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Reducing Hiv/aids Vulnerability Among Adolescents
Author: Anirudha Alam  | Posted: 14-07-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 19 | Rating: (52)  (?) 
Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents Anirudha Alam
To reduce HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents, there is a need to develop strategies and methods for effective curriculum focusing on sex education and life skills especially. Internalizing more participatory learning-teaching method, it is felt that a stronger integration of prevention education vis-à-vis sex & reproductive health approaches is essential for improving the high-quality HIV prevention & care. It is estimated that there are 1.2 billion adolescents in the world. Near about eighty seven percent of these adolescents live in the developing countries. More than eighty five percent adolescents of Bangladesh do not know what reproductive health is and how to practice safe sex. Most of them are not aware of how to undermine the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. To make them free from such encumbrance as HIV/AIDS, we have to ensure a healthy and promising environment. It is believed that if the adolescents have qualitative reproductive health literacy ultimately HIV/AIDS prevention programs initiated by GOs and NGos will be successful.
Only effective education can ensure qualitative reproductive health literacy. This kind of literacy helps adolescents analyze thoroughly basic information, core messages, values and praxis related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Simultaneously they are able to inculcate caring and supportive attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). They possess the basic facts and information bringing about acquisition of knowledge and development of attitudes, values, skills and practices (KAVSP) as to undermining the spread of HIV/AIDS. Consequently they have profound awareness on practicing safe sex, use of condoms, gender equity, harmful effect of early marriage, premarital sex and unplanned pregnancy.
Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents may be promoted auspiciously through evaluating the attitudes and values within community based social norms/beliefs, cooperation and teamwork. From the salad days, adolescents have to be guided by active and participatory learning that they may analyze, study ideas, solve problems and apply what they learn. It is important to ensure that active learning would be fast-paced, enjoyable and personally engaging. In this regard, cooperative learning may play a vital role to make the adolescents aware of HIV/AIDS significantly. It is one kind of effective group approaches with a view to learning with common objectives, mutual rewards, shared resources and complementary roles. Through this approach, group members are stimulated to help each other to master the lesson or activity. Thus an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect are established. Eventually the learning environment is warm as well as adolescents are made to express their views, opinions, attitudes and behaviors freely.
Adolescence is the prime and sensitive period of so many physical, emotional and cognitive developments. So adolescents have to experience many changes unexpectedly. In most cases, they remain unaware of how to efficiently cope with these kinds of physical and psychological changes. Attitudes to sexuality are being developed gradually during puberty. In this time, if adolescents are misguided or deprived of acquiring reproductive health literacy they will suffer all the time in their lives. There is no doubt that sexual maturity leads to happiness and fulfillment in future personal and social relationships. So there is no alternative for adolescents to learn about issues related to reproductive health from parents, teachers and other elders for being able to understand and develop a healthy attitude.
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing in the developing countries jeopardized by lack of qualitative reproductive health literacy among the adolescents. But reproductive health literacy itself offers one of the key hopes against HIV/AIDS epidemic as well as its influential eventualities. In fighting the pandemic, reproductive health literacy comprising transfer of skills and attitudes to reduce adolescents’ vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS is the most effective means. It is seriously necessary to reduce the fear of HIV/AIDS any how. Reproductive health literacy can do a lot to combat HIV/AIDS facilitating adolescents in attaining the knowledge, attitudes and skills that they need to delay sexual intercourse, reduce their number of sex partners, prevent illicit drug/substance use and avoid infection by using condoms.
The academic curriculum of the developing countries like Bangladesh should provide adolescents with opportunities to learn and practice life skills, such as decision-making and communication skills, which can strengthen other important areas of early life development. It is expected that different aspects of inclusive HIV/AIDS/STI study must be built-in into all suitable subject areas, such as reproductive health, human rights & legal aids, home economics, gender development & women empowerment, social studies and science.
Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director
(Information & Development Communication)
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS
Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206
Bangladesh.
Phone:8801718342876, 88029889732,88029889733 (office), 88028050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudha.alam@gmail.com,
info@bees-bd.org, bees@worldnetbd.net
Website: www.bees-bd.org
Ref: FHI, UNESCO, World Bank
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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/reducing-hivaids-vulnerability-among-adolescents-181412.html
 About the Author:Anirudha Alam is a prominent AIDS researcher and working in a national NGO BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services) as a Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication). He writes and edits more than forty books and a good number of articles on various issues like women empowerment, human rights, education awareness, social development, income generating activities, environment awareness, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness, juvenile literature, short stories and so on. His noteworthy books are Kulsums and Karims (a collection of success stories of disadvantaged people of Bangladesh), Kulsums (a collection of success stories of disadvantaged & destitute women of Bangladesh), The Reflections (a collection of posters on literacy & education of Bangladesh), Towards a New Hope, Social Assistance Message Collection, Social Assistance Advocacy Manual, Eaisab Rat Din (a collection of juvenile poems), Du Sha Bachharer Sera Bangla Kishor Galapa (a collection of juvenile Bengali stories of two hundred years) etc.
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I have ulcers are on my lips and if i kiss to ...
By: mohan | 26-09-2008
i have ulcers are on my lips and if i kiss to infected person not deeply only lips is it possible to transmit hiv in my body?
Very worried
By: tommy | 24-09-2008
A few days ago i was at a party and there was this lady who was giving blowjobs, she had received a load of cum on her face and mouth i guess. After 30 odd secs she put her mouth on my penis, I reckon the sperm from the other guy came in contact with my penis not sure about it. I am really worried if HIV can be transmitted in such a manner. And what worries me even more is I don't know either of these people. And this was my first time ever having tried any form of sex. I have got myself tested by a doctor I am waiting for the results, but I read that HIV takes 3-6 months to show up. So I am loosing sleep being worried if I could have caught HIV. Could anyone guide me or tell me if I am in danger...
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can i get hiv from using a wet shaving stick that may have cut an infected person?..can the virus live on a wet shaving stick?
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By: Sara | 21-09-2008
i have braces because I have small cuts, don't know if that would be considered "open sores". I open mouthed kissed someone that told me after the fact that they were positive, what is the possiblity of me contracting the virus??
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By: melissajc04 | 18-09-2008
I have these pimple like bumps on my legs. I try to squeeze them like pimples, but they will not pop. Some have like a white head on them, others are just red. What can this be? Is it just acne, or could this be a early symptom of HIV?
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By: rightquest | 15-09-2008
I had a massage from a man. though the man didn't have anal sex with me (no insertion), he ejaculated on my private parts (external)... is there a chance of contracting HIV??
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