In an innovative approach to HIV prevention, twenty-five-year-old Sharad swipes right on online dating platforms like Planet Romeo and Grindr as part of his role as a safe-sex counsellor. His mission is to win the trust of users and engage them in meaningful conversations about their sexual health. Sharad explains, ‘I ask them about their sexual preferences and fantasies — this can help me understand whether they are participating in high-risk sexual behaviours.’ The counsellors employed through SafeZindagi work to provide valuable information on reducing the risk of HIV infection.
Sharad, who operates out of a clinic in Central Delhi, is one among eight counsellors on the SafeZindagi platform, which has extended its reach to daters across 587 cities. The organisation promotes home testing kits for HIV and ensures that individuals who receive a positive result are connected with local testing centres.
As part of the government’s National AIDS Control Programme, Phase V advocates for virtual interventions. This aligns with a noticeable shift in social connection from traditional spaces to online realms, especially among populations at a higher risk of HIV. Despite HIV statistics showing that five in a hundred thousand people in India contract the virus each year, there remains a considerable population actively living with it — approximately 25.4 lakh people as of 2023.
A Box Full of Benefits
In Sultanpuri, northwest Delhi, Anil, another peer-educator, distributes boxes of condoms to gay men and sex workers to encourage safe practices. In collaboration with Deepshikha, an initiative that provides virtual intervention, he has developed WhatsApp groups to answer queries and guide individuals to government testing centres.
With the growing awareness surrounding Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) — medication available for high-risk individuals to prevent HIV infection — demand has surged. Jalpa Thakker, programme director for ACCELERATE, which oversees SafeZindagi, notes, ‘More and more people are now aware of PrEP and want it. It’s heartening to see many declare on their profiles whether they are on PrEP and their last testing date.’
The Edge of Online Management
With the increasing smartphone penetration and cost-effective internet access, the surge in online dating platforms has made it difficult for health organisations to monitor populations at risk effectively. Thakker elaborates, ‘We observed traditional meeting points emptying out as users turned to digital spaces. The pandemic only accelerated this trend, compelling us to shift our focus to where these communities have gathered online.’
Through the success of digital interventions, SafeZindagi and Deepshikha have fostered communication with young adults grappling with their sexual identities. Tajuddin Khan, president of Deepshikha, states, ‘We’ve created a drop-in centre where youngsters can gather, express themselves, and learn about sexual health in an accepting environment.’
With a brighter outlook on HIV prevention via innovative digital engagement, organisations like SafeZindagi are rewriting the narrative on how we can connect with and support those at risk.
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