Re: 'Promiscuous' street children given HIV scare

[Guest guest]

OMG,

This refers to the Times of India article " Promiscuous' street children given

HIV scare " by VADODARA NGO Vikas Jyot Trust, posted on this FORUM.

we are spending years, months, days, hours and minutes to say nothing of the

millions of rupees trying to end stigma fear and discrimination and now in a

State that prided itself on having no fear based campaigns I read about sexually

active kids treated to a fear campaign trotting out all the stigmatic issues

that many of us are trying to bury.

I toured all round Kerala talking down the HIV=AIDS=DEATH paradigm. I was very

realistic especially when I was talking to older str8 men with girlfriends not

to ridicule sexual behaviour but challenge their knowledge of risk exposure and

how minor changes in that behaviour can protect against a very difficult virus

to change hosts, except by a small number of specific behaviours.

In the lectures we spoke about being able to be sexual without any dangerous

penetrative behaviours and still have fun.

The campaign I just read about will not change behaviours of such 11 -13 yr old

sexually active kids but it will certainly ensure that you don't hear from them

again unless you hunt them down.

Sexual behaviour is a reality. 80% of gay men in Mumbai are also married to

wives. What we need to do is affirm the reality and teach the sexual health and

safety messages.

Part of the campaign of course will apply pressure for over due treatment

decisions many of which have been discussed and would benefit kids this young.

I don't know whether Vadodara is different to Ahmedabad but its epidemic will

not be reversed with scare tactics that ensure secrecy and empower no one.

Geoffrey

e-mail: <gheaviside@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

I fully agree with Geoffrey that scare tactic will not encourage prevention of

risk behavior among the street children. What it would do is send them

underground where it would be difficult to reach them.

I don't know from which literature this kind of knowledge came out that scare

tactics works as an intervention. In my years of HIV prevention research

I have never come across an effective intervention study that relied on scare

tactics.

What should be emphasized is education and encouragement. Scare tactics would

not encourage behavior change.

Sathi Dasgupta.

e-mail: sathi_dasgupta@...>