Human immune virus, causing Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has challenged human beings across the globe. Apart from being a medical problem, HIV/AIDS is emerging as a social problem because of its impacts on the society. Stigma and discrimination with people afflicted by this virus is common in almost all the societies, and studies suggest that it has increased the spread of the virus. The issue is associated with sex, which is a taboo in our society, and people hardly talk about it, which is, again, a strong reason of the virus’s spread.
The repercussions of its spread in the society are severe, and can be felt at every sphere of life. The virus causes huge economic losses in terms of medication, testing, counseling and improved dietary intake on one hand, and precautions and extra caution in every walk of life on the other. These are just the personal expenses, but when we talk about it at the community level, the expenditure on medical facilities and other infrastructure is huge in terms of hospitals, labs, equipments, staff and maintenance.
Imagine the situation when the breadwinner is infected. The household income will go down and at the same time the expenditure will go up. Under these circumstances, the household items say utensils, jewelry are likely to be sold. For example, in rural areas where agriculture is the main source of income and depends on traditional cultivation practices. Drought animals are the main source of power, which once sold for treatment, will never be purchased and the crops will be changed with those requiring less tillage. Again deaths in family will change the dynamics of society because more population will die prematurely. Early death will severely affect the transfer of rural technology, which flow from one generation and highly affect the rural as well as urban technology. One most important impact would be on young people because they will have to take the roles they will not be prepared for. Looking at another example, in the working class the absentees will increase due to weaker immune system of employees as a result of HIV infection. The major set back will be in terms of production as well as productivity. It is very well established that in the present scenario of WTO, productivity is the only tool to survive in competitive market. The expenditure of organization on medical reimbursement, death of staff will be increased. The regular deaths in the organization will affect the moral of the other staff members also. More importantly the organization will loose the skilled and experienced employees.
The issues surrounding HIV/AIDS are deeply embedded in cultural and social belief and practices, many of them intimate, personal and private
Worldwide around 11.8 million young people aged between 15-24 are living with the deadly virus. Out of this figure 7.3 million are young women and 4.5 million are young men. In South Asia 1 in 1000 young people are HIV positive out of this 62 per cent are female and 38 per cent are male. In India out of total 1025096 thousand people 30 per cent are the age group of 15 – 24 years. Among this population 890000 female and 470000 male are living with the virus. This constitutes 0.96 per cent female and 0.46 per cent male at higher side.
Why Youth:
HIV spreads rapidly both within countries and across the borders. It affects people regardless of gender, geography or sexual orientation. The main route of transfer of HIV is through sexual intercourse or contact (that is so in most of the parts of the country, except northeast states, where inter-venal drug use is main reason of spread). As the sexually active and reproductive age starts from as early as 12, young people become more vulnerable to infection.
Young people’s indulgence in sex:
With the onset of adolescence, both boys and girls begin to be involved in sexual activities. A study in Bangladesh revealed that 88 per cent of unmarried urban boys and 35 per cent of unmarried urban girls had engaged in sexual activities by the time they were 18. In rural Bangladesh these figures were 38 per cent for boys and 6 per cent for girls.
Early marriage is common across the globe, but in India 50 percent of girls marry before they are 18. Adolescents’ indulgence in sexual activities is more likely to put them active with high-risk group partners like street children and commercial sex workers. All of them have multiple sex partners that increase their vulnerability to contract the infection. And moreover they are less likely to use a condom while having sex.
Experimentation is a common feature of young age. Young people usually experiment with sex because of this, and due to the excessive desire of enjoying sex because of ahormonal peak in the body at this stage. Sometime peer pressure becomes the reason for indulging in sexual activities just to be there in the gang or to impress the friends.
