Yasmin Williams - HEALTH-WISE I AM glad that reader Ms Morrison found the last article informative. Yes, I certainly will endeavour to communicate with the less educated woman.
Poverty, the lack of power and discrimination are some of the economic and social issues which put women at risk for HIV infection. In many countries when education and jobs are scare, the boys and men are given the education and jobs in preference to the girls and women.
Perhaps, closer home, sometimes in poorer families, young girls are encouraged implicitly or explicitly to keep an older 'sugar daddy' to help with the bills. Unfortunately, in many instances, these older men may be infected with HIV and unwittingly infect these young girls. Often, girls/women say that they find themselves with no other means for survival except exchanging sex for money either informally or formally.
It may be difficult for a woman to negotiate the use of a condom because of her perceived status. Many-a-woman has told me that she dares not ask a philandering partner to use a condom as she would risk being accused of 'having something' and she dares not carry a condom in her bag and says she is being prepared because she would
be accused of preparing for
infidelity!
Many women claim that they may provoke domestic violence if they request condom use. Many are afraid to discuss the issue of HIV/AIDS and request the use of condoms as they fear that it will offend and cause the loss of potential partners. Even women in the upper socio-economic grouping, who are economically dependent, may have this difficulty.
The National HIV/STD control programme has quite a challenge as it reiterates that people should use a condom with each sex act whether it is sex with a regular or non-regular partner. The aim is to normalise condom use. In the same way that we put on clothes before leaving our homes, we put on condoms before
having sex.
Some say that they wear a condom when they think it may be a risky sex act and that is commendable but the truth of the matter is that as long as you are sexually active and not using a condom you must consider yourself at risk with the risk moving towards 100 or 0 depending on the sex partner and situation. Your risk is 0 if you are engaging in sex with an uninfected individual. But how do you know that your partner is negative for HIV? Did he or she have a test done? If 'yes', when was that test done in relation to the last sex act with another person? If the answers to all these questions are appropriate and your partner is truly uninfected with HIV then, 'can you guarantee that your partner will never be unfaithful? And if he or she is unfaithful, 'are you sure he or she will use a condom?' Some of us may be able to 'put our head on the block for our partner' but others may have doubts.
The culture must encourage men and women to increase relevant knowledge, confront some of the undesirable social norms related to sexual behaviour, develop appropriate attitudes and behaviour which will include better communication between men and women and improved relationships. This will certainly go a far way in stemming the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Dr. Yasmin Williams is a Family
Doctor and Public Health Specialist;
email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
