World AIDS Day is commemorated each year on the 1st of December and is an opportunity for every community to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV and remember those who have died. This year, Humana People to People in South Africa Child Aid Doornkop, in partnership with Mandelaville Community Center, celebrated the World AIDS day in Durban Deep, Roodepoort. The theme was “Global solidarity, shared responsibility”. The partnership’s aim was to educate and equip, women and young girls, with necessary information that will assist them to be in charge of their health.
Bafana Dube from Mandelaville Community Center, one of the speakers touched on the issues of gender based violence, saying alcohol is the reason for such social ills, highlighting it as the cause of high HIV infection among youths especially young girls in that area. In South Africa, it is reported that HIV prevalence among young women is nearly four times greater than that of young men.
Dube spoke about the issues of homophobic attacks that leads to young women and boys being raped and corrective rape. While women and girls are excessively targeted by violence, men and boys are also impacted. However, currently the services within gender-based violence (GBV) and child protection are mostly focused on responding to the needs of women and girls and very little attention is paid to the needs of men and boys.
He condemned discrimination acts, pleading with the community to accept and love people living with HIV. He also appealed to the community, explicitly men, to call each other out on GBV issues. He asked the community to work together and share the responsibility of raising their kids, pleading with the parents to call out young women on dating blessers. The “blesser and “blessee” phenomenon has been prominent in South African media since the year 2016. This is a form of transactional sex in which older rich men tend to entice young women with money and expensive gifts in exchange for sexual favours.
Since 2000, Humana People to People members have reached over 20 million people across 12 countries in Africa and Asia, connecting them with HIV/AIDS information, mobilization, HIV Testing Service, ART, TB other linkage and support services and support needed to live healthy and positive lives.
