Is there a new sex revolution?

Vaidah Mashngwa
IT is estimated that over 22 million Africans are living with HIV. It is, however, saddening to note that the majority of these people are women.
According to UNFPA, young people account for 40 percent of all new HIV infections among those aged 15 to 49 years.While older people can easily make decisions in terms of their reproductive health including the need to protect themselves against HIV infection, young males and females are at a higher risk from unprotected sex, drug use, commercial sex and lack of financial autonomy. Young people especially women have limited access to sexual health advice, to contraception and to voluntary counselling testing services.

This is the reason why some authors have postulated that it seems society has a new sex revolution. A long time ago our own parents were virginal before marriage and sexually inhibited in general.

Nowadays there seems to be more relaxation by the young males and females in sexual matters as some engage in early sexual encounters and early marriages.

In a study, conducted on college students, 40 percent of the females and 60 percent of males reported that they had engaged in sexual relations.

While rape, domestic violence are also contributory to the increase in HIV infection, the young males and females are more sexually active than before and most of them do not negotiate for safer sex.

HIV testing then becomes important for young men and women who have sex voluntarily or who experience forced sex. Reports from the National Baseline Survey on Life Experiences of Adolescents report (2011) pointed out that among the females aged 18-24 years who had ever had sex, 54 percent of those who had sex voluntarily and 65 percent of those who experienced sexual violence had undergone HIV testing.

Amongst the same age group, less than a third of the males who had consensual sex and 37 percent of those who experienced sexual violence had been tested for HIV. It is important to note that recently there has been an increase in child sexual abuse.

Childhood sexual abuse puts children at a greater risk of HIV and STI infection. It has been noted recently that in most instances of child sexual abuse, most perpetrators are older men who might be HIV positive. In most rape cases the victims contract STIs and get HIV infected.

Some perpetrators of child sexual abuse still maintain that having sex with a virgin can cleanse a man of HIV. While some victims might know where to report and get tested they rarely utilise such knowledge. HIV testing is very critical for abused children. They ought to be tested early within 72 hours and can be offered post exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Most perpetrators of child sexual abuse and exploitation abuse the children by offering petty gifts such as food, money or empty promises of future gifts. There are, of course older victims especially in colleges and schools who are sexually abused in exchange of higher grades or money. Of course in most instances the children are not given anything. While Article 34 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that children have the right to be protected from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, children the world over are abused with the mean age being eight years, in the Sub Sahara region.

Zimbabwe has shown the most significant decline in the HIV epidemic in Southern Africa. This is a result of behaviour change interventions, including sexual partner number reduction, increased condom use and the impact of HIV-related mortality.

However, Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence is still high and more needs to be done to prevent new infections. The virus is mainly spreading through sexual contact with over 75 percent of new infections annually and mother-to-child transmission with over 20 percent new infections annually, according to the UNFPA.

It is pleasing to note that studies have shown that HIV prevalence among pregnant women aged 15-24 years has also declined significantly. There is a dire need for sexual behaviour change among everyone so that together we can contribute to the reduction of HIV infection.

 Vaidah Mashangwa is the Provincial Development Officer, Bulawayo in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development. She can be contacted on email [email protected]