admin
Gibson Mhaka
ACCORDING to the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey 2010-11 (ZDHS) young people between the ages of 15 and 25 years are an important group for monitoring HIV incidence in the country.With this observation, it is clear that comprehensive knowledge of how HIV is transmitted is crucial in young people as they are often at greater risk because they may have shorter relationships with more partners or engage in other risky behaviours.
The study also reveals that young people living in urban areas are somewhat more likely to be infected with HIV and sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) than those in rural areas as they have easier access to different forms of communication such as television, internet, Facebook and Twitter.
In a bid to sensitise and scale up access to sexual, reproductive health and rights for young people and adolescents particularly in the urban areas as a way of combating the spread of HIV and Aids, officials from some Bulawayo health institutions recently formed BlueStar Health Network.
BlueStar Health Network is a pilot initiative aimed at championing rights relating to children’s sexual and reproductive health so that youths engage in behaviours that significantly reduce the rate of HIV infection in the country.
The organisation says blacking out young people’s reproductive health issues is as good as infringing on their rights, which are supposed to be living principles they are entitled to, regardless of their gender, age, nationality, sex, ethnicity, race, religion, language or other status.
Given that 15 percent of Zimbabwean adults, according to the ZDHS 2010-11 are infected with HIV and that most infections are contracted through heterosexual contact, there is no doubt that information on sexual behaviour among the youths is important in designing and monitoring intervention programmes to control the spread of the epidemic.
Speaking recently during an awareness campaign on HIV and Aids-related diseases which attracted more than 300 pupils from different schools in Bulawayo at Amakhosi Cultural Centre, BlueStar Health Network marketing and communication officer, Mr Mackson Maphosa, said their organisation seeks to scale up information on HIV and Aids among young people as a way of reducing HIV incidence in the country.
He said reproductive health education among young people entails them being properly informed about sex and the risk around it, being able to choose not to have sex, or who to have sex with, as well as how and when to do so and having the confidence and ability to say “no” to sex without worrying that they will be forced into it or face abuse or violence.
Mr Maphosa added that it also seeks to ensure access to correct information of family planning and services and protecting oneself against unintended pregnancy, HIV and STIs by having safe and satisfying sexual experiences, if and when one chooses to do so.
“As BlueStar Health Network, we believe that sex is a real thing and also an emotional thing that has risks among young people. We are embarking on a pilot programme that seeks to scale up information on sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people between the ages of 15 and 25 as we feel this age range is important for monitoring the reduction of HIV and Aids in the country.
“I do not think it is applicable nowadays not to talk about issues to do with safe sex to school children since they have become very active due to the proliferation of unedited digital content. Sex is no longer about penetration as there are other alternatives, which can equally endanger the youths into contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
“Parent-to-child communication should be promoted so that children are not thirsty on issues to do with sex. We know it is hard for children to approach their parents or guardians about sex and reproductive health as it sounds embarrassing, uncomfortable or even scary but it is important to do so”, he said.
It should also be pointed out that the most common means of transmission of HIV in the country is through unprotected sex with an infected person. Indeed to prevent HIV transmission, it is important that young people abstain or practise safer sex.
“We are teaching these young people that abstinence is always best but if they choose not to abstain, they should correctly and consistently use contraceptive devices such as condoms and other forms such as the pill, and emergency contraception known as morning-after pills.
“Family planning does not mean it is only meant for people with families. It is a means by which anyone can delay or prevent pregnancy since unplanned pregnancy can cause serious disruptions in a young woman’s life” added Mr Maphosa.
This initiative by BlueStar Health Network to reduce the prevalence of HIV and Aids in the country comes at a time when there is discord among different sections of society over the distribution of condoms in schools as one of the main strategies of combating the spread of HIV. Some people approve of it, but others vehemently oppose this.
Educating young people about condom use is sometimes controversial, as some people believe it promotes early sexual experimentation.
However, some pupils who attended the awareness campaign in Bulawayo expressed satisfaction saying it “sensitised” them on their health rights relating to sexual and reproductive health.
“We have learnt a lot through this awareness campaign on HIV and Aids related diseases. As you know, adolescence is a stage of experimentation so talking about these rights helps us to avoid risky situations, which will expose us to STIs and HIV. Society should also remember that rights do not come alone, they come with responsibilities which are just important to understand and respect”, said a pupil who requested anonymity.
Online Reporter