AEGiS-14IAC: Creating a peer education network in order to improve accessibility and availibility of sexual and reproductive health (especially HIV) information, with special focus on marginalized and socially excluded groups.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Creating a peer education network in order to improve accessibility and availibility of sexual and reproductive health (especially HIV) information, with special focus on marginalized and socially excluded groups.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. D11121)

Medvedec TM
Institution, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

ISSUES: As a result of four year war in Bosnia & Herzegovina, we are still living with lot of negative consequences. In the area of sexual and reproductive health we can notice a visible lack of information, services, professional help and support of young people. In order to improve this situation, B&H with an international support is working on implementation of Balkan project, in which are involved five more countries in the region.

DESCRIPTION: According to the facts that we have a slow progress in recognizing SRH and rights of young people, and in the same time high rate of STIs, intravenuous drug use and very low condom use, we believe that number of HIV infection will increase. On the other side, one painful consequence of the war is large number of young people that consider themselves as marginalized and socially excluded in the society. Those groups are: Disabled, Internally displaced people/refugees, victims of sexual violence, street children, orphans, children in institutions, Hiv infected young people, etc. These specific groups of young people also need our support in order to provide them personal and social welfare, and acivities in order to improve existing legal framework on their SRHR. To summarise, our project aims to implement a sustainable youth/adolescent sexual health programme, which comprises three important elements: Advocacy, Information, education and communication and capacity building.

LESSON LEARNED: In the initial phase of project implementation, we could see that exist a big gap regarding information on SRH issues, and a lot of taboos that we have to deal with. In the same time young people are very interested in this issues and ready to collaborate and get actively involved in implementation of project activities. RECOMMENDATION: If we can not change someone`s opinion, working with young people for young people,we can, at least, try to provide an appropriate information and education.

Keywords: AEGIS, Reproductive Medicine, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Demography, Safe Sex, Health Services Needs and Demand, Adolescent Health Services, Health, Health Education, Attitude to Health, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Adolescence, Child

020707
D11121