E Cape launches AIDS council
Lucky Khumalo
2 November 2004
Eastern Cape MEC for Sport Recreation, Arts and Culture Nomsa Jajula on Monday launched the province's AIDS Council and urged the youth to take charge of the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Jajula said the AIDS body aims to raise awareness about HIV prevention methods and encourage people to test for HIV to make informed decisions.
The MEC called on all leaders including political and administrative leaders to commit themselves to this campaign.
She said children of women between the ages of 25 and 39 faced a bleak future, as they were more vulnerable to the disease.
For this reason, a campaign will be conducted in two phases in the province this month. The first phase, which will be during the first two weeks of this month, will encourage the public to test for HIV so as to know their status.
She said the major part of this phase will be road shows, which will be spearheaded by the Office of the Premier.
At the same
time, the council will engage organisations such as trade union federation Cosatu, the Provincial Youth Commission, traditional and church leaders to take public tests.
The second phase, from 3 to 15 December will involve women and girls, with the main thrust being to encourage men not to abuse women and girls.
This phase will lead to the 16 Days of Activism of no Violence Against Women and Children, which is observed in the country annually from 25 November to 10 December.
Empowerment workshops targeting women and young girls will be also be held in various districts.
According to Jajula, many girls and women find themselves in situations where the only option for them was to exchange sexual favours for money, jobs or other material benefits.
"Only if men, boys, girls and women all worked together can we reduce the vulnerability of girls and women to HIV and AIDS," she said.
She added that through the AIDS Council and many other such
structures, people in the Eastern Cape could make a difference in their personal lives and encourage non-risky behaviour among their peers.
Source: BuaNews
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