Gloria Mutonyi
21 December 2008
opinion
Kampala — The trend that most AIDS activists are taking is quite worrying. In the long run, we may not achieve the Millennium Development Goal of HIV prevention by 2015. Today, the AIDS fight has shifted focus from prevention to only rehabilitation. Most of the programmes carried out by the activists are now focussing on rehabilitation, which is also vital, but should not surpass prevention, which was one of the major reasons for HIV/AIDS funding.
A number of organisations, including our legislators, are chanting the "fight stigma" slogan, , but we never get to the core of the problem. Fighting stigma should not divert us from the goal of prevention and reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. Three years ago, Uganda was being commended for spearheading the fight against HIV/AIDS, with our percentage as low as 6%. However, three years down the road, we seem to be going back. It is painful to learn that HIV/AIDS is more prevalent among the marrieds yet this is where we expect it to be least. The core issues of faithfulness are no longer stressed as discordance and safer sex. Much as we may force every male to be circumcised, if we leave out the issues of faithfulness, we may register little success.
Recently, one of our leaders was condemning the act of having couples tested before they are wed, a practice in many churches. I think this is not stigmatising, but one way of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. The practice sends a warning to the young people that if you start messing around and get AIDS, then you will not marry the apple of your eye, so walk upright.
I call upon our legislators and activists to dig to the core of the problem because making laws alone will not be a solution. Are we going to have machines to detect who spread AIDS to the other in order for the new law on HIV/AIDS to bear results? Let us encourage people to love one another so they won't spread the disease, and also tell people the truth - abstain or be faithful. Merry Christmas.
The writer is a social worker and researcher
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
