I will continue my discussing about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana but in new terms. There are many topics to think about when it comes to the HIV/AIDS problem. Some of these topics include gender, sexuality, youth, and economic instability. When we think about the ABC prevention methods that were used in Botswana, we often times forget these topics.
To start off, gender is a major issue and it ties into economic instability and youth. Most males in Botswana are expected to have girlfriends at a young age and those who do not are often looked down up. So the initial door to sexual activities is usually opened at a very young age. As the teenage boy pays for the dates and other things for his girlfriend, the boy expects to be rewarded for his gifts as time goes on. The gift that teenage boys expect from their girlfriends is sex. In Botswana, the gift the male receives for indulging his girlfriend with money is sex. Teenage boys who do not receive sex from their girlfriend are often made fun of and are not as respected as boys who do have sex with their girlfriends. Females are expected to play along with this game and in some cases can lead to emotional or physical abuse is not. The male is always the dominant figure in the relationship and the female is expected to follow along and listen to the male. She usually has not say in anything.
In Botswana, there is a greater number of females with HIV/AIDS than males. This is partly due to unequal economic oppertunities between males and females. Many females do not receive the same wage for their labor as men do. This is similar to the situation in the USA. This, along with many other problems leads females to be at a lower economic status than males. In order to help support their families and themselves, females in Botswana often have sex with men for money. This activity increases the likely hood of women getting HIV/AIDS more than men, and hence why the number of infected females is higher than males.
Sexuality is very important when we discuss the HIV/AIDS problem. Most of Africa has been heteronormalized because many people in Africa believe that all men and women prefer sex with the opposite gender. This is considered the normal practice in the continent. Parents in Botswana want their children to have children, so everyone, even non-heterosexual people, are expected to bring offspring. MSM and WSW are used in reference to men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women. Heteronormativity has lead to discrimination when it comes to determining the actual methods of HIV/AIDS transmission. When research is done to determine ways to prevent the spread of HIV, almost no research is put into how HIV is spread amongst the MSM and WSW community. Unlike the USA, the majority of HIV/AIDS in Botswana lies amongst the heterosexual population. Nonetheless, it is still important to think about how MSM and WSW are contributing to the spread of HIV. A majority of MSM and WSW also have sex with the opposite gender. This is a great way that HIV can further spread amongst all different sexual practicing types of people so it is important to think about MSM and WSW when it comes to HIV transmission.
The spread of HIV/AIDS is a complicated process, but what we do know is that it is not as easy as ABC. ABC was the method previously used in Botswana to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Abstain, Be faithful, and Condomise, does not take into consideration the many factors that are involved in the spread of the HIV virus. Factors like gender, sexuality, youth, and economic instability, are not mentioned in the ABC prevention method and therefore make the ABC approach almost ineffective. Unless a new approach comes along where it takes into account these multiple factors, HIV prevention will be very challenging, and mostly likely unstoppable.
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