The Sunday News
Nhlalwenhle Ngwenya, Sunday News Correspondent
THE prevalence of uncensored material easily accessible online by youths has been factored as one of the key drivers of HIV and Aids among teenagers in Bulawayo.
Speaking at the recently held community health working group media awareness workshop, Bulawayo Provincial Aids Co-ordinator Mrs Sinatra Nyathi said access to porn and child headed families were among key drivers of HIV in the city.
“We also have a problem with our youths who are exposed to uncensored foreign media like pornography through Internet and other sources. Bulawayo also has a lot of child-headed families with parents working in the diaspora, most of these children lack parental guidance and are just wild. They go to Vuzu parties where they drink alcohol with reckless abandon and end up engaging in sexual activities. These Vuzu parties are part of the key drivers of HIV,” said Mrs Nyathi.
She said due to the economic situation in the country that has brought with it low business in the city’s hotels and lodges most lodges in the city have been turned into affordable brothels further providing a haven for youths to engage in sexual activities.
“The existence of lodges and sports bars and the lack of much official business in these lodges has seen them being turned into brothels. They are now used as sex havens by the youths, further increasing HIV infections in the city,” she said.
Mrs Nyathi said youth unemployment and the generally depressed economic situation was forcing some youths especially girls to go into prostitution where there was high risk and vulnerability to the virus.
“We will, however, continue in our efforts to educate the youths on the effects of these parties so that they become more appreciative of the kind of exposure to HIV they will be giving themselves. We want them to be more responsible and avoid taking risks. Parents should also take note of what children watch, they should always give them guidance, so it is actually everyone’s duty,” she said.
She added that there was a worrying trend among young people who are becoming ignorant towards HIV and Aids awareness.
“Bulawayo is getting more HIV from unprotected sex and low personal risky perception especially in our young people. If you were following the country’s demographic health survey for last year the findings reveal that the Aids knowledge level among young people dropped, especially the 15-19 and we are saying these are the same people who are engaging in Vuzu parties and indulging in sexual activities because they lack the basic knowledge. So you can actually imagine what this means to the efforts in our fight against new infections,” said Mrs Nyathi.
