UNFPA: Youths not to blame for HIV/AIDS

YOUNG PEOPLE are not to be blamed for the spread of HIV/AIDS and positive efforts must be initiated within the Caribbean in order to remove the barrier of silence which is “blocking our progress towards HIV/AIDS prevention. This position was advanced by UNFPA representative Hetty Sarjeant when she addressed the 2004 Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago’s (FPATT) annual general meeting at the Crowne Plaza Wednesday night. Sarjeant noted, “In this region, of the 70 percent of AIDS cases reported, in the 14 to 44-year range, 50 percent are between 25 and 34 years. Of that number, 42 percent initiated sex before the age of ten and an additional 20 percent by the age of 12. Young adults ages 15 to 24 years account for some half of the five million new cases of HIV infection worldwide each year,” she added.

Sarjeant said when one reviews these grim statistics, the common perception is that young people’s irresponsibility is a major contributor to the epidemic’s spread. “Young people are often seen as the problem. If we are to stem the tide of this rapidly spreading disease, a paradigm shift in ways of thinking and operating are absolutely necessary. Young people are the solution,” the UNFPA representative declared. Observing that sex has become synonymous with HIV/AIDS, Sarjeant lamented that “Our culture promotes a deafening silence around the subject of sex,” and all regional stakeholders must do their utmost to remove this barrier.

“We must confront the cultural norms that sanction silence and negate fundamental rights such as sexual and reproductive rights. You cannot talk about HIV/AIDS without talking about sex and sexuality,” she said. Sarjeant said while the region has made significant progress in the battle against HIV/AIDS thus far, “these successes are threatened by the dramatic and steady increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS coupled with the weak integration of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services in the national AIDS strategies across the region.