KIGALI, 12. januar 2010: I december 2009 iværksatte Rwandas regering en kampagne med det formål at øge brug af kondom – både kondomer lavet til kvinder og mænd. Det anslås, at seksuelt aktive personer i Rwanda kun benytter ca. tre kondomer om året. Uddeling af kondomer er således et led i bestræbelserne for at bekæmpe hiv/aids.
Plus News, der bringer globale nyheder og analyser vedrørende hiv/aids, skriver tirsdag:
“We want to change people’s attitudes to the use of condoms,” Anita Asiimwe, head of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission, CNLS, told IRIN/PlusNews. “We want to reduce infections among the youth by at least 50 percent – both men and women should act responsibly about their lives.”
The three-month campaign, launched in December 2009, will pay special attention to high-risk groups such as sex workers and discordant couples.
According to the government, some of the biggest challenges to condom use have been the fact that they are still associated with promiscuity, making their use difficult to negotiate within stable relationships, as well as uneven distribution, with people living in rural areas finding it harder to access them.
Research by social marketing group, Population Services International, found that breakage was a complaint by more than half of Rwandan condom users, highlighting the need for more education on their correct use.
Female condoms are now being distributed free of charge, while male condoms are being offered at the subsidized price of 100 Rwandan Francs, or US$0.17, per packet of three, significantly lower than the cost of a loaf of bread, which ranges between 500 and 1000 Francs.
“We are training women to understand and embrace the use of female condoms,” said Aisha Rutaro, a member of the local NGO, Rwandan Women Living with HIV.
Læs videre på Plus News: http://www.plusnews.org/
