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In Indonesia, the HIV epidemic is a urgent public well being concern. Whereas the overall inhabitants’s HIV prevalence is low, at 0.3 %, it reaches virtually 18 % amongst particular high-risk teams, together with feminine intercourse employees, transgender girls, males who’ve intercourse with males, and intravenous drug customers.
Younger individuals, particularly younger males who’ve intercourse with males, are significantly weak to HIV resulting from elevated societal marginalization, increased chance of participating in unprotected intercourse, and reluctance to entry well being and social providers.
The media’s tendency to painting the conduct of males who’ve intercourse with males as conflicting with conventional values exacerbates the problem, resulting in discriminatory laws, censorship of LGBTQ-related content material, and limitations on transgender people’ participation in varied actions.
The supply of HIV prevention providers faces vital challenges in Bali, significantly in addressing the wants of younger males who’ve intercourse with males.
The present HIV prevention method in Bali lacks enchantment and relevance. Nearly 10 years in the past, an initiative to distribute free condoms was began with the purpose to forestall transmission of HIV. Not everybody was proud of the motion, particularly amongst Bali’s younger homosexual group. The condoms had been perceived as decrease high quality than commercially accessible condoms. This, coupled with social stigma and disapproval, has contributed to the failure of prevention efforts.
The distribution of low-quality condoms and printed flyers in homosexual bars is outdated and ineffective. Peer educators, usually older, are perceived as irrelevant, which creates a barrier to communication.
Younger individuals advocate for a extra inclusive, participating and up-to-date method – for instance, emphasizing the significance of conveying key info on HIV prevention by apps utilized by the homosexual group.
Recognizing the constraints of present methods, there’s a rising name for interactive on-line HIV prevention, with personalized messaging, broader outreach, and interplay by chat areas and interactive tasks.
Nonetheless, the problem lies in making on-line info interesting and related. Younger males who’ve intercourse with males ceaselessly criticize current web sites for being outdated and unattractive, noting low engagement amongst their friends.
A gaggle of 9 younger males who’ve intercourse with males in Bali engaged in participatory motion analysis to design a simpler HIV prevention technique. They advocated for a “So Us” marketing campaign that’s enjoyable, artistic, social, and up-to-date — attributes that resonate with others of their cohort.
The marketing campaign used blogs, web sites, social media, and chat rooms to share info on HIV prevention, counseling and testing, protected intercourse practices, and up to date information related to younger males who’ve intercourse with males communities.
The members recommended methods equivalent to creation of applicable web sites and apps, utilizing the chat characteristic in gay-themed apps, creating a web based discussion board, and putting on-line HIV prevention messages in current homosexual social media and courting apps. In addition they thought-about the inclusion of video games, interactive and transferring photographs, the usage of state-of-the-art know-how, and content material that engages younger males who’ve intercourse with males, however with much less give attention to medicalized content material.
Members famous that regardless of the provision of the web for delivering HIV prevention messages, social and cultural norms proceed to pose challenges in on-line promotion of wholesome sexual conduct.
One other advantage of utilizing on-line strategies in Indonesia is the creation of a relatively safe communication platform that may protect a person’s privateness, significantly when addressing delicate subjects equivalent to sexuality and HIV prevention.
Nonetheless, the persistent presence of stigma and dangers stays an impediment within the growth and implementation of on-line HIV prevention initiatives.
Partaking on this initiative proved to be fulfilling and exhilarating for the group, fostering a way of collective expression and empowerment, the place every member is acknowledged as an skilled. And it led to significant relationship constructing.
Whereas these concepts are within the early phases of growth in Bali and Indonesia, they maintain promise for addressing the distinctive wants of younger males who’ve intercourse with males in HIV prevention. The participatory motion analysis method has empowered the group, fostering a way of collective expression and beneficial relationship constructing.
As efforts progress, it’s essential to make sure the security and privateness of younger males who’ve intercourse with males, particularly within the face of an more and more difficult social atmosphere in Indonesia.
Implementing these approaches cautiously and adapting them to the native context could pave the way in which for simpler HIV prevention methods for younger males who’ve intercourse with males throughout Indonesia.
Initially printed underneath Artistic Commons by 360info™.
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