NGO wants FG to address rape as risk factor for HIV

Thu, Apr 5, 2018 | By publisher


Health

THE New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society (NHVMAS), an NGO, has called on the Federal Government to address rape as a high risk factor for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by the organisation’s Coordinator, Morenike Folayan, in Lagos on Thursday, the risk of rape is extremely high for girls in the country.
Folayan said a study showed that about 34.1 per cent of sexually active adolescent girls have their first sexual experience through rape.
“In Nigeria, rape increases the risk of girls to HIV infection just like it does in South Africa.
“The mental distress associated with rape is not often managed due to the culture of silence about rape.
“This culture increases the high risk behavior of rape survivors – unprotected anal and vaginal intercourse, having multiple sex partners and increased engagement in transactional sex.
“Rape survivors also suffer depression and low self-esteem.
“In Nigeria, they often use coping strategies that limit their interactions with people and the public further increasing their risk of mental distress,” Folayan said.
She said that the risk for HIV infection for adolescent girls was further heightened if they got unwanted pregnancies, and continued to have sex with an infected partner during pregnancy and post delivery.
The coordinator said also that the risk of engaging in sex during and immediately after delivery was high due to the need to get source for money to support themselves and their child.
“Pregnancy increases the risk of being a school dropout, having no skills to provide financially for self, and a family suddenly trust into her care.
“This resorts to transactional sex as a way for making income during pregnancy and post delivery is therefore high,” she said.
Folayan therefore urged the federal government to address rape as a structural risk factor for HIV while planning its HIV prevention programme in the country.
According to her, HIV prevention intervention for any target population requires comprehensive programming; programmes need to address biomedical, behavioural and structural risk factors.
“Sadly, the government does not recognise rape as a risk factor for HIV infection for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
“Neither does the country have a HIV prevention programme designed to acknowledge that unwanted or unplanned pregnancy is a risk factor for HIV infection for adolescent girls.
“Rape increases the risk for pregnancy and pregnant girls are often forced to marry identified sex partners – rapist or others.
“They dropout of school, become economically insecured, and are less able to negotiate safe sex.
“Not having education beyond secondary school is one of the greatest structural risk factors for HIV infection for women and young girls.
“Sadly, 49 per cent of females living in rural Nigeria and 22 per cent of those in urban Nigeria have no education.
“We need to break the vicious cycle of HIV risk resulting from unwanted adolescents’ pregnancy.
“Establishing programmes that empower young girls to make decisions about preventing unwanted pregnancy is highly needed in Nigeria,” she said.

 

– Apr. 5, 2018 @ 17:27 GMT

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