One may even argue that in north India, and perhaps also in otherparts marriage itself is really a 'non-voluntary' thing with 80percent of the brides and grooms pushed around the fire by theirfamilies.
Premarital HIV testing no doubt could be desirable if the coupleconcerned wish to do some concrete planning of their lives together.Premarital HIV testing in itself is no guarantee that in `arranged'and often forced marriage extramarital heterosexual and homosexualliaisons will not occur that risk behaviour will be kept away thatthe risk of infected blood transfusion will be any less
The argument that the testing is desirable because it willsomehow 'protect' the 'innocent' bride from HIV/AIDS is alsopreposterous I would say it's a typically myopic middle-classargument on the one hand there are a lot of women activists who arescreaming themselves hoarse that one in five girls in this country[more so in the villages] are victims of sexual abuse and on theother hand, there are ample independent surveys on sexuality andpsycho-sexual behaviours in rural India in recent times whichindicate that voluntary pre-marital sex is as much a part of theadolescent girls' life as it is a part of the boys'.
This talk of pre-marital HIV/AIDS testing sounds very much liketrying to re-introduce the chastity belt it's cumbersome, woman-unfriendly, and rusty.
IMHO, the argument for compulsory HIV/AIDS pre-marital testing is asasinine as the so-called 'ban' on foetal sex-determination it'sreally a self-defeating exercise.
What's needed is an upgrade on how the middle class in this countrylooks at issues around sex and sexuality, and reproduction andhealth. First accept that sexual behaviour exists. then accept thatit is by and large enjoyable.
Also accept the fact that all people - adolescents, young, and oldhave sexual rights irrespective of their 'marital' status, then workon how to make sexual behaviours as risk-free as possible. [and yes,one of the methods is definitely don't do it unless you're marriedor over 65!]
All that mandatory Pre-marital HIV/AIDS testing will achieve is morepaper work, more government control over private individuals andmore opportunities for corruption to spread.
Author: Frank Krishner
