Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu,[email protected]
KEEPING children in school has been identified as a key strategy to curb child marriages and reduce HIV infections among girls.
Addressing community members at a mine in Gokwe South during an engagement meeting, the area’s District AIDS Coordinator, Mr Isaki Chiwara, urged parents and guardians to ensure children remain in school.
The district has the second-lowest HIV prevalence rate in Midlands Province, with 9.2 percent for the 15 to 49-year age group. The prevalence for the rest of the province stands at 5.9 percent, second after Gokwe North.
“As parents and guardians, let’s ensure that we keep children in school by all means in order to protect them from being infected or exploited. We see many children who have dropped out of school being sexually active, which puts them at risk.
“If these kids drop out of school, their chances of getting infected either by HIV or STIs are high. Schools have been seen as safe spaces. Keeping children at school also reduces their exposure to sexual activities. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is therefore crucial in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” he said.
Mr Chiwara added that children in mining areas are at particularly high risk.
Mining areas have been identified as HIV hotspots and also report high cases of STI infections. Other HIV hotspots in the district include trade centres, such as fruit and vegetable markets.
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Bongani Ndlovu