Lentera helps distribute correct information on AIDS<\/p>\n
By Lewa Pardomuan<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The thunder of rock music echoed in every
\ncorner of a well-known discotheque in this court city of the
\nancient Javanese kings that night.<\/p>\n
Young people crowded onto the dance floor to sway their bodies
\nto the rhythm of the brisk tunes. In many corners, people smoked
\nand talked in loud voices to overcome the mighty sound of the
\nmusic.<\/p>\n
Then a group of young women entered the smoky room. They
\napproached some disco visitors, talked to them, and gave them
\ncondoms.<\/p>\n
Mia, the \"leader\" of the group, was busy explaining to the men
\nwhy she and the others were there.<\/p>\n
Mia, a tourist guide, who also offers escort services to
\nWestern tourists, and her colleagues were assisting Lentera, a
\nYogyakarta-based organization dealing with the prevention of the
\nspread of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), to
\npromote safer sex to the local people.<\/p>\n
After finishing their job, the women spread themselves
\nthroughout the room and looked for men who needed companions.<\/p>\n
The women were taking part in Lentera's outreach program which
\naims at giving information and counseling on AIDS to sex workers
\nand people of high-risk behaviors who practice unsafe sex.<\/p>\n
Dewi Trisnawati, the program coordinator, was also there that
\nnight. She occasionally approached the women, talked to them and
\ndanced with them to the beat of the rock music.<\/p>\n
\"Women have reacted positively towards Lentera's activities,\"
\nshe told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The outreach program is one of the activities carried out by
\nLentera to give correct information to public about AIDS. The
\nprogram is exclusively designed for those who are sexually active
\nand have a high possibility of being infected by the Human
\nImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes AIDS.<\/p>\n
Transvestites, gay men, tourist guides and sex workers are the
\ntarget of the counseling about AIDS. However, dissemination of
\ninformation in the form of lectures is almost impossible to
\norganize. Thus the outreach program in which counselors go to
\nwhere their target groups are.<\/p>\n
With some 46 volunteers, the organization, which was
\nestablished last year as the project of the Yogyakarta's branch
\nof the Indonesian Family Planning Association (PKBI), has gained
\nrecognition from gay people, transvestites, youngsters,
\nuniversity students and housewives through the discussions and
\ncampaigns it holds.<\/p>\n
From January to April this year, Lentera has held 19
\ndiscussions, more than 200 outreach activities and distributed
\nmore than 2,000 condoms.<\/p>\n
Lentera's activities are funded by Echoing Green, a U.S
\nfoundation which helps newly-established non-governmental
\norganizations.<\/p>\n
Test<\/p>\n
Desti Murdjiana, project coordinator and AIDS counselor,
\nbelieves that the number of people already infected with HIV or
\nthose who already have full-blown AIDS in Yogyakarta have
\nexceeded the official number. According to the latest data issued
\nby the government, one person has been infected with HIV and
\nanother has developed AIDS in this special province.<\/p>\n
She said that the organization's field observation in a number
\nof red-light districts and other areas indicates that there are
\nmany people in the city practicing unsafe sex. Sanggrahan, Pasar
\nKembang and Alun-Alun, or the town square, are among the places
\nknown for sex transactions.<\/p>\n
The major problem which hampers the effort to determine the
\nexact figure of people infected with HIV is the lack of
\ninformation for them on where to undergo tests.<\/p>\n
\"There is also not enough information about AIDS,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Desti believes that many people do not have any idea where
\nthey could have the tests and that some of them are in doubt if
\nthe results of the test would be kept in confidentiality.<\/p>\n
Sardjito, a government-run hospital here, provides HIV tests
\nfor people who want to know if they are infected with the virus.<\/p>\n
Desti pointed out that while people with high-risk behaviors
\ndo exist in Yogyakarta, their knowledge of AIDS is still limited
\nand that some people still consider talking about sex taboo.<\/p>\n
\"These facts will only cause the spread of AIDS to become
\nfaster,\" she said. The small number of people infected with HIV
\nin the province does not mean that people should be slow in
\nanticipating the worse, she added.<\/p>\n
She said that Irian Jaya, which was initially considered as an
\narea where HIV is not likely to spread, has unexpectedly reported
\n54 people with the virus. \"We do not want this to happen here,\"
\nshe stressed.<\/p>\n
The latest official records issued by the government indicate
\nthat a total of 213 people carry HIV in 14 provinces. Of these
\nHIV carriers, 35 have died. The carriers are scattered in North
\nSumatra, West Sumatra, East Java, Bali, Irian Jaya and some other
\nareas.<\/p>\n
The pattern of HIV transmission in Indonesia indicates that 50
\npercent occurs through heterosexual activities, 27 percent
\nthrough homosexual activities, 1.5 percent from blood transfusion
\nor use of blood products and 1 percent from intravenous drug use.<\/p>\n
Desti said that most of the people who make use of Lentera's
\nhot-line service are heterosexual men who face a high risk of HIV
\ninfection because of their frequent encounters with prostitutes.<\/p>\n
Modification<\/p>\n
\"Some of the callers are men who sometimes try to have sex
\nwith prostitutes but then are afraid of being infected,\" she
\nsaid. People who frequently change sex partners also call the
\ngroup for information.<\/p>\n
What is considered a good development in the wake of the fear
\nof AIDS is that the syndrome serves as a catalyst for modifying
\nthe sexual behavior of some people, she said.<\/p>\n
\"Some men have told us in the hot-line service that AIDS has
\nmade them decide to stay away from prostitutes and return to the
\nright track,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Desti said that one of the most important tasks carried by the
\norganization is providing correct information about HIV and AIDS
\nwhen most people still wrongly believe that the virus spreads
\nthrough casual contacts such as shaking hands, sharing combs or
\nkissing and that AIDS is the syndrome for Westerners and gay
\npeople.<\/p>\n
It is not uncommon to see letters coming to Lentera in which
\nthe senders ask if they could get infected with HIV from insects
\nand if condoms are really needed to prevent people from getting
\nthe virus. This shows that people are still ignorant of the fact
\nthat HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse,
\nblood, or from mother to child during pregnancy or breast
\nfeeding.<\/p>\n
Desti said that Lentera is taking careful steps in campaigning
\nwith the condoms to avoid the misinterpretation that the group is
\npromoting free sex.<\/p>\n
Using condoms, she said, is the last resort in preventing
\npeople from getting the virus, because to delay sexual
\nintercourse until marriage and to avoid having sex with different
\npartners are the safest ways to prevent HIV infection.<\/p>\n
Desti said that in distributing correct information about HIV,
\nLentera has received valuable help from gay men and transvestites
\nwho have proven to be effective messengers in conveying accurate
\ninformation on the virus.<\/p>\n
Some gay men have even called the safer sex activities
\n\"Lentera style,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Dewi told the Post that distributing condoms and giving
\ninformation to sex workers are not meant to tell them to leave
\ntheir professions.<\/p>\n
\"If we do, we should find them other jobs,\" she said. \"We just
\ntell them to protect themselves,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Desti said that Lentera does not aim to pressure sex workers
\nto change their professions.<\/p>\n
\"What we want is for them to change their sexual behavior and
\nbe responsible with themselves and other people,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"We want to involve more volunteers and more people in
\ngiving correct information on AIDS,\" she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lentera-helps-distribute-correct-information-on-aids-1447893297",
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