Greetings,
We have three digest postings from India, Nigeria, and Uganda. ABC is a "way of conceptualizing the choices available" to youth, says Janaki Sankaran of India. She and Dada Oluwaseun, a youth activist in Nigeria, agree that adults need to listen and help youth with problem-solving and decision-making skills. Mark Blackett of Uganda discusses the difficulties, though, in providing youth with sexual information and education in a conservative cultural climate.
Also, we continue our approach of posting responses to a question about an ABC issue, which I posed to selected participants. The issue this time is: What role can the media or social marketing projects play in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention? Can abstinence or fidelity be successfully promoted via radio or television? Does condom social marketing, particularly when pitched to young people, help or hurt HIV/AIDS prevention efforts?
Below are four responses to today's ABC issue. Following those comments are the three digest postings.
Best regards,
Ed Scholl, Forum Moderator
On behalf of YouthNet, The INFO Project, and the Implementing Best Practices in Reproductive Health Initiative/World Health Organization
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From Julie Wiltshire, health care provider in Uganda -- I believe the media and social marketing projects have a very strong role to play in HIV/AIDS prevention. In particular, radio programs in rural areas that are presented in local languages are particularly effective in promoting messages. In terms of promoting abstinence or fidelity, more research probably needs to be undertaken to assess their effectiveness. From my experience, condom social marketing is a very effective tool to use, provided that a few precautions are followed.
From Julie Pulerwitz, Research Director, and Ann McCauley, Youth Specialist, both with the Horizons Program at the Population Council (U.S.) -- Media is a great way to reach youth and for years programmers have been using the media to send health messages to youth. They are now successfully promoting abstinence and monogamy and condom use through theater, television dramas, call in radio shows, newspapers, and comic books. The Straight Talk Foundation, for example, talks about abstinence in newspapers and radio shows that reach almost all Ugandan youth in their own language. In Nicaragua, the NGO Puntos de Encuentro combines telenovelas, radio shows, and work with youth in the community to promote HIV and STI prevention. South Africa has two well-known national media programs for youth — Soul City and LoveLife. In South Africa, even Sesame Street discusses HIV prevention.
Most experts note that media campaigns work best when they are part of a larger program — one that also provides accurate information, opportunities to discuss issues with adults and other youth, the development of negotiation skills, and referrals to clinics. In these cases, each element of the program reinforces each other.
From Omeire Edward, youth pastor and sociologist with the Ceasefire Project in Nigeria -- On media and social marketing, I think that clear and accurate information packaged in less offensive packages can save lives. To this I give kudos to the brains behind the latest and very popular HIV/AIDS ads in Nigeria called Zip Up! This media campaign is successful and very popular with the youth. It is not offensive, the message is clear, and it utilizes popular themes young adults can relate to.
From Duanne Punpiputt, External Relations and Project Development Officer for the Planned Parenthood Association of Thailand (PPAT) -- Media play a significant role in promoting knowledge and correct understanding about HVI/AIDS and people infected and affected by the epidemic among the general public. PPAT has good cooperation with local media where we have HIV/AIDS prevention projects. HIV/AIDS knowledge and information are disseminated through radio, TV and community radio. An increased knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and persons living with AIDS (PLWAs) helps to reduce stigma and discrimination against PLWAs in the community. PPAT projects also seek behaviour change among the target population as the improvement of knowledge alone is not sufficient.
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Forum Digest 16
- Choices and Responsibility
- ABC Gives Options
- Finding Middle Ground
1. Choices and Responsibility
I am a psychiatrist, and I work as a school counselor in Cochin, India. I couldn't agree more with what Clare Hanbury-Leu said: That, as adults, the greatest thing we can do for our children and young people is to demonstrate respect, trust, and confidence in them. We also need to listen to them. I am astonished at the solutions that young people offer when I discuss problem situations with them. They are more capable and more thoughtful and sensitive than we give them credit for.
I see the ABC approach as a way of conceptualizing the choices available. But, this has to be part of allowing our youth to decide what is going to work best for them. We also need to understand that making a choice depends on many factors. And, what works best in one situation may not work equally well in another. That is why we also need to work with youth to develop and strengthen their skills in problem-solving and decision-making.
Life is not all black or all white: It is all shades of gray. Once I accept this, then I find that making choices becomes my active responsibility. As an adult, all I can do is to help my children and young people see it this way.
-- Janaki Sankaran, School Counselor, Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Elamakkara, Cochin, India
2. ABC Gives Options
I have so much regard for the ABC method of reducing HIV because it is still the only mechanism that considers all categories of human beings. This means that I can choose from the three options the one that fits my sexual life. The ABC makes it easy for activists to spread the message without criticism from the people who will feel we want to impose our own ideas on them.
-- Dada Oluwaseun, Youth Activist from Youth Classics, Nigeria
3. Finding Middle Ground
The "be faithful" message has certainly had the least effect in Uganda, as studies from the DHS and elsewhere show. Is this a question of the message not being pushed hard enough or in appropriate ways? I struggle to believe that A and B are not already being pushed in communities where the majority attend church and are married at a very early age.
I agree with Ted Green [Digest 14, ABC respondent] that the "culture wars" are not helpful and the sooner that we agree on a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum — A, B, C, and a lot more besides — at primary and secondary schools, the sooner we will have a youth empowered to make informed choices.
We have run a number of youth workshops in peri-urban areas. The lack of basic knowledge on HIV prevention is frightening, especially in a country which is held up as a model for HIV prevention.
The weight of evidence suggests that an informed youth does not mean a more promiscuous youth. But, can a scientific approach be brought to bear considering the increasing polarisation of views? In Uganda, we have a separate A&B strategy being pushed by evangelists and a muted response to condom stock-out. I am not so sure the time is right.
In order to move forward, we have to find a middle ground which reduces the ideological in-fighting and, once again, believes in the agency of youth to determine their own future based on unrestricted access to information and services. Ask the youth, as most of the best practices propose, yet we are still far from that ideal.
-- Mark Blackett, Programme Director, Marie Stopes Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
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