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Mohammad Khairul Alam
Worldwide,
rates of sexually transmitted infections among young people are soaring:
one-third of the 340 million new STIs each year occur in people under 25 years
of age. Each year, more than one in every 20 adolescents contracts a curable STI.
More than half of all new HIV infections occur in people between the ages of 15
to 24 years. The
sexual health needs for adolescent girls are generally overlooked, Stigma and
vulnerability affects particular groups of men as well as women. Although men
generally have more access to information on sexual issues than women, and more
decision-making power regarding sexual behavior, Access to information, and
treatment for other infections which facilitate the transmission of HIV and
onset of AIDS, including sexually transmitted infections, are limited because of
weak public health services, health workers’ negative attitudes, and the high
cost of treatment.
If the
adolescents are informed and thought about their sexual and reproductive health,
they might take the decisions about it independently. But the physiological,
behavioral and social factors that make adolescents more vulnerable than adults
to STDs/STI. Seeing that girls have a large mucosal surface area exposed to
infection and have not yet developed mature mucosal defence systems, the cells
that line the opening of the cervix are particularly susceptible to chlamydia,
gonorrhoea and HIV.
Social
powerlessness, poverty and economic dependence contribute to the vulnerability
of adolescent girls. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been fuelled by gender
inequality. Unequal power relations, sexual coercion and violence is a
widespread phenomenon faced by women of all age-groups, and has an array of
negative effects on female sexual, physical and mental health. HIV/AIDS
infection reveals the disastrous effects
of discrimination against
women on human health, and on the socio-economic structure of society.
Usually,
girls do not have the same educational and employment opportunities as boys, and
they face family and societal forces for early marriage and childbearing. Early
marriage and early childbearing are the norm in
Bangladesh,
although age at marriage is rising in all the countries mentioned. Finally,
there is evidence that an increasing proportion of unmarried adolescents are
sexually active.
Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation’s reveal extremely high levels of
infections among adolescent girls, which are higher than those for boys. This is
mainly because of the fact that at young age, boys have sex with girls of
similar age, while girls have relations with older men, who are more likely to
be infected. Sexual harassment of schoolgirls by older men sometime may be the
cause of HIV infection. Poverty also drives many adolescent girls to accept
relationships with ‘sugar daddies’ (older men who are prepared to give money,
goods or favors in return for sex).
Now a day,
age at marriage is increasing, and this raises its own issues and concerns.
Sometimes Later marriage increases premarital sex. Sex outside marriage is
normally considered immoral and adolescents who engage in it particularly
girls are strongly condemned.
Women in Bangladesh are
largely getting sexual experience through marriage and for the most part,
premarital sexual contact is mostly confined to their future husband or lovers.
“Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation” found, sexual behaviour among
Bangladeshi women is changing. Adolescent girls may not remain in the
traditional sexual confinement of the previous generations and casual sex among
them is on the rise. This may encourage AIDS to acquire alarming proportions in
Bangladesh.
In many societies, people
from groups associated with high incidences of HIV infection – including
injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and commercial sex workers are
subjected to a culture of fear and punishment when their HIV status is
suspected.
Source: Rainbow Nari O Shishu
Kallyan Foundation
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hotel, brothel, street based commercial sex workers, casual sex workers, so
called sex workers, violence, exploitation, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan
Foundation, Mohammad Khairul Alam
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