Lack of information:
A study conducted by UNICEF with WHO and UNAIDS in the year 2001 revealed the level of information of young people of the age 15-24 in India. According to the study only 37 per cent young people have heard about AIDS, 57 percent know that a person can protect themselves from HIV infection by one faithful partner if they have sexual intercourse only with that person; 59 per cent know that they can protect themselves by consistent condom use, 71 per cent know that they can protect themselves by abstinence from sex and 26 per cent young people know that a healthy looking person can be infected with HIV.
Misconceptions and myths related to HIV/AIDS are wide-spread among young people. These vary location to location and from one culture to another culture. The myths, like the mistaken idea that a mosquito bit or a barber’s razor can spread HIV are very common. Apart from the above misconceptions, myths like “intercourse with virgin can treat STIs” surface as well. Surveys from 40 different countries indicate that more than 50 per cent of young people harbor various misconceptions about how HIV/AIDS are transmitted. The dangerous sign is that most of the young people do not feel that they are at a high risk and very few younger men seek treatment for STIs. In India the condition is the worst because of little access to qualified professionals. In the absence of a qualified doctor, young people seek treatment from so-called Vadh and Hakeems who in the name of treatments make good money from the sufferers.
Girls are more vulnerable:
Female are more vulnerable to contract HIV because of biological reasons. Since they have more exposed area, the virus easily gets the port of entry and the contact of blood stream, which are fundamental requirement for HIV infection.
Apart from biological vulnerability, the strong social conditioning in the society is responsible for the prevalence of infection in the female. In India the society has not given much liberty to women, their rights are restricted and women are considered to be the weaker gender. The poor social and economic statuses give them less space to negotiate for sex and even the use of a condom. In married life also they sometime have to consent to sex against their will and their choices and preferences are not given proper respect. They are considered to be meant to maintain the progeny. In most parts of the country minor girls are married to older men who have had multiple sexual partners, bringing them on the brink of an HIV infection as well as some other STIs. The condition is worst in Andhra Pradesh where mandatory testing before marriage is proposed to check the spread of virus in women. A study reveals that in the commercial sex trade, more than 50 percent are minor girls in Mumbai and a substantial proportion is already infected. The clients generally do not use condoms and offer some extra money for not using the protection during intercourse. This is because of the myth that a condom reduces the pleasure of sexual intercourse. There are other myths also, like the one that sex with a virgin cures the STIs (this results in many rapes of minor girls). According to a study, in majority of rape cases the accused are drug users and sufferers of the STIs. They may also be potential carrier of the HIV virus.
Young people are at risk:
No doubt that young people are at greater risk. In North East Sates of the country like Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya Intra-venal Drug Users (IDU) are very high and this is a main rout of transfer of HIV in these states. Most of the drug users are young people who share their needles and syringes. This behavior brings the young people in these states on higher risk to contract the infection.
Sexual violence is reported increasing and the victims are not only adolescent girls but also boys. In many cases the accused are not strangers. The reported sexual violence is small but the actual scenario is different because in majority of the cases a report is not lodged. Since the sexual violence is forceful there are greater chances of cuts and tears increasing the possibility of HIV infection and moreover the abuser is not likely to use a condom.
According to a study there are 30,000 younger people including both girls and boys who are living on the streets in Delhi. There is a greater risk for them to contract the virus because in lieu of clothes, food and money they offer sex.
With the liberalized attitude towards homosexuality and access to heterosexual options, homosexuality has increased in the recent years. The section of male society having sex with other males has increased. Biologically, in anal sex the chances of transfer of virus are more because of less lubrication and unsuitability for sexual intercourse.
Steps must be taken:
Prevention is the key to thwarting the infection rate and ultimately defeating AIDS. Intervention must be relevant to local conditions, and it must be tailored to the difference between boys and girls, young people living in rural areas and urban areas, children in schools and out of the schools, younger and older adolescents and young people married and unmarried.
Policy makers must recognize that young people, especially girls, need to have their rights protected. HIV prevention efforts must also recognize young people’s immediate needs for shelter and food, as well as their need to earn income in safe and non-exploitive ways.
« return.