A report by the National AIDS Council (NAC) has revealed that more Zimbabwean women are accessing HIV and AIDS literature and anti-retroviral treatment compared to men. In the 2010 report the figures show that a total of 1,612,388 people were tested in the past 12 months of which 539,162 were men and 1,073,226 were female. The existing gap of is very wide and saddening.

It is now mandatory for every pregnant woman to undergo HIV tests to help prevent the passing of the virus to the baby (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission).  This reveals that when women go for these HIV tests their husbands do not go with them. Most men tend to rely heavily on the HIV status of their wives for them to hastily judge their own. If the wife is negative, they assume they are negative also. If the wife is positive, instead of assuming that they carry the same status too, like they would have done in the previous scenario, these men tend to leave their spouses and blame them bringing the virus into their homes.

In the same report it was also indicated that there was a decline in the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe from 18.5% to 14.2%. This is something that is most welcome as it goes a long way in showing the fruitfulness of the efforts being made by the government and non-governmental organisations to curb the spread of the virus in the country.

However, even more can be done if more men take the initiative in going for HIV tests for them to know their status and prevent its spread to their partners.

Mugabe’s Latest Gift to Zimbabwe: the Secret of Living Longer
Good news from Zimbabwe where, despite Western media reports of political crisis, economic stagnation and widespread poverty, the electoral roll indicates the country is actually one of the healthiest on earth. The October 2010 count finds 41,100 voters in Zimbabwe aged 100 or more – four times the number of centenarians in Britain, whose population is more than five times as large. Another 132,500 Zimbabwean voters are in their 90s; 16,800 Zimbabwean voters are also 110 years old, all of them, amazingly, born on New Year’s Day in 1901. Read more

‘Hiding HIV status from partner equates to murder’

A recent survey shows the majority of South African youth believe sex with an HIV positive person who does not disclose their status is tantamount to murder.

The Praekelt Foundation conducted a survey on its Young Africa Live mobile platform. The youth portal has about 370,000 users.

The foundation’s Gustav Praekelt said the respondents are between 16 years old and 25. They answered 50 questions. Read more

We have been used to the idea that girls in secondary and tertiary institutions are victims of sexual abuse from male pupils and teachers within the school premises and ‘sugar daddies’ outside. To tempt the girls into falling for these sexual relationships, money, gifts and promises of marriage have been used to lure them. However, a recent study conducted in Zimbabwe by SAfAIDS on adolescent sexual reproductive health revealed that high school boys are engaging in sexual activities with their female teachers in exchange for favours.

So much attention has been paid to protecting the girl child whilst a blind eye has been turned to the boy child. I personally think its because with the girl child, the consequences are evident after engaging in such relationships. They either fall pregnant or they get dumped leaving them in an emotional turmoil. Both of which impact negatively on their educational studies. But with boys, when they engage in such activity they are considered as being ‘lucky’. Boys being boys, they will brag to their peers about being involved sexually with a teacher.

But the SAfAIDS study discloses that both girls and boys are vulnerable and need the same attention from parents, school authorities, the government and the civic society.

Plainly people (both girls and boys) who are involved in sexual relationships with people who are older than them and in a position of authority are exploited. In this case a teacher is a person in authority and is therefore able to exploit the relationship to the disadvantage of the child. They are able to do so by abusing the school’s system in favour of the pupil they are in a relationship with. For instance they are given undeserved higher grades, preferential treatment in any given situation and any other type of favour that may come. The child will forever be at the mercy for the teacher for these favours and that leads to the teacher to continue abusing them.

In schools teachers are entrusted by parents to take care of their children whether male or female and if they are now the ones abusing the children within the school system, they are damaging both the school and the pupils.

I believe that stiffer penalties for teachers whether male or female who engage in sexual relationships with their pupils for whatever reason should be imposed.

Sexual harassment is one of the world’s greatest bugs, that has overstayed its welcome. Sexual harassment and rape is a crime, which is perpetrated worldwide, on young and old women, decently or indecently dressed. Stories of rape cases of minors are being reported in the media and the most recent in Zimbabwe is of a 69 year-old man who raped a 14 year-old girl. This was not his first offence.

Women in the US have taken to the streets to protest verbal and physical violence against women. These protests were stirred by an insensitive statement made by Toronto police constable Michael Sanguinetti who remarked that women should avoid dressing “like sluts” in order to prevent themselves from being raped or otherwise victimised.

Termed Slut Walks, the protests began in Canada and have spread to Australia and other parts of the world. The theme of the protests is women castigating the sexual harassment they face as a result of their type of clothing.

With women across the world staging protests against sexual harassment, reportedly perpetrated by what they wear and how they behave, are Zimbabwean women going to join in the campaign?

In 2010, on World AIDS Day, Zimbabwean footballers, together with other celebrities and the US Ambassador, Charles Ray, publicly tested for HIV. Commonly, celebrities in Zimbabwe fail to handle the wealth and fame that comes with their success. They stray from their normal lives and associate themselves with promiscuity and lose the status of being role models in society.

The United States Embassy is supporting a partnership between the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) and Population Services International (PSI) to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The US Embassy, through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and PSI, have decided to take the HIV/AIDS campaigns within the football fraternity to the next level. The US through its PEPFAR programme will donate USD60, 000 to the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe. PSI will provide technical support by conducting HIV/AIDS education programmes to all football players drawn from the 16 local football teams. The programme topics will dwell on male circumcision, condom use, and reduction of concurrent sexual partners, together with the importance of knowing one’s status. PSI is to engage action into these trainings to encourage footballers to play it safe on the pitch and off the pitch. Ambassador Ray encouraged footballers to share the knowledge they will receive from these trainings with their fans to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people.

FUZ’s project will run under the theme, “Don’t Play, Lets Substitute”. This idea came to the union because of its concern over footballer’s health, which is of paramount importance to their fitness and in turn, they careers.

Soccer is one of Zimbabwe’s favourite sports with a huge fan base and several young aspiring football players. It is our hope that through this initiative our beloved football players will take a firm stance and be role models in society to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS.