Condom ads halted, anti-AIDS drive goes on

Condom ads halted, anti-AIDS drive goes on

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some young men were visiting a brothel. Upon seeing a smiling
and inviting young female sex worker, one of them says, "Look at
her. Isn't she clean and pretty? She must not be infected (with
HIV/AIDS)." But another man says, "If you want to be safe, use
that," pointing his finger at a stall selling condoms.

This is part of a short scene on the use of condom commercial,
whose slogan is, "Use a condom otherwise you'll get infected."

Several TV stations, in cooperation with non-governmental
organizations dealing with the HIV/AIDS aired the commercials to
encourage people to use condom as a way of preventing the lethal
disease.

Unfortunately, the condom ads are no longer aired on TV
stations such as TVRI, TPI, Indosiar, Lativi, and
Trans TV have stopped advertising due to criticism from a number
of Muslim groups who said that the ads would encourage
promiscuity.

"Those TV stations have stopped airing the commercials though
the contract (with our organization) has not yet expired," Pandu
Riono, surveillance consultant with Aksi Stop AIDS (Stop AIDS
Movement), which makes the advertisement told The Jakarta Post
over the weekend.

However, Pandu who also works as a public health lecturer at
the University of Indonesia, revealed that his organization would
proceed with other ways to campaign the use of condom as part of
the HIV/AIDS prevention program.

"We will continue our program, including providing advocacy
toward high-risk groups, such as the sex worker and distributing
free condoms to them," said Pandu.

Radical Muslim group Indonesia Mujahiddin Council (MMI) are
among groups harshly protesting the ads being aired in the public
media TV stations, or being published in the print media as they
consider the ads are promoting free sex rather than the use of
condom in the HIV/AIDS prevention.

"We call upon the TV stations to stop airing the ads," said
Fauzan Al Anzani of the MMI.

Earlier last month, MMI had filed a complaint to the police
against the broadcasting of the ads, saying that it depicted
pornography and encouraged promiscuity.

Fauzan criticized that some scenes in the commercials, which
depicted among other things, a situation at a brothel and the
body language showing a sexual intercourse, should not be aired
at the public sphere like in TV programs.

"How can we explain such things to our children who also watch
the ads ?" Fauzan said.

Similar opposition was also launched earlier by the Society
Against Pornography (MTP) which urged that these ads be reviewed
for the use of condom simply means an indiscriminate campaign
that advocates free sex to the public.

Meanwhile, HIV/AIDS activist Baby Jim Aditya blamed the people
for having so-called "double standards" in their attitude toward
HIV/AIDS infection.

"In one hand, they harshly rebuke the practice of casual sex
intercourse, but they are tightlipped to the facts that such
practices could easily be found among our society," said Baby.

Baby blasted such hypocritical attitude would only make the
core problem of the prevention of the HIV/AIDS infection remain
untouched.

She said that unsafe sexual intercourse had contributed
significantly to the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. The other
means of transferring the disease were through sharing
syringes, blood transfusions, and breast-feeding.

Baby revealed that around 120,000 people have been infected by
the HIV/AIDS throughout the country with a rising trend every
year.

"The campaign on the use of condom coupled with proper sex
education to children as well as youth, are important ways to
prevent the infection from spreading through the practice of
unsafe sex," said Baby.