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Mohammad Khairul Alam
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.
Recent research in North region’s three districts in Bangladesh by Rainbow Nari
O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has shown that while provide HIV information with
discussions of safe-sex and 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.
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. 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).
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.
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. By a study ‘Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation’ also found that
a substantial proportion of some young and single textile, garment workers, tea
garden female workers, house key-per supplement their low wages by occasional
prostitution. Consensual sex or non-commercial sex exists in rural societies,
particularly when husbands are absent for a long time.
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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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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