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Zimbabwe: Regional Delayed Debut Campaign Launched
Zimbabwe has become the first, of what will be at least 16 African
nations, to implement a regional communication campaign to encourage
young people to delay sexual relations as long as possible. PSI's AIDSMark
project developed the campaign and in Zimbabwe has already partnered
with numerous faith-based organizations to extend the reach and impact
of its healthy behavior messaging.
The campaign, made possible through the support of President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief through USAID, is based on qualitative research
carried out with 14-19 year olds from eight African countries that concludes
that sexual violence and coercion, intense peer pressure and transactional
sex are major barriers to delayed sexual debut for African teens. The
campaign encourages young people to rethink what it means to be a "real
man" or "real woman" in response to research which revealed
that youth equated sex with masculinity or femininity and often view
their first sexual encounter as the transition into adulthood.
PSI/Zimbabwe brought together over 200 representatives from 29 religious
organizations and churches and over 11 youth groups from some of the
largest religious institutions in Zimbabwe to the launch of its delayed
debut mass media campaign. The campaign encourages youth to delay or
postpone engaging in early sexual activity, and promotes abstinence
until marriage.
The airing of the campaign messages on TV, radio and print and the
distribution of information, education and communication material, will
be supported by an interpersonal communication package for use by church
groups. Youth pastors will be trained as peer educators, enabling them
to:
• Conduct regular discussion sessions among youth using a discussion
guide developed by PSI;
•Provide information on key health issues as well as the associated
risks of early sex;
•Provide guidance to the youth to tackle pressures to engage in early
sex;
• Help young people develop risk reduction plans for when they face
pressure to engage in early sex;
• Help parents improve their communication and ability to talk about
sensitive issues with their children.
Research identified economic, societal and peer pressures which push
young adults to engage in sexual relationships. Young girls and boys
often engage in risky transactional sexual behavior in exchange for
material goods or even basics such as school fees. Additionally there
are an alarming number of young people whose first sexual encounter
is coerced or forced. Research shows that these young boys and girls
were not aware of the associated dangers and health risks and had very
low levels of risk perception, putting them at increased risk for HIV
infection, other sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy.
Data collected in 2003 across the PSI/Zimbabwe's 20 New Start
voluntary HIV counseling and testing centers in Zimbabwe shows a high
rate of HIV infection among young people.
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PSI's new 16-country regional delayed sexual debut campaign
kicked off in Zimbabwe and is partnering with religious
communities to further spread messages of healthy behavior.
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