Sex is "optional" & Menstruation is not
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| condoms being distributed at roadblocks |
I
am back again, after a very long time. My wish is to be as consistent as
possible in posting on my blog but due to my tight schedule and work I find
minimal time to post something. Anyways
today I felt so compelled to create time and pen down my views on an on-going
debate that has been trending on social media. I first saw the post on a friend
of mine’s wall with a huge number of young people cheering and agreeing to the
sentiments he shared, I commented and debated on the issue and felt it wasn’t enough;
hence I opted to do more. After a very short space of time the debate grew to
an extent that a few friends from neighbouring countries were also talking
about it. The thoughts of this fellow were that Condoms should be sold and sanitary pads should be free...sex is
optional and menstruation is not. Quick two things that came to mind when I
saw this; there about 70% of Swazis living below the poverty mark with less
than a dollar to survive per day and the 26% of Swazis who are HIV positive.
For
a moment I thought this was a feminist battle judging from the fact that women
need pads more and at the same time people who talk about condoms more often
are men, but later on I discovered that this was just a normal issue and both
genders seem to be supporting it. Engaging this issue from the Swaziland
context one must mention that both condoms and pads are very important and we
need to reach a point as a country where we are able to provide both to the
public for free. There none availability of free pads might be one of the
fuelling factors to HIV infection, as young girls engage in unsafe sex and
intergenerational relationships in exchange for money to buy immediate needs
such as pads. On the same note in as much as sex is “optional” as highlighted
by the dear friend people do it quite a lot and that “choice” (sex) is
responsible for quite a number of things in our society, firstly it is
responsible for the now approximately 10 000 new infections every year,
about the 0.5% deaths of the total population and more than anything it is
responsible for marking Swaziland to the whole world as we have the highest HIV
prevalence rate in the world. Worth noting is that in the early years before
the introduction of condoms, the infection rate was almost double if not more
than now, the same with deaths.
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| Bus rank condom distribution |
Having
young people who strongly feel and support these statements at this point In
time scares the hell out of me. In such a state of affairs we cannot fool
ourselves and forget that HIV/AIDS currently remains one of the biggest
challenges that we are facing as a country and further pretend that when
condoms get sold the sex rate will decrease. I think at some point as Swazis
especially young people in general we have to remember that there are things
that are Important but not urgent and Things that are important but urgent.
This is a principle that should also guide ones actions in life and I assume
even tackling this issue requires us to be in that mode currently. Regardless
that quite a number of young girls cannot afford to buy sanitary pads, which is
a hygienic issue but realistically speaking in the absence of free pads can’t
we assist each other in buying than to substitute free condoms for free pads.
This wouldn’t mean we have forgotten about the urgent need for sanitary pads
but it would simple mean we understand our current great need. I have buried my
own family members who lost their lives due to HIV/AIDS, which is the same with
everyone else. That is why it is said if you are not infected you are affected
and in our case as Swazis we are all affected, considering the fact that
HIV/AIDS remains one of the major challenges to Swaziland’s socio-economic
development.
If
people cannot afford to buy pads (a necessity) how much more buying condoms
which in this case are regarded for “optional” use (Sex). The reality is that
those who do not afford to buy pads it is because; they literally do not have
money, there are other things which are more important than pads and lastly the
money that happens to reach their hands is too little to afford both.
A
disappointing fact is that if condoms were to be sold, so many people would get
infected. I choose not to turn a blind eye on the plenty of people who are
accessing them and using them solely because they are provided for free. Again
if you would note above, I have put optional in quotes most of the time. This
is because it is not everyone who has sex optionally. Our society which is
still patriarchal dares women to be defiant, challenge or negotiate sometimes.
Something which needs to change ASAP.
For
now like i have stated earlier rather let’s find ways of providing the two
without substituting the other. AYOBA
