by Sumon Corraya

According to the UN, 9,500 people are HIV-positive in the country. About 50 of them are Catholics. Because of social stigma, people have been forced to change their name and move away from home. Caritas Bangladesh provides economic and spiritual assistance, including bursaries to the children of the poorest, but for volunteer, preventing priests from addressing the issue is making matters worse.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) – I had to "leave my community because I was told that I was sick because of my sins! People looked at me in a very negative way, but I know that I am not to blame for this disease. I got it from my husband,” said Mina Gomes (not her real name).

Since she became HIV-positive, she has had to change her identity and move away from her village. Her husband, a migrant worker, died a year after he was infected.

Last Tuesday, 1 December, was World AIDS Day. Like Mina, some 50 Bangladeshi Catholics have been infected with the virus. Caritas Bangladesh is in charge of their care.

Bangladesh’s Health Ministry data indicate that the country had 3,664 AIDS patients in 2014. The United Nations AIDS (UNAids) programme put the number at 9,500. So far, 472 people are known to have died of the illness.

"Little by little, the number of HIV-positive patients is creeping up in the country, including among Christians,” said Edward Pallab Rozario, head of the Caritas Bangladesh Health Project.

“Most patients,” he told AsiaNews, “will not reveal that they are positive because of the social stigma.”

Since 2007, the Catholic Church has offered a host of services for people living with HIV. However, for patients, the social consequences of their illness are worse than the illness itself.

"Many priests told me that they are not allowed to mention AIDS in their homily,” Rozario said. However, “if they could warn parishioners and explain the disease in their pastoral outreach, this would be fruitful. Priests visiting homes can play a vital role in lowering the risks associated with HIV/AIDS."

For now, Caritas is offering spiritual and financial support and some counselling to Christian patients and their children. "Twice a year, we meet with them to offer spiritual assistance and bursaries to the poorest families,” he explained. “We also organise vocational courses in crafts and small-scale business management, so that patients can earn a living."

• bangladesh
• aids
• prevention
• stigma
• assistance