Ikka Noviyanti “All children must have equal rights, even though they live with HIV”
“My dream is to increase the involvement in advocacy of young people living with HIV. I want the government to ensure that everyone has access to education, even if they are living with HIV. They have to be part of society.”
Ikka Noviyanti has a dream, as she’s living with HIV, since 18. The university notified her of her blood test results and, she was expelled from the education system because she had HIV.
Ikka spent the first 2 years understanding and accepting herself. After that, she had the opportunity to work with local NGOs advocating for the rights of women engaged in sex work, as she herself had experienced such situations.
“They cannot access condoms in Indonesia because they are not married,” Ikka recounted her work experiences. “This has led to many sex workers getting pregnant and being restricted from having abortions.”
Besides that, having unprotected sex is also a factor in increasing the number of HIV in Indonesia.
Ikka spent 5 years learning social work. She said that encountering other youth living with HIV has fuelled her determination to advance their right to education. Currently, Ikka works as a Regional Coordinator at Youth LEAD, and this is her story.
How does life in Thailand and Indonesia for people who live with HIV
“The Thai society is generally open to diverse groups of people. However, at the same time, I have to spend money to access HIV medication.”
Currently, Ikka has been living and working in Bangkok, Thailand, for 5 years. She mentioned that in terms of medical care, healthcare professionals in Thailand are better at providing treatment options compared to Indonesia, where she used to reside. However, she still has to pay 600 baht per month for medication while living in Thailand.
While the social sector in Indonesia has made efforts to work proactively to manage and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, according to the UNAIDS report, the numbers tell a different story. Thailand managed to reduce the number of people living with HIV from 660,000 in 2010 to 560,000 in 2022. In contrast, Indonesia saw an increase in the number of people living with HIV from 440,000 in 2010 to 540,000 in 2022.
Ikka commented that the increase in numbers in Indonesia might be attributed to more proactive testing efforts. Meanwhile, despite the decrease in the number of people living with HIV in Thailand, there has been an increase in new infections among young adults, which is concerning.
“In Indonesia, stigma can lead to underreporting of data,” Ikka said. “While in Thailand, the selective reporting of only positive aspects while concealing negative data may be creating an inaccurate picture of the actual situation.”
The voices of youth are representatives of change in the HIV
“Because we are not youth forever, we must focus on young people as representatives of change.”
Ikka said that her target group in her work is young people from marginalised groups. She believes that young people are agents of change, and the younger generation understands their needs and can effectively manage various things. This is why Ikka’s work focuses on empowering young people to improve the quality of life for those living and affected by HIV.
Ikka’s work spans 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on empowering marginalised youth leadership through both online and offline training. She believes that creating change in communities is a collaborative effort.
“Do not be afraid to speak up because you are not alone.” She concluded, “There are many people living with HIV, including many young people. Share your voice so that others can understand the experiences of people living with HIV.”
