Dear friends,

In this week’s update, we take a look at a controversial trade agreement between the EU and India that threatens to leave millions of people without access to affordable, life-saving medicines. We also discuss a recent CNN broadcast that many fear will further stigmatize people with mental disabilities.

Thank you for reading and please send me your feedback.

Paul Silva
psilva@sorosny.org
Follow me on Twitter: @PauloNYC

Thousands Protest for Affordable HIV Medicines in India

Thousands of people living with HIV and cancer took to the streets in India to protest a planned trade agreement between the European Union and India. Health experts and activists say the agreement would restrict access to affordable, generic versions of lifesaving medicines.

We recently blogged about the negative implications of the proposed agreement and interviewed Indian HIV activist Loon Gangte for his perspective. Loon, who is living with HIV, calls the proposed deal “a matter of life and death.” Read the interview and share your thoughts with Loon and other activists.

Médecins Sans Frontières, which relies on medicines developed in India to treat people with AIDS in the developing world, is encouraging people to sign a petition to the European Commission to “keep your hands off our medicine!”

Looking Beyond the Scandal: Mental Health in Kenya

CNN recently broadcast “Locked Up and Forgotten,” a special feature on people with mental disabilities in Kenya. While the program showed plenty of disturbing images of people in dire conditions, it neglected to show any positive examples of programs that help people with mental disabilities live full and happy lives. In her blog post, Judy Klein asks why the media insists only on focusing on the misery of people with mental disabilities. Would it be too dull to showcase the successful programs currently being implemented in Kenya?

Read Judy’s blog, watch the video, and tell us what you think.

We're Hiring

Program Officer—International Harm Reduction Development Program (Application Deadline: April 1, 2011)
Program Officer—Access to Essential Medicines Initiative (Application Deadline: April 8, 2011)
Senior Program Officer—Law and Health Initiative (Application Deadline: April 8, 2011)

What We're Reading

New Report: World’s Premier AIDS Event Neglects Populations Most at Risk for HIV – The Global Forum on MSM & HIV
Women Living With HIV: A Lesson in Resilience and Rights That U.S. Congress, the World Cannot Ignore – The Huffington Post
Blogging Positively: Interview with Blogger Leah Okeyo – Rising Voices
Reproductive Rights Violations as Torture – Center for Reproductive Rights

From Our Twitter Feed

Witness: Sari Stories - Women in rural Southern India are being trained as video journalists http://bit.ly/g5eGrM
RT @hrw: A Decade on, Progress on Same-Sex Marriages http://bit.ly/fcVhAa
RT @bupebabe: Hello Harm Reduction Friends! Methadone Man and I are gearing up for #ihra2011. Are you? Hope to see you in Beirut in just a few weeks.
Stop the racial segregation of #Roma children in schools that condemns them to a future as second-class citizens http://bit.ly/esLPy6