Transcript:

Duration: 4min 59sec

KHOPOTSO: When abstinence, the A in the ABC method of HIV prevention has failed them, more and more young people find themselves practising what researchers refer to as ‘€œsecondary sexual abstinence.’€ Prof. Leickness Simbayi, is the Research Director in the Human Sciences Research Council’€™s Behavoural and Social Aspects of HIV and AIDS division.

LEICKNESS SIMBAYI : In short, secondary abstinence means a person has had some sexual experience and then they decide to stop having sex’€¦ they are now abstaining after having had some experience.

KB: Simbayi said they could find no specific reasons as to why young people opt to abstain from sex after their first few experiences. He speculated, however, that a number of factors, such as the realisation that sex was not what they expected it to be, or that people were coerced into having sex the first time or that they felt they were not ready for it could be the reason behind the change.  

SIMBAYI: And one would hope that given the era that we live in – of HIV/AIDS – that hopefully that’€™s something at the back of their minds, even if they might not say so’€¦ they want to avoid being infected with HIV and other STI’€™s and even avoiding becoming pregnant’€¦

KB: I can almost hear you say that secondary abstinence must be preached in the campaigns that we have around HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness?

SIMBAYI: Indeed, ‘€¦ that’€™s one of the recommendations that we actually make, that, if it is happening, then perhaps that actually affords us an opportunity to explore this issue deeper to actually try to find out why people do that and if it’€™s widely acceptable. For example, if you say a quarter of the youth haven’€™t had sex during the past year, ‘€¦ that’€™s an impressive percentage of youth who have not had sex’€¦ We could encourage that behaviour since they are already doing it.

KB: This information is contained in the 2002 Nelson Mandela Foundation ‘€“ HSRC study. A total of 2 430 young people from all provinces, covering both rural and urban areas and representative of all racial groups participated in the research. About 23.4 % of respondents in the 15 ‘€“ 24 year age group said that they were previously sexually active but had stopped having sex in the 12 months preceding the study.

Another research study conducted by the Population Council – in both South Africa and Kenya – produced similar results.

In its recommendations, the HSRC says since lower levels of sexual frequency reduce the risk of HIV infection, it would make sense to explore the potential for including this message in prevention campaigns.

SIMBAYI: The more times you have particularly unprotected sex, the more the chance that you will become infected’€¦ It could be that there’€™s tearing on the vaginal wall, for example, so that there’€™s an exchange of fluids. But let alone the semen or the vaginal fluids that result, if you are simply unprotected the more you do it the more risk you are putting itself to.

KB: So, how do you sell this to young people ‘€“ have sex but have it less often?

SIMBAYI: If you have sex or a lot of it’€¦ one method is to consistently use condoms. That’€™s really the message’€¦ But if there was a choice in having too much sex and a little sex, then the idea is that the less times they engage in sex, perhaps the less chance that they will be infected if one of the partners is infected.’€                    

KB: The study also found that a significant proportion ‘€“ 65.4 % of the youth, and adults ‘€“ took HIV seriously once they knew someone who has died of an AIDS related illness. A further 52.7 % took HIV into account once they knew someone that is infected. This compared with only 40 % that were influenced by statistics.  

SIMBAYI: Yes, in this particular case, it seems to be something that actually helps get the community or even country to move forward because unlike when you are talking hypothetically, when you actually have neighbours, relatives or spouses dying there is no way you can ignore that. If you do it it’€™s at your peril’€¦ So, the issue of proximity is one which is very crucial and it really goes to basically show the importance of HIV/AIDS being visible.  

KB: Prof. Simbayi expressed concern that only 15 % of the youth in South Africa know their HIV status and urged the active promotion of Counselling and Testing services. He said once people know their HIV status they can be encouraged to stay healthy or, when necessary, access anti-retroviral drugs to treat AIDS symptoms.      

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