Caribbean youth build a culture of HIV prevention

Young people discussing how to better increase awareness toward HIV and AIDS. (Photo Credit to Transdiaspora Network)

About 40 percent of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases around the world involve young people aged 15-24. Youth remain highly at risk because of insufficient HIV awareness and prevention programming, especially in developing regions such as the Caribbean where the vast majority of young men and women lack comprehensive knowledge about HIV.

“Young people are a force for change for new Caribbean societies,” Bilali Camara of UNAIDS Caribbean told MediaGlobal. “We would like to change the face of prevention by ensuring that young people are leading the process.”

As more young men and women become victims of inadequate and often inaccessible preventive systems, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) empowers the Caribbean youth to reinforce a culture of prevention against HIV.

In the recent report, The Status of HIV in the Caribbean, UNAIDS envisions a “prevention revolution” of heightened youth and community involvement in meaningful discourses on gender and sexuality issues, tailored to national and local contexts. “It combines biomedical, behavioral, and structural elements to reduce immediate HIV risks, and addresses the underlying vulnerabilities including culture and society,” explained Camara.

HIV/AIDS prevention in the Caribbean has been mechanized through formal education. “Education substantially contributes to the knowledge and skills essential for preventing HIV infection and protects individuals, families, communities, institutions and countries from the impact of AIDS,” said UNESCO Kingston Cluster Education Programme Assistant Jenelle Babb.

However, sex education has been a complex issue in the region. UNESCO in Latin America and the Caribbean reported that the region’s cultural conservatism often impedes the incorporation of the subject in academic curriculum. The agency further said that providing information on sexual and reproductive health does not significantly suffice if these efforts do not translate to concrete changes in the sexual conduct and vulnerability of the youth to HIV. Preventive measures should therefore be programmed to strategically involve a network that addresses cultural dimensions.

“There are many sectors which are dormant but can play an active role in the Prevention Revolution among Caribbean young people,” said Camara. The youth sector, he explained, plays a critical role in encouraging societies to embrace positive attitudes towards sex, sexuality, gender, and diversity, and safer sexual practices.

“There is a need for strong youth peer-to-peer education in this process,” Camara stressed. “Young people learn much more from young people.”

Among transplanted Caribbean youth in New York City, Transdiaspora Network (TDN) takes the lead in the HIV prevention revolution.

TDN responds to the lack of preventive efforts tailored for the youth in culturally diverse communities. It provides young Caribbean immigrants with access to culturally-oriented HIV prevention education that bridges the gap between mainstream prevention programs and the distinct needs of Caribbean communities.

“We go beyond the biomedical aspect by providing at-risk youth with a holistic approach, allowing them to be more aware and responsible of their bodies,” TDN Communication Director Federica Rangel told MediaGlobal.

TDN coordinates with public schools to invite students to a ten-week awareness program through dance meditation, storytelling, social photography, and online social media. It engages the youth and their families in transformational dialogues on self-respect, sexuality, relationships, civic responsiveness, and youth leadership on HIV prevention.

Mobilizing youth-serving and youth-led organizations is at the core of developing efficient and sustainable HIV prevention programs. “Ultimately, the goal is for the youth themselves to be the promoters of a culture of prevention” said TDN Executive Director Ariel Rojas.

As the period for nations to fulfill their commitment to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of combating HIV draws to a close, youth-empowering initiatives are vital for young people around the world to rise above cultural limits and protect themselves against HIV.