The Dhaka Ahsania Mission has taken initiative to increase the awareness of HIV and AIDS among the inmates and prison officials. With the support of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) an awareness and skill building activities on HIV and AIDS prevention will be held among the officers and inmates of Kashimpur Central Jail 1 and 2 and Kashimpur Women's Central Jail and among the jail officials of 68 jails of the country.

In a related workshop on 4 April at the head office of the health sector of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Md. Abu Taher, National Program Coordinator (Drugs and HIV / AIDS), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said, the person mostly becomes infected with HIV because of his behavior. Only a change in the behavior of the person can overcome this problem. One of the main objectives of the project is to prevent HIV infection among inmates. Prisoners will also be made aware that they can protect themselves from HIV infection even if they return to a free life. And we want to spread this awareness program not only among the prisoners but also among the jail officials. Besides, we want to create Peer Educators from among the prisoners. So that they can later make other prisoners aware of HIV infection.

Earlier, Md. Shahedul Haque, Program Coordinator (AMIC) and the program officer of the project, Dhaka Ahsania Mission Health Sector, presented the keynote address. He highlighted various issues of HIV infection among the inmates of the jail.

The workshop was chaired by Iqbal Masud, Director, Health and Wash Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission. He said that the active steps of the present government have improved the condition of the prison. Following this, Dhaka Ahsania Mission has taken up awareness activities among the prisoners to prevent HIV and other communicable infections. These activities will be conducted between both female and male prisoners. Hopefully, this will reduce the number of HIV infections among the prisoners.