Fr VICTOR FERRAO, a senior Professor at the Rachol seminary, visited the schools to get a
ground level assessment of the all factors surrounding the issue. Your
newspaper invited him to write this piece on what he felt and suggest a
way forward
The plight of the HIV
affected children in
Rivona awakens us to
the dark side of our
society. It reveals how ignorance
and fear can cloud and constrict
our thinking and render us
intolerant to those disserving our
care and love. Once again our
egoistic instincts reigned supreme
and a new form of untouchability
showed its ugly head in our
society. As a result, our innocent
children who are already victims
of a deadly virus are subjected
to humiliation, rejection and put
into a limbo like existence with
doors of educational Institutions
forcefully slammed on them. The
fact that our institutional power
crumbled under pressure
of a bunch of a mindless,
ignorant and coward
group of parents is an
issue of great concern.
The issue acquires gravity
because the institutions
happen to be a Catholic schools.
Hence, the question is, how
different are these authorities
from the fear mongering parents?
A response that we are
seeking in this context cannot
simply condemn the authorities
of both the schools and the fear
ridden parents. We certainly need
to be compassionate to them as
their contextual exigencies that let
them to take this discriminatory
decision are not entirely available
to us. The problem of impeding
vertical division in the parish
might have led the school
authorities in one case at least to
take the unwanted decision.
Indeed, the discourse that
developed around the issue has
crucified the parents and the
school authorities
for their unbecoming
action. It is paradoxical
that their discriminatory
action has triggered
us to set them apart
and isolated them.
Indeed, their inhuman action in
some way is also repeated by us.
What we are seeking calls us to
expand the issue and reflect how
it would be with our parents and
managements in other villages,
towns and cities in our society.
Thankfully, people of Cavellosim
and Tivim have welcomed the HIV
affected children in the schools of
their villages. Kudos to them! But
will it be same in all other villages,
towns and cities in Goa? Hence,
perhaps we may have to accept
a collective responsibility for the
shameful events in Rivona
This alarming moral
numbness and insensitivity is
indeed disturbing and interrogates
the deepest convictions and tenets
of our faith. Hence, it is time to
come to our senses and make
reparation for the damage done
and break open the siege that we
have put upon our innocent child
victims of HIV as well as keep the
managements of the schools
and the revolting parents in our
embrace.
Hence, we as a society have
the challenge to sensitize ourselves
and our people at large about the
Myths and half-truths that fester our
fears and decrease out tolerance
levels to HIV virus and AIDS. Indeed,
the virus of discrimination that
has invaded our society has to be
arrested from spreading its venom
and the innocent children have
to be restored their freedom to
enter the portals of the school and
be treated with greater dignity
and care.
