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Saturday, December 10, 2005

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Saturday Feature
 
Adolescent girls run risk of AIDS, STDs
Ms. Muslima Khan Bulon
12/10/2005
 

          In our country people are not much conscious about their health due to
illiteracy. They don't get enough information on health and sanitation from society. The general education system doesn't contain such information about these issues. Information is not properly updated in our country. It is the main reason why the people are vulnerable to HIV/ AIDS. Other contributing factors for the people's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS include the drug addicts, professional sex workers, etc.
Poor adolescent girls are vulnerable to coerced sex, which involve rape and other kinds of sexual abuse - within and outside the family - and forced sex work. Any non-consensual or coerced penetrative sex can carry an increased risk of HIV transmission, particularly as men are not likely to use condoms in these situations.
Subordinate position in the areas of education, employment, social and legal status makes women more vulnerable to HIV. Women who have limited access to financial resources are more likely to become economically dependent on men and they are mostly relegated to the subsistence sector or forced into commercial sex work.
In Bangladesh the number of drug addicts using injection is increasing day by day. According to some drug experts, 'The increase in drug abuse is due to political and social frustration. The addicts can get their drug cheap and easily'. Of all other drug addicts, those who use injection are the first group vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in our country. In some areas a group of drug addicts uses one syringe when they take drug. It is a very dangerous practice that is liable to increase the number of HIV/AIDS victims.
Another vulnerable group of HIV/AIDS is that of the professional sex workers. Generally, the sex workers of our country come from poor and illiterate families. So they lack the knowledge of STD/STI, HIV/AIDS and other kinds of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). And these sex workers do not go for or insist on any safety measures, for example, use of condom by their customers. However, most sex workers use various kinds of contraceptives to avoid pregnancy. But a single contraceptive method like condom can prevent both poignancy and STD/STI or HIV/AIDS.
The 4th surveillance survey conducted recently shows that the number of condom users in Bangladesh is very low Drug users and sex workers are members of our society. They are also members of some families. So, if they contract the disease, society itself will be affected by it. So we should make the people aware of the danger.

The writer is an HIV/AIDS researcher
Source: Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation

 

 
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