, adding, "The Kolkata meet is expected to be attended by over 900 delegates from across the world, including the U.S.," and "[t]here will be satellite communication between the two conferences so the conference hub in Kolkata will complement the main conference by facilitating sex workers' and other stakeholders' participation" (Dhar, 6/10).