Campaign Launched By Cricketers to Curb Discrimination Against People Living With HIV/AIDS

March 25, 2008

Indian cricketers Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag and former cricket star Krishnamachari Shrikanth and
U.S. Consul General, David T. Hopper with children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS at the launch of the "Discrimination Hurts" campaign in Chennai on Monday, March 24, 2008. Photo credit: Voluntary Health Services

CHENNAI – Members of the Indian cricket team along with leading film celebrities joined with U.S. and Tamil Nadu government officials in launching a major HIV/AIDS awareness and anti-discrimination campaign. The campaign, “Discrimination Hurts”, is an initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development implemented by the AIDS Prevention and Control (APAC) project in coordination with the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society. The campaign focuses on addressing stigma and discrimination in three major settings - at work, health care settings, and in educational institutions.

At the program launch on March 24, Indian Cricket Team players interacted with HIV+ people living in Tamil Nadu and with children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, providing them with roses and signed cricket bats. As a mark of their commitment to the campaign, the players and film celebrities also took photographs with people living with HIV/AIDS and kicked off the “signature campaign” by signing their names. The signature boards with the core message endorsed by the players and celebrities will be displayed at the entry points of the M.A. Chidambaram stadium, for the public to sign and support during the upcoming India-South Africa Test Match.

David T. Hopper, Consul General, U.S. Consulate Chennai; V. K. Subburaj IAS, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu; Supriya Sahu IAS, Project Director and Member Secretary, Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society; Dr. Michael Friedman, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Dr. N. S. Murali, Honorary Secretary, Voluntary Health Services, Chennai; and Dr. Bimal Charles, Project Director, APAC project, were present to support the cause.