Education and services to prevent HIV/AIDS (part 2)

The text lists an interesting point that I wanted to expand on regarding abstinence only education programs.  In America we are facing the same issue about sex education that some areas of Africa are and that is whether to promote sexual education (condom use, birth control, STD testing) or to promote abstinence as the only way to protect yourself from unwanted sexual issues.  Understanding Contemporary Africa explains that when the Bush administration became involved in the AIDS crisis in Africa they pushed a more conservative abstinence-only education system, the same one they were pushing in the states. The administration and the funding it puts towards what the text calls "ABC" education in Africa has shown to be ineffective.

The text explains that the abstinence focus ignores the prostitution industry and thus men having extramarital relations (as explained before the culture does not necessarily say is wrong) are more apt to carry the disease back to their wives.  "ABC" education in Uganda was the first educational program the country implemented in 1987 and the idea of not having sex and of delaying sex has been promoted even now.  Funding is contributing to this because organizations such as PEPFAR fund abstinence-only programs and thus groups that attempt to educate citizens on prevention are more apt to stick to abstinence as a way to gain funding for resources. This idea also ignores young brides who obtain the virus from their husbands. They waited until marriage and because of a lack of focus on condom use and testing they are still infected with the disease and can pass it on to their children.

Source

The fact that education about testing and condom use is necessary is something no one can ignore in the quest to rid Africa (as well as the rest of the world) or the HIV virus.