City street children vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
City street children vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
JAKARTA (JP): The sexual habits of the capital's street children make them vulnerable to HIV infection, according to new research.
Dr. Irwanto of Jakarta's Atmajaya University said in a presentation of research findings yesterday that street children are sexually active. He said that, apart from sex itself, the youths like pornography and peeping on sexual intercourse.
"They also often change sexual partners," he said, adding that the children engage in oral and anal sex.
The research was conducted this year by the university in cooperation with PACT Indonesia, a non-profit, non-governmental organization.
The study indicates that street children have a very limited understanding of HIV/AIDS. Moreover, the research revealed that the homeless children do not care about deadly illnesses. Irwanto reported that the children had said that dying from an illness was a matter of indifference to them.
"Death is always the same -- whether it is caused by AIDS, syphilis or a traffic accident. Everybody dies sooner or later," Irwanto quoted the children as saying.
Eighty-five people, including activists, doctors and 45 street children, were interviewed for the study.
The street children interviewed were mostly boys aged between 11 and 17 who spend most of their days on the streets or in shopping malls, bus terminals or railway stations.
They included street vendors (of cigarettes, candy, newspapers and magazines), shoeshine and car-washing boys, and pick-pockets.
Twenty children (44%) said that they had had sexual intercourse (forced or voluntary), 31 (69%) said they had used drugs and consumed alcohol and 21 (47%) complained of suffering from sexually-transmitted diseases.
Twenty-one children (47%) said they were frequently involved in fights with other street children, security guards and street hoodlums.
Some of the children interviewed said they had heard about HIV and AIDS, but only one of them was willing to answer questions about the disease.
The study is part of the Rescue Indonesia Project, an HIV/AIDS prevention program sponsored by a number of NGOs, including PACT Indonesia.
The objective of the research was to develop an understanding of the both the lifestyle of Jakarta's street children, in as far as it relates to the spread of AIDS in the city, as well as the children's attitudes towards the disease.
Most of the activists interviewed were between 21 and 25 years of age. While a majority of them answered questions about AIDS, only 57% of the answers given were correct.
Irwanto suggested that the Rescue project be more focused on high-risk children, such as those interviewed for the study.
Education for street children is badly needed to convince them that their lives are worth preserving, he added.
He said AIDS activists also need to be given proper education to help street children modify their habits.
Irwanto said activists should receive education in: reproductive health, HIV/AIDS epidemiology and prevention, basic counseling skills and drug-abuse reduction skills.
Legislator Nafsiah Mboi, who attended the presentation, called on more NGOs to become involved in the prevention of HIV/AIDS among children.
"We should treat all children equally," Nafsiah said. (29)