& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Still stigmatised

In many countries laws and policies that were prejudicial and discriminatory against people suffering from leprosy have been repealed. India repealed the Lepers Act 1898 during 1992-93.

Martin Adhikary
Law is common sense, common goodwill. Laws are supposed to facilitate the creation of an environment for the promotion of the dignity and right of persons in a society. No human-made law, enactment or policy is for posterity. Sometimes ancient laws need to be modified, changed or even repealed in view of changed circumstance.
One such law today is the ancient Lepers Act passed in 1898. In those days there was no real treatment for leprosy. This law was passed to help people affected by this disease, as well as the community, from the spreading of the same. Affected people were turned away by their own families and neighbourhood, and were forced to live on begging.
They were so alienated and stigmatised that they did not have any dignity of life. They lived sub-human lives. They were arrested by the police if found in the locality, consigned to asylums and special places meant for them, and were given whatever treatment was available at that time.
They were not allowed to come out in public, barred from entering into certain callings and professions, not allowed to travel in public mode of transport, etc., for fear they would spread the disease.
Now the situation is altogether different. There is modern scientific medicine; the WHO prescribed and universally accepted and applied Multi-drug Therapy (MDT) -- dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicine — is the best cure for leprosy.
All organisations, government and nongovernment, the world over use this medication for effectively treating the disease. MDT is free and is easily available in our country at all upazilla health complexes and all leprosy-related organisations' clinics and hospitals.
Leprosy is a very mildly infectious disease. The bacterium (myco-bacterium leprae) causing this disease loses it power to spread within 24 hours' time after the first dose. About 98% people have a natural immunity against it. Since 1985, more than 14 million patients have been cured globally through MDT. Since 1985 up to the end of 2009 around 190,000 leprosy cases were detected in Bangladesh and around 182,000 have been cured with multi-drug therapy.
To be sure, the segregating ancient Lepers Act 1898 does not have a raison d'etre. It violates human rights and dignity; it goes against the Constitution of our country as well as all the universal Charters or Declarations of human rights. The repealing of this Act will help our society in mainstreaming the people affected by leprosy, and pave the way for the restoration of their human dignity.
Side by side, systematic and practical education on leprosy and its care should be given its proper place in the MBBS and nursing courses curricula so that integration of leprosy treatment is possible at public health institutions. This will contribute to the realisation of the vision for a "Bangladesh without leprosy," for which several organisations have been working.
People affected by leprosy are often denied their human rights, and the presence of this law can help them to enjoy their human rights. Social discrimination in all forms continue to devastate their lives altogether.
There is a need of a serious political commitment both on part of the government and the public. In many countries laws and policies that were prejudicial and discriminatory against people suffering from leprosy have been repealed. India repealed the Lepers Act 1898 during 1992-93.
Over the last several years I wrote in various national dailies appealing to our governments to take necessary steps to repeal this Act. With all people of goodwill I share the confidence that our government and our sovereign parliament, with their din bodoler sanad or vision, have the political will to accomplish this milestone and thereby usher in some ray of hope for the people suffering from the life-devastating stigma around leprosy.
Reverend Martin Adhikary is Director of Advocacy and Promotion of the Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh, and also a social worker.