The Global Epidemic

The Global Epidemic

A seventeen year old girl living in the Democratic Republic of Congo sits on the edge of her bed. Her clothes are torn and she is covered in bruises and blood. She has just been raped by one of the soldiers in the civil war being waged where she lives. One in three girls that are raped by soldiers are infected with HIV/AIDS, a disease that is spreading across the African continent (UNICEF).  Over 25,000,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV/AIDS, and there is currently no cure. The disease is disseminating across Africa rapidly because of rape by soldiers, a lack of proper sex education, and the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS by the public.

In war-torn parts of Africa such as Congo and Sudan, rape by soldiers is extremely common. One third of these soldiers are infected with HIV/AIDS and they transmit the disease to the innocent girls they shamelessly take advantage of. Rape is used as a weapon to humiliate the girls and to cause irreparable damage and suffering to their village. One victim of sexual violence by a soldier recalled her rapists taunting her, saying, “We are not killing you. We are giving you something worse. You will die a slow death” (Aginam). The lasting painful symptoms of this disease are used as a weapon across Africa, and until rape is solved, the issue will not cease.

Another major factor in the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa is the lack of proper sex education. While teenagers in urban areas are neglecting condom use, the teenagers in rural areas aren’t even taught sex education (Zaggi). Kids need to be taught to properly protect themselves against STDs and to use a contraceptive as soon as they are old enough to have sex. Because HIV/AIDS is so widespread, nine in ten teenagers know of it. However, less than forty percent of teens know how to prevent it or the extent of the damage it can cause (Croce-Galis). Half of these teens aren’t receiving sex education in their schools. As a result, only about half of these teens use contraception during sex (Croce-Galis). The unfamiliarity that these teenagers have with the idea of HIV/AIDS puts them at a major risk of contracting the disease in the near future.

Lastly, the stigmatization of this disease causes many people to remain silent about their ailment. HIV/AIDS is widely stigmatized as a disease for the promiscuous, the careless, and for those spoiled by rape. Public shame and embarrassment is something that all HIV positive people are afraid of, but it shouldn’t be something that they have to go through. There are now mobile clinics that provide discreet treatment and checks for the disease so that people can avoid potential embarrassment (AVERT).  The stigmatization of HIV/AIDS is causing many youths to become ashamed of their disease, which in turn leads to them neglecting their necessary treatment.

The spread of HIV/AIDS is a very relevant and necessary topic to be discussed. Six people have been infected with HIV/AIDS as you read this it, and continues to become more of a threat to the innocent lives in Africa. If there are not drastic changes soon, this epidemic will continue to spread until it covers the entire continent of Africa, leaving behind no survivors.

Works Cited:

Aginam, Obijiofor. "Rape and HIV as Weapons of War - United Nations University." Rape and HIV as Weapons of War. United Nations University, 27 June 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

Croce-Gallis, Melanie. "EARLIER AND MORE DETAILED SEX EDUCATION NEEDED IN AFRICA." Earlier and More Detailed Sex Education Needed in Africa. Guttmacher Institute, 12 Dec. 2007. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

"HIV & AIDS in South Africa." HIV & AIDS in South Africa. AVERT, 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

"Violence against Girls and Women Linked to Spread of HIV/AIDS." UNICEF. UNICEF, 26 May 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

Zaggi, Hassan. "Title:States, LGs Frustrating Fight Against HIV/Aids in Nigeria - Ogungbemi [interview]." Global Issues in Context. Gale Group, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.