4.8% of young girls in Rwanda are HIV positive
A HIV Sentinel Survey amongst pregnant women attending clinics indicates the AIDS prevalence rate among the girls aged between 15 and 19 is now estimated at 4.8 per cent and the majority live in urban centres.
Major Youth Sex Education Programmes Needed
Statistics from the third National Population and Housing census (2002) indicate that 67 per cent of the total population of 8.4 million in Rwanda is younger than 25 years. Only half of youth between 15 and 24 have both parents living; among the other half one in ten is head of a household.
The majority of Rwandan youth obtain most of their sex education from their peers; many lack the support of a family and cultural taboos affect child-parent dialogue about sexuality and reproductive health.
According to GTZ survey of a sample of 964 Rwandan youth indicates that 47 per cent of youth aged 14 to 35 believe that it is possible to determine someone's infection status by merely looking at them; 46 per cent of the youth think that insects transmit AIDS; 48 per cent do not know how to use a condom; 41 per cent believe that it is possible for men to cure AIDS by having sex with a child and only 5 per cent of the interviewed judged this belief as "totally wrong."
This situation demands correct and consistent Information Education and Communication (IEC) on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) for youth.
There is an urgent need to fight ignorance, wrong beliefs and stigma in order to effectively reverse present tendencies. Lessons learnt from past youth centres indicates that Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) is a very effective method of HIV prevention; this involves providing information as part of the youth's perception of his or her own sexuality.
SOURCE: Push Journal, 13/Feb/04
Major Youth Sex Education Programmes Needed
Statistics from the third National Population and Housing census (2002) indicate that 67 per cent of the total population of 8.4 million in Rwanda is younger than 25 years. Only half of youth between 15 and 24 have both parents living; among the other half one in ten is head of a household.
The majority of Rwandan youth obtain most of their sex education from their peers; many lack the support of a family and cultural taboos affect child-parent dialogue about sexuality and reproductive health.
According to GTZ survey of a sample of 964 Rwandan youth indicates that 47 per cent of youth aged 14 to 35 believe that it is possible to determine someone's infection status by merely looking at them; 46 per cent of the youth think that insects transmit AIDS; 48 per cent do not know how to use a condom; 41 per cent believe that it is possible for men to cure AIDS by having sex with a child and only 5 per cent of the interviewed judged this belief as "totally wrong."
This situation demands correct and consistent Information Education and Communication (IEC) on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) for youth.
There is an urgent need to fight ignorance, wrong beliefs and stigma in order to effectively reverse present tendencies. Lessons learnt from past youth centres indicates that Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) is a very effective method of HIV prevention; this involves providing information as part of the youth's perception of his or her own sexuality.
SOURCE: Push Journal, 13/Feb/04