Inter Press Service - Friday, February 26, 1999

Communication with the under 25's, who today account for more than half the new cases, represents "the best hope of bringing the epidemic under control," said Peter Piot, UNAIDS director, during the campaign launch Thursday in Brasilia.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) heads the campaign with the slogan "Listen, learn, live!," reflecting the objective of increasing the level of communication on the human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV), especially in the under 25's.

The unfortunate reality means campaigns must be directed toward children and young people as they continue to become infected and are the most at risk section of the population, said Tamara Renaud, UNAIDS official, in Geneva. Only last year, more than three million children and young people became infected with HIV worldwide.

One of the reasons for the vulnerability of this population is that adults "spend too much time telling young people what to do and how to do it instead of listening of what young people need: which is affection, close links with adults and safe sex education," said Piot in the Brazilian capital.

"We have to listen to create the open dialogue necessary to stem the epidemic," stated Renaud in a press conference in Geneva, where UNAIDS is based.

Dialogue needs to happen between adults and children, amongst adults and amongst children and young people, she said.

Communication will allow us to find out what is happening in the lives of young people because "we do not see this reality or we prefer to ignore it." Renaud added that one shocking study in the Caribbean showed 40 percent of young people had their first sexual experience before the age of 10.

Another reason for dialogue is the need to establish bonds between adults and children, because it has been proven these bonds protect young people.

A study of 90,000 youngsters in the United States proved that regardless of race, class, level or education or number of parents, the single factor that was protective of young people's lives was whether they had a caring adult. Those cared for by an adult, be this a parent, teacher or sports coach, performed better than those who were not, quoted Renaud.

Another type of dialogue aims toward questions like violence, which expose young people to the risk of HIV.

In Lima, it was found that 90 percent of young mothers aged between 12 and 16 had been the victims of rape, in most cases by their father, stepfather or a close relative.

Sexual violence creates a risk of infection of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. In the long term, his leads to risky behaviours in the rest of their lives, explained Renaud.

Meanwhile, any form of violence pushes children out of the family and into the streets where they face enormous risks of rape, drug use and commercial sex. The UN body also promotes dialogue to reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding AIDS.

People with AIDS suffer more than they have to due to the fear and discrimination they face in the community, in their schools and workplaces. And this stigma can even lead to death. Last year, said Renaud, a youmg woman who spoke out publically on her suffering due to HIV was killed ten days later by neighbourhood boys.

During the communication campaign, USAIDS will work with MTV, the cable music television broadcaster.

This year, the channel will "carry out a joint study with us on the desires and aspirations of young people as well as their actual practises," said Renaud. Piot, who was accompanied throughout the presentation in Brazil by the nation's president, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, also lashed out at the machist attitudes which push young boys into early sexual activity.

"Men themselves have to take the lead in rejecting machismo," he said.

"We urgently need male to male dialogue if we are going to challenge harmful attitudes about women and girls, and encourage younger men be more responsible sexually," said the UNAIDS director. (END/IPS/tra-so/pc/dg/sm/99)
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