Description
The HIV/AIDS screening of the folk dancers was filmed and photos were shared on social media. Health department officials tested folk dancers for HIV/AIDS before they attended a fair on Sunday at a temple dedicated to Goddess Sita in Ashoknagar district, Madhya Pradesh. The folk dancers underwent HIV/AIDS tests in a makeshift facility at the temple. However, the authorities allegedly violated three essential rights for HIV/AIDS testing: the right to informed consent, the right to confidentiality, and the right to discrimination.
The National Commission for Women requested a report within five days, adding that the test was a "violation of the dancers' right to live with dignity."
Ashoknagar CMHO Dr. Neeraj Chhari stated that the HIV/AIDS test is not new and it was also done last year. He claimed that the folk dancers had given their consent and that the tests were just a precaution "to be safe".
"This is not the first year that the Rai folk dancers have been tested for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B. It was the second year in a row that the tests have been carried out. The tests of the 10 folk dancers who They did so with their visible consent, and in no way meant that we doubted them,” said Dr. Chhari.
"But to be sure, tests have been done," he added.
