Sex, Drugs...and HIV: Hans Billimoria, Sri Lanka

Every country has its taboos, and Sri Lanka is no different. 'Sex', 'drugs', and 'HIV' are all words that are uttered in hushed tones. To find out more, hosts Tanya & Udhara talked to Hans Billimoria from the Grassrooted Trust. He works with people living with HIV, people who use drugs, who sell sex, and people who have been marginalised due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. He also works with young people who’ve been sexually abused, cyber-stalked or bullied and conducts workshops and talks on healthy relationship behaviour.

We understand that some of the topics we discuss in this podcast might be of a sensitive nature, but we hope you can stay with us and draw a few insights from this conversation. To use a quote, ‘Quick sensitivity is inseparable from proper understanding’. Which means, if you react too quickly without seeking to understand, you lose the true meaning of what was being said.