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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| December 1, 2004 |
Global University, Unit 2 – The South African AIDS epidemic |
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| Sachiyo Murakami leading the AIDS day presentation from GU |
According to UNAIDS and WHO statistics there are 40 million people suffering from HIV world-wide. 70 percent of these victims are in Africa. One in ten people are said to be infected in South Africa, which is the highest national rate in the world. Through a series of in depth lectures and seminars and a two day exposure tour in Cape Town, South Africa, the onboard Global University (GU) students delved deep into the causes and effects of this global epidemic. |
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| Henna tatooing the AIDS Awareness symbol as a fundraising event |
1st December is international AIDS day and so GU students took this opportunity to present their findings to the rest of the onboard community. Video clips, slide shows, interactive games, discussion circles and fundraising activities made up the core of their well-structured program. For many of the GU students this was not only their first research into HIV/AIDS but it was the first time they were able to openly discuss issues surrounding sex, sexuality and STDs. |
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| GU students selling fair trade goods from the Philani project, Cape Town |
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. We don’t die from AIDS itself, we die from other diseases because our immune system is attacked and weakened by the HIV virus. While there is no known cure for this virus, it is possible to live for up to forty years with AIDS, however approximately three million people are dying from it per year. GU students began with this short, simple explanation and went on to highlight prejudices and myths surrounding the AIDS virus. |
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| A typical township scene in South Africa |
Why is AIDS rife in South Africa?
Based on their first hand testimonies from people living with HIV/AIDS (known as PLWHA) and interviews with organizations in Cape Town, the students were able to talk about the spread of AIDS in South Africa and its long term effects. Apartheid is one of the biggest struggles South Africa has ever had to face and so the energy put into fighting for a non-segregated state meant that the spread of HIV was not given attention. With overcrowded housing in the townships, eight to ten people to a bedroom, youngsters are exposed to all kinds of sexual activity at an early age, including rape. Young girls are sometimes raped and infected with HIV because in some rural areas the perpetrators believe that sex with virgins will cure them of their disease. The virus therefore spread so fast in the 1980s and 90s that it was all over South Africa before it was recognized as a serious problem. Poverty doesn’t mean HIV but the spread of HIV and poverty are deeply related. Lack of money, lack of water, lack of sanitation, lack of clinics and lack of medical assistance together mean that people cannot treat or control the AIDS epidemic. |
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| Women at the PPASA sing their national song to welcome Peace Boat |
Is it a gender issue?
Gender inequality in Africa plays a great role in the spreading pandemic. It is difficult for a woman to implement safe sex practice with her husband or boyfriend without him questioning her fidelity, possibly leading to violence. However, this fear will not protect a woman from contracting a sexually transmitted disease from a man whose promiscuity is unknown. In many African families the man of the house has the final word and what he says is taken as gospel. Furthermore, admitting to others that you have the virus is also psychologically challenging as there are still many stigmas attached to PLWHA. If a woman identifies herself as being HIV positive, she may open herself up to violence as was the case of Gugu Dlamini who was beaten to death by members of her community. The latter prevents people from getting tested and breeds a climate where “living is easier with eyes closed.” Education is a way of helping people control and understand the virus, however according to a study conducted by UNICEF, 80 percent of women know condoms help prevent infection, but only 20 percent understand what having HIV means. It seems women have less access to health education than men in developing countries and therefore suffer from ignorance and gender injustice. Their lack of awareness, however, can have disastrous consequences, GU students explained to the audience. |
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| Local children at the PPASA |
What medical assistance is available?
Anti Retroviral drugs (ARV) are drugs which can be used to prolong HIV turning into AIDS. At present however only five percent of people in developing countries (according to Amnesty International) can receive this treatment. As technological and medical research makes great progress, the people in real need of these drugs have no access to them. Multinational pharmaceutical companies have developed drugs at a costly price, giving them control over developing countries and causing great divide and discrimination between rich and poor PLWHA. In the 1990s Brazil fought against this unequal effect of globalization and they began a prevention and treatment campaign, developing affordable drugs to distribute to HIV victims free of charge. Statistics show that 90,000 deaths were spared between 1996 and 2002. The South African government has yet to be this active, as the President Mbeki has refused to acknowledge that HIV causes AIDS, which was a shocking fact for GU students to uncover. |
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| TAC centre, Cape Town |
What is being done about it?
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is an NGO which recognises the urgency of South Africa’s AIDS pandemic. GU students visited their main office on their two day exposure tour. Since 1998, this organization has been fighting against both the World Trade Orgnization (WTO) and the South African government to offer free HIV medication and AIDS testing. In 1999 they began a mother-to-child transmission prevention programme and are fighting to keep the medication they need for this project. 28 percent of all pregnant women in South Africa are infected with HIV and with this treatment only five percent (as opposed to 25 percent) transmit the disease to their unborn children. But, GU students stressed, the struggle is arduous and they need support on an international scale.
During their visit to Cape Town, the students also visited Wola Nani, a community which sells local handicrafts and supports over 270 HIV victims by providing home care and emotional support. GU students were also impressed to find out that there is a network of local organizations helping to raise awareness about sex education and family planning, such as the Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa (PPASA).
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| Walking hand in hand with the local children |
What is the situation in Japan?
After talking with the participants onboard and studying about the various approaches to HIV victims in Japan, GU students uncovered the radically separated judgements on having “good” and “bad” AIDS. “Good” AIDS meaning that the disease was contracted through a blood transfusion and “bad” AIDS referring to sexual misconduct, drugs and prostitution. Participants were shocked to find out that it is free to get an HIV test in Japan.
Sex is still very much a taboo subject in Japan and many participants, as well as GU students felt liberated to be addressing an issue to which their society prevents exposure. For some older participants it was not an easy task and everyone learned how to be sensitive and attentive to such personal issues. |
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| Saying emotional farewells to people who had shared their life stories |
Is it enough just to know?
One GU student concluded the report with a heart-felt statement:
“After much thought and contemplation, we decided that there is no one course of action that we can all take. We are all different people, with diverse life experiences and attitudes and so it is hard to say what we will all do now, having been exposed to the gravity of this issue. Every one of us on the GU programme has changed since we started dealing with such a sensitive topic but if there is one underlying factor it is that we have been shown how to really appreciate life. We have seen people talk about their long struggle with AIDS, displaying strength, vitality and positivity. This is what we will take back to Japan”. |
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