Re: Condoms can lead to promiscuity. Jt Director UPSACS

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

I read this article with a bit of irritation. Really, folks, if Big

Brother and God and Parents cannot observe youth for 24 hours 7 days a week to

monitor their sexual habits then please please please install those lifesaving

condom machines. Honestly, this doesn't take an Einstein to figure out.

Signed,

Irritated in Alaska

Christian Heppinstall

Volunteer Coordinator

Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association

tel/907.263.2047/fax/907.263.2051

cheppinstall@...

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

For how many more decades we would be pretending that the youngsters are not

having sex (out of wedlock)? We need to accept that sex between a young couple

is a natural thing to happen.

Even in rural bihar (where the youngsters are living among typically

conservative socity) un-wanted preganancies are regular leading to unsafe

abortions. In cities the youngsters are even more exposed and have greater

freedom. Educating them about safe sex and provisioning of CVM is the right way

to avoid unwanted pregnancies and related complications besides allowing them to

protect themselves from getting infected.

Manish

CARE India, Bihar

E-mail: <mmathur_in@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum members,

Let me take this opprotunity to wish you all, your loving family members and

friends a very happy new year.

I totally agree with Manish and several others on the issue of whether we have

to talk on condoms or not and if so do we provide the necessary provisions for

the same such as the CVM. The following are to be noted:

1. People who decide have sexual relationships will never ask permission to do

so. It is definitely believing us to close our eyes to the same fact, while the

truth is that the youngsters are continuing the behavior and we should be

attempting to keep them safe. Attempts failing to do the same will end up us

having to loose them to complications such as HIV etc.

2. As for CVM, the Chennai Corporation under the mighty leadership of Mr.

Manivasakam IAS and his team have taken on trial a complete installation of CVMs

through NGOs at all the NGO intervention sites.

At least our experience gathers that out of the 24 CVM set up at

the area where the cine industry is prominently settled, within a months time of

instalation, there had been 1-3 times of refill, which shows that the condom use

is increasing.

Therefore on one hand we have given the environment for condom access, which

actually was made possible after several years of interventions, i think we

shouldnt be having the horse run back giving rise to sentiments based on our

youngsters and thier behaviors.

Let us smartly digest the recent happenings with wide openness and make them

safe which certainly does not sum up to say that we support them.

With warm regards

shyamala ashok

E-mail: aabinand@...

[Guest guest]

Hello Forum,

I've been lurking on this list for some time now -- and thank you for the

interesting and informative posts!

To follow up on Shyamala Ashok's and 's posts: I read a recent

meta-analysis of 44 controlled studies on the effectiveness of HIV sexual risk

reduction interventions for adolescents. The authors concluded on statistical

grounds that " ...providing condoms did not accelerate the onset of sexual debut

nor increase the number of sexual partners, corroborating others' findings ...

and allaying concerns about the iatrogenic effects of behavioral interventions

to reduce risk. "

Citation: , B. T., Carey, M. P., Marsh, K. L., Levin, K. D., &

-Sheldon, L. A. J. (2003). Interventions to reduce sexual risk for the

Human Immunodeficiency Virus in adolescents, 1985 - 2000: A research synthesis.

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 157, 381 - 388.

What is the world view of someone who honestly believes that by giving a

teenager a condom, we motivate him or her to engage in promiscuous sexual

activity?

All the best,

warren

Warren A. Reich, Ph.D.

Research and Evaluation Manager

The Family Center

66 Reade St., New York, NY 10007

(212) 766-4522 x136

www.thefamilycenter.org

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

I’ve been following with interest the comments on this forum, especially the

recent ones on condom vending machines. I’m a student of anthropology, and my

specific focus is on AIDS and stigma.

The idea that accessible condoms will promote sexual activity among youth has,

time and again, been proved incorrect by various studies as well as by people’s

personal experiences growing up and interacting with young people.

I have a couple of comments of my own to make.

First, people – and not just young people – will likely have sex if they can.

The only thing giving people access to condoms does is increase the likelihood

that they will have protected sex.

Second, the use of condom vending machines, if they are in relatively “private”

public areas, such as bathrooms, takes away much of the fear and embarrassment

associated with trying to buy protection in your neighbourhood chemist shop.

This is a powerful reason that many young people do not use protection. Sexual

activity needs to be destigmatized. While I'm not suggesting that children be

enouraged to have sex, we need to respect the decision-making ability of young

adults and also to acknowledge that people are going to pretty much do what they

want, whatever social authority thinks.

Third, talking in terms of “our traditions” or “our culture” is not very

productive, and also rather inaccurate. Indians follow many different traditions

and have many different cultures. These are not restricted to those delimited by

religion, region, or ethnicity. Social rules, rituals, and behaviour patterns

are also differentiated based upon age, gender, sexual orientation, economics,

and so on. It is critical to remember, also, that just as appropriate behaviour

changes with context, so, too, does it change with time.

Now is not the time to worry about what “our culture” permits and what it

doesn’t. It is the time to engage in practical solutions to immediate problems,

while continuing to look to the long run.

In solidarity,

Lavanya

E-mail: <lavi_m@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

The condom was introduced in the Family Planning progm of India in

1952, that time also the relegious ,social,political groups and

individuals made a noice that by this act of making condoms

available free in the progm will promote the promisquity.

Adolescent will try the sex because it cant cause pregnacy.In

reality today the promiscuty did increased in the society but not

due to condoms. May be due to changes in lifestyle ? Some First

timers who has seen the condom first may get tempted to have sex

and start searching the venue and the sex partener,but majority

will be temted to have sex when they find sex partener and if

condoms are not available then also they will have sex. We can be

usefull to the second group and first group may join later.

However in my openion condom cannot increase the promisquity as the

experience shows.

Dr A S Rathore

Joint Director

Centre for AIDS & Related DIs NICD,Delhi

E-mail: <asr_naco@...>