By Salma Zaidi BBC Hindi Online

An Indian activist who has worked with prostitutes and others at risk of contracting Aids has been received the highest award of a leading international human rights body.

It is pathetic that everyone is talking of prevention and nobody is bothered about the cure

AIDS activist, Meena Seshu

Meena Seshu, who has been honoured by Human Rights Watch, has worked with sex workers in the Indian state of Maharashtra, helping them to spread awareness about Aids among themselves and the wider community.

"If there were more activists with her courage and sense of solidarity with the most marginalised, the Aids crisis in India wouldn't stand a chance", said Joanne Cestu, director of the HIV-Aids and human rights programme at Human Rights Watch.

There are an estimated 4 million people in India living with Aids, but experts have predicted that number will rise.

Awareness

Meena Seshu is a leading human rights activist

Ms Seshu told the BBC Hindi service: "It is pathetic that everyone is talking of prevention and nobody is bothered about the cure."

She has been working in Sangli, Maharashtra since 1991 when she founded Sangram.

Sangli is a transit point for India's trucking industry and as such an important centre for the transmission of HIV, the virus that can lead to Aids.

Sangram works with sex workers to increase awareness about HIV and also distributes up to 350,000 condoms per month.

Growing challenges

Microsoft mogul Bill Gates caused controversy with the Indian Government during a visit to India this week when he quoted American figures suggesting the number of sufferers could increase five-fold by 2005.

He announced he was donating $100 million to fight Aids in India, but Human Rights Watch have called on the Indian Government to do something more widespread to tackle the disease.

They say they have evidence that Aids workers are routinely persecuted in India.

Human Rights Watch have also called on the government to recognise that in some areas the epidemic has moved from high-risk groups into the general population.