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Mohammad Khairul Alam
In many countries the
majority of adolescents are sexually experienced by the age of 20 and premarital
and consensual sex is common among 15-19 year-olds. Sometimes teenager’s Risky
sexual behaviour is also can result in contracting sexually transmitted
infections (STIs). Contracting a sexually transmitted infection is a behavioral
problem not a pharmaceutical one. It is unprotected sex that leads to a rise in
STI’s.
AIDS is basically a
sexually transmitted disease (STD), which like some other such diseases can also
be spread through blood and blood products, and from an infected woman to her
unborn or newborn child. Women and girls are biologically more vulnerable than
men to HIV infection and other STDs. Worldwide; the most visible impact of
HIV/AIDS is the increase in the deaths of young adults. The peak mortality age
for women is in the 25–35 age range and for men in the 35–45 range.
HIV infection is increasing
most rapidly among young people. Half of all new infections in the US occur in people younger
than 25. Sex before marriage, or sex after marriage without spouse, is still
taboo for most people in our society. Most would also prefer their partners to
be virgins. Sex has become much more accepted in our society today. The fact
that sex has become very common among adolescents today is irrefutable. Most
cases of HIV infection in women are the result of sexual contact with infected
men; Use of needles tainted with the virus during intravenous drug use is the
second most common method of transmission among women.
Adolescents have more
opportunities to be misguided due to their friend pressure and involved in
danger for having inadequate knowledge as to safe reproductive health education.
So we should renovate the scopes where available for the adolescents that they
can learn about reproductive health and sexual knowledge through formal or
informal approach.
Similarly, reproductive
health or safe sex knowledge must first secure themselves against the onslaught
of HIV/AIDS before coming to the assistance of their clientele. It is also bear
in mind knowledge is not enough, especially in relation to protection against
HIV infection. The literature abounds with data from surveys which show that
knowledge about HIV/AIDS does not automatically lead to any desirable change in
behaviour. Knowledge must be supplemented by attitudes and values that will lead
to appropriate and positive decisions.
A survey by Association for
Social Advancement & Rural Rehabilitation (ASARR) of 400 married women in 4
Districts in Bangladesh showed that only one in eight women heard of AIDS and
even then with a very weak knowledge of its transmission and prevention. However
M. C. M. Lokman Hossain, an expert in the field, He said, " AIDS has the
potential to create cruel economic impacts in many countries. The economic
effects of AIDS will be felt first by individuals and their families, then
ripple outwards to firms and businesses and the macro-economy. It is typically
different from most other diseases because it is infected people in the most
productive age groups. The effects will vary according to the severity of the
HIV/AIDS pandemic and the structure of the national economies”.
Certainly, adolescent
girls’ prostitution is booming in Bangladesh. Adolescent
girls engage or are forced into prostitution for trafficking or socio-economic
reasons. Recent survey in Bangladesh
by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation & L.R.B Foundation has shown that
while provide HIV information with discussions of safe-sex or gender issue may
be discouraged for young girls and women because of the ordinary belief that to
inform them about sexuality and safe-sex is to encourage sexual activity. Even
though that for fear of encouraging sexual activity, mothers deny imperative
information about sexual-live, safe sex, reproductive health information from
their daughters.
Mr. Khandoker Humayun Kabir,
Director of Centre for Development Services (CDS) said, within any nations,
modes of infection reflect underlying patterns of social and economic
discrimination. Gender discrimination, poverty and livelihood issues are
increasingly emerging as important factors in the demography of HIV/AIDS.
As mention by Ms. Roushan
Ara Rekha, Executive Director of GHARONI, “The
low social status of women in many poor countries encourages gender
discrimination, domestic and sexual violence, coercion and psychological abuse,
so that they are less able to negotiate safe sexual practices. They may not have the
knowledge or skills to make good decisions and stick to them; they may not have
a realistic sense of their own vulnerability and therefore take risks; and they
are in a phase of life when they are likely to be starting new relationships.
Sexuality educators need to ensure that adolescents have full and accurate
information about STIs/STDs and HIV/AIDS and the skills to protect themselves
now and in the future.”
HIV prevention programs for
adolescents must consider the developmental needs and abilities of this age
group; it is essential that the adolescents be given full and accurate
information and knowledge of transmission and prevention, especially those
groups that are most at risk. If we fail to take necessary and timely
initiatives comprehensively for ensuring qualitative adolescents reproductive
health literacy HIV/AIDS prevalence will be climbing higher into new population
rapidly in the vulnerable parts of the world.
Ref: UNAIDS, UNESCO, FHI,
tag: female, male,
commercial, floating, street, sex workers, aids, hiv, csws, idus, fsws, girls,
women, consensual, premarital, exmarital, sexuality, empowerment, gender,
education, prevention, dhaka, india, pakistan, bangladesh, adolescent, teen,
teenage, truck drivers. trafficking, epidemic, street girls, knowledge, young
people, discrimination, nonconsensual, coerced sex, sexual partners, safe sex,
sexually transmitted diseases, stds, stis, sexual abuse, forced sex, risky
sexual behaviour, business, multi partner sex, heterosexual, injection,
intravenous drugs users,
prostitution,
men who have sex with men, msm, harassment, sugar daddies, relationships,
condom, polygamy, homosexuality, extra marital, relations, truckers, migrant
workers, gay, hijras, hermaphrodites, professional blood donors, heroin smokers,
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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