Newly launched project empowers girls to negotiate condom use
Legalising sex work in the continent of Africa may help reduce the sexual exploitation of Adolescent Girls and Young Women who engage in sex work, which puts them at an increased risk of HIV transmission.
This is the observation of Beauty Bayley a Director for Nothing Without Us Society – an NGO mandated to advocate for the provision of health services among most at-risk populations.
Bayley was speaking in Francistown at the launch of ‘Becoming my voice, My youth,’ a project intended to create, enhance and develop young female sex workers’ capacity at district level.
Bayley noted that adolescent girls and young women account for 24 percent of new infections while condom use at high-risk sex among young people aged 15 to 24 years is lower among females.
Bayley expressed shock that society has a conscious understanding of these risks for AGYW, yet converging social, cultural and economic factors still affect the way in which adolescent girls and young women understand, negotiate and access information and biomedical treatment related to HIV.
She noted that while socio‐behavioural interventions to support demand and uptake of HIV services goes up, evidence mapping of their scope and impact among AGYW must be systematically outlined and enumerated to help further adoption by researchers, policy makers and HIV programme managers.
“It is important to understand that control of HIV spread among AGYW is not just a public health but a societal and economic challenge that requires a strong will and commitment from many different levels,” she said.
Bayley said the project ‘Becoming my voice, My youth’ - aims to socialise young female sex workers in decision making structures in Greater Francistown.
It will also ensure that they effectively become part of structures like district technical working groups, district evidence planning forums, district management AIDS committees, stakeholders integrated service delivery activities and service provider forums.
It will help in the making of decisions for service provision to Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), advise stakeholders and make recommendations on the needs of AGYW and devise solutions in relation to prominent issues facing sex workers.
“In celebrating beginning of this project, it is imperative to remember our Adolescent Girls and Young Women as its basis and sole mandate. This is an at-risk group of individuals, who require us to collaborate extensively to ensure that they gain better livelihoods.
“There is extensive literature which suggest that the choices made during one’s adolescence and as a young adult significantly mould and shape one’s behaviours and health choices well into adulthood,” Barley said.
She believes therefore that increasing early education is critical for empowering AGYW, as it will enable them to resist sexual predators, negotiate condom use, and resist being given away for bride price at a young age.
Meanwhile, Lame Koboti of Humana People to People said adolescents and women account for 24 percent of HIV new infections to date, and that is attributed to high risk behaviour and lower condom use among people aged 15 to 24 years.
This is the observation of Beauty Bayley a Director for Nothing Without Us Society – an NGO mandated to advocate for the provision of health services among most at-risk populations.
Bayley was speaking in Francistown at the launch of ‘Becoming my voice, My youth,’ a project intended to create, enhance and develop young female sex workers’ capacity at district level.
Bayley noted that adolescent girls and young women account for 24 percent of new infections while condom use at high-risk sex among young people aged 15 to 24 years is lower among females.
Bayley expressed shock that society has a conscious understanding of these risks for AGYW, yet converging social, cultural and economic factors still affect the way in which adolescent girls and young women understand, negotiate and access information and biomedical treatment related to HIV.
She noted that while socio‐behavioural interventions to support demand and uptake of HIV services goes up, evidence mapping of their scope and impact among AGYW must be systematically outlined and enumerated to help further adoption by researchers, policy makers and HIV programme managers.
“It is important to understand that control of HIV spread among AGYW is not just a public health but a societal and economic challenge that requires a strong will and commitment from many different levels,” she said.
Bayley said the project ‘Becoming my voice, My youth’ - aims to socialise young female sex workers in decision making structures in Greater Francistown.
It will also ensure that they effectively become part of structures like district technical working groups, district evidence planning forums, district management AIDS committees, stakeholders integrated service delivery activities and service provider forums.
It will help in the making of decisions for service provision to Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), advise stakeholders and make recommendations on the needs of AGYW and devise solutions in relation to prominent issues facing sex workers.
“In celebrating beginning of this project, it is imperative to remember our Adolescent Girls and Young Women as its basis and sole mandate. This is an at-risk group of individuals, who require us to collaborate extensively to ensure that they gain better livelihoods.
“There is extensive literature which suggest that the choices made during one’s adolescence and as a young adult significantly mould and shape one’s behaviours and health choices well into adulthood,” Barley said.
She believes therefore that increasing early education is critical for empowering AGYW, as it will enable them to resist sexual predators, negotiate condom use, and resist being given away for bride price at a young age.
Meanwhile, Lame Koboti of Humana People to People said adolescents and women account for 24 percent of HIV new infections to date, and that is attributed to high risk behaviour and lower condom use among people aged 15 to 24 years.
