Pokhara, December 30:

Maya Lama of Pokhara is not afraid to declare that she is HIV positive, and she is not scared of asking for help also.

Lama, speaking at a programme of the Community Support Group today, said candidly that she spent her early life as a sex worker and also took intravenous drugs adding that now she wants to make others aware of the hazards of such lifestyle.

“I became a sex worker to shore up the fragile economic condition of my family. I was exploited in every place where I worked. Now, I am HIV positive but I am also a human being and I want to live peacefully. Help me to live a little longer so that I can help save others like me from falling prey to this disease,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of cabin girls, Ishwori Baral said they were constrained to work in such places and adjust themselves to the environment. “If we were fortunate enough, we would never have landed in places like this. We are not doing this work by choice,” said Baral.

Dilmaya Gurung of Aama Samuha said it is high time that girls working in high-risk places be made aware of the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Expert on women’s legal issues, Sarla Pandey, said that society still regards women as second-class citizens. Speakers on the occasion also pointed out that no meaningful work against HIV/AIDS has been done despite crores of rupees funnelled in by donor organisations.