Contributed by William Angelos| 09 January, 2005 05:08 GMT
Secretary of State Colin Powell met with a group of 19 young people in Kenya on Saturday and engaged in a frank discussion about sexual behavior and the threat of AIDS, according to press reports. Powell was visiting Kenya to witness the signing of a peace agreement for war-torn Sudan.The young people, ranging in age from pre-teens to 20s, were activists in the effort to prevent the spread of HIV.
'Sugar Daddies' Prey on Young Girls
According to accounts published by the Associated Press and Reuters, Powell spoke candidly with them about sexual practices, cultural attitudes about promiscuity, the use of condoms, and the expectation that young girls must submit to having intercourse with much older men, who are more likely to be carriers of HIV.
Girls as young as nine are exploited by so-called "sugar daddies," Reuters reports.
Education about HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior is getting through to some young Kenyans, Powell reportedly was told. The message is being delivered earlier, and youngsters are being encouraged to value virginity.
One woman told Powell she encourages "secondary virginity" -- the practice of giving up sex after having lost virginity, as a protective measure. "Secondary virginity is cool," Reuters quoted the woman as saying.
Africa 'Looked the Other Way'
AIDS reportedly has killed 1.5 million people in Kenya to date, which has a population of about 30 million. About two million currently are infected with HIV. AIDS kills more than 200,000 Kenyans each year.
At about 7 percent among adults, the rate of HIV/AIDS infection in Kenya is lower than in some African countries, particularly in the south. Powell blamed the severity of the epidemic in part on the slowness of some African nations to acknowledge the problem, according to AP.
"Africa, I think, for too long ... ignored the problem, looked the other way and said, 'No, this isn't happening,'" Reuters quoted Powell as saying.
Mandela Spoke Out
Powell noted the announcement by former South African President Nelson Mandela earlier this week that his son has died from AIDS. "More and more people are willing to speak out about this and not hide," Powell said, according to AP.
"That kind of personal example and willingness to share the problem publicly is important so that people will say, 'Well, you know, if Mandela can talk about it, then I should talk about it, and if he has it in his family, then maybe I have it in my family,'" Powell said, according to Reuters' report. |
|
Home 
*Diseases & Conditions 
