Amsterdam 2015
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| Abstract #3447 - Community engagement | ||||
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Session: 49.6: Community engagement (Parallel) on Friday @ 09.00-10.30 in 202 Chaired by Javier Toledo, Avrom Sherr Authors: Presenting Author: Ms Alexandra Letcher - Mai Aisha Sisters and Youth AIDS Programme, Malawi |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: A gendered and generational dynamic to HIV prevalence in Malawi is evident in the heavily weighted percentage of young women who are HIV positive Ɠ.1%) in comparison to their male counterparts Ɛ.1%) (UNICEF). Mai Aisha Sisters and Youth AIDS Programme (MASYAP) HIV testing shows the percentage of (mainly) Muslim girls aged 14-24 in the Blantyre region is almost double the national average at 9.7%. The vulnerability of youth, particularly girls and young women, is well-documented but few studies have considered the young Muslim female experience of HIV/AIDS in Malawi. This qualitative study generates a more nuanced understanding of risk behaviour exhibited by Muslim female youth when negotiating sexual relations. | ||||
| Method / Issue: The mixed method study was conducted with 79 Muslim girls aged between 13-23 in 10 urban and peri-urban communities in the three southern districts of Blantyre, Thyolo and Chiradzulu. Participants were purposively sampled. 28% of participants had dropped out of school and 70% were based in peri-urban areas. Semi- ethnographic interviews and focus group discussions were triangulated with a survey on basic HIV/AIDS knowledge, age of- and reason for- sexual debut, number of current partners and reasons for multiple partners and the level of discussion between partners about HIV/AIDS. | ||||
| Results / Comments: 64% of the participants were sexually active, of which 44% had their sexual debut under the age of 15. The most common reason cited was pressure from a partner. Interview and group discussion highlighted sexual relations were viewed through a transactional lens, particularly in peri-urban areas where one girl had lost her virginity aged 10 in exchange for a few painkillers while another at 13 for a bar of soap. Early sexual debut which is associated with greater subsequent HIV risk, seems driven by poverty. Of the sexually active girls, 78% received money from their partner and over a quarter said that their basic needs would not be met if their relationships ended. A rural-urban divide was noted in HIV knowledge and sexual relations rural girls had less knowledge of HIV/AIDS but were more likely to have one partner, urban girls had a more basic knowledge yet were more likely to have a number of partners due to financial considerations. Over half those sexually active had not discussed HIV/AIDS with their partner yet said that they would end the relationship if they discovered their partner was HIV+. | ||||
| Discussion: The findings suggest that while urban and peri-urban Muslim girls may have a basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS issues, this knowledge has not translated into individual risk assessment of sexual behaviour. This correlates with other studies of southern African female youth where IEC interventions do not necessarily reduce risky sexual behavior. The study shows the relevance of risk of contraction was outweighed by the financial and social benefits of being in a relationship. Addressing the causes for early sexual debut and the perceived need for multiple partners through poverty reduction measures and by keeping girls in education for longer should be a key consideration for community based HIV-AIDs support organisations. | ||||
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