The Center for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), a public interest research and advocacy group committed to enhancing the representation of gender and development issues such as HIV/AIDS on the mass media, in partnership with Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), is holding a media consultation workshop on HIV/AIDS on 14th and 15th of September 2006 at The Retreat, Erangal Beach, Madh Island, Marve Road, Malad (W), Mumbai. The purpose of the workshop is to initiate a dialogue and interaction between institutions and agencies managing the response to HIV in Mumbai, grassroots groups that are working with the community and the media that has over the years been systematically covering and reporting on this issue.

With the prevention strategies in a state like Maharashtra being scaled up, strengthening interaction and quality of partnership with stakeholders such as the media is extremely vital. The media has responded to the epidemic, used opportunities such as the World AIDS Day or pegs like injustice, breakthroughs, high profile events to expose stigma and discrimination, publicise scientific breakthroughs in treatment and care, and last but not the least, report on major communication campaigns and prevention strategies of NACO and the state level SACS.

Despite all this coverage, we find that we need to collectively engage with the many challenges that the epidemic forces us to contend with, including the experience of key populations and the underlying issues and concerns that defines and influences the vulnerability of different social groups to HIV/AIDS.

It is in this context that the effort to interact and dialogue with the media practitioners, collectively brainstorm and engage with the different challenges that civil society, governments and concerned institutions face, assumes significance and relevance.

Objectives of the media consultation are to:

" Interact with representatives of different agencies, institutions and community-based organizations mounting complex response to HIV/AIDS. Get exposed to challenges, experiences and learning from the ground - voices of the community and NGOs partnering with the community

" Collectively engage with the challenge of catalyzing an informed discourse on HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support and treatment

" Develop practical norms and mechanisms to foster and sustain the dialogue and interaction between government, civil society organizations and the media.

There will be interactive presentations by experts from MDACS, NGOs working on the issue, Sharing by groups working at the grassroots, and sharing by representatives of the community.

For more details
please call Pankaj at 09890615783
Sanyogita at 09822983535 or
CFAR at 020-25381253/65221075.