As the world marked the 30th year after AIDS was first discovered as a new disease, five years after the Global Declaration towards Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support was established, some 200 youths from Centre, South, West, and East Africa, yesterday, December 1 in Addis Ababa, began a three-day discussion on the challenges, new approaches in the fight against HIV/AIDS amongst young people and opportunities in empowering them for HIV prevention. The youths, who are mostly members of African networks such as the African Youth and Adolescent Network (AfriYAN) and the African Young Positive Network, are meeting in a Youth Preconference ahead of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) which will begin in Addis Ababa on Monday, December 4, this year. Chairing the ICASA Youth Preconference is the Ethiopia Country Director of Clinton Foundation and Health Access Initiative, Dr Yigeremu Abebe.
Taking into consideration that HIV is seriously ravaging the young generation especially as they are sexually active and greatly affected by the HIV pandemic, the ICASA Youth Preconference is an opportunity for youths to discuss and reaffirm their engagement in curbing the disease which is affecting mostly them in the world. One of the youth representative from Cameroon, Salomon Mfouapon, said whether HIV is eradicated or not, young people will always need sex education so as to be empowered about their reproductive health and the fight against HIV/AIDS. While noting that although some parents do not know how to start discussing sex education with their children, Salomon Mfouapon said they really want them to be informed about it. Reason why during the ICASA Youth Preconference, youth leaders from different countries will brainstorm on topics such as Open Societies and the Rights of gays, lesbian and sex workers; Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights: Putting Young People into the Conversation as well as Behaviour Change Communication amongst members in the society.
While the young people will be looking at the unmet needs of sexual reproductive health, rights and service particularly amongst young people living with HIV, there will also try to understand intersections between HIV and Intimate Partner Violence as well as how they can live and love with HIV. Following the just ended meeting of AfriYAN, the youths are out to endorse the Africa Youth Charter as it provides a holistic approach in addressing the opportunities and challenges of youths particularly in the health domain. At the end of the ICASA Youth Preconference, the youths will come-up with a call to action which will be presented at the main ICASA conference. From all indications, youths in African are calling for the elimination of all forms of barriers including socio-cultural issues that dictate and often contravene on the rights of young people; unavailability and poor access to health services as well as the lack of information and communication between young people and parents/guardians
