Lentera helps distribute correct information on AIDS

By Lewa Pardomuan

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The thunder of rock music echoed in every corner of a well-known discotheque in this court city of the ancient Javanese kings that night.

Young people crowded onto the dance floor to sway their bodies to the rhythm of the brisk tunes. In many corners, people smoked and talked in loud voices to overcome the mighty sound of the music.

Then a group of young women entered the smoky room. They approached some disco visitors, talked to them, and gave them condoms.

Mia, the "leader" of the group, was busy explaining to the men why she and the others were there.

Mia, a tourist guide, who also offers escort services to Western tourists, and her colleagues were assisting Lentera, a Yogyakarta-based organization dealing with the prevention of the spread of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), to promote safer sex to the local people.

After finishing their job, the women spread themselves throughout the room and looked for men who needed companions.

The women were taking part in Lentera's outreach program which aims at giving information and counseling on AIDS to sex workers and people of high-risk behaviors who practice unsafe sex.

Dewi Trisnawati, the program coordinator, was also there that night. She occasionally approached the women, talked to them and danced with them to the beat of the rock music.

"Women have reacted positively towards Lentera's activities," she told The Jakarta Post.

The outreach program is one of the activities carried out by Lentera to give correct information to public about AIDS. The program is exclusively designed for those who are sexually active and have a high possibility of being infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes AIDS.

Transvestites, gay men, tourist guides and sex workers are the target of the counseling about AIDS. However, dissemination of information in the form of lectures is almost impossible to organize. Thus the outreach program in which counselors go to where their target groups are.

With some 46 volunteers, the organization, which was established last year as the project of the Yogyakarta's branch of the Indonesian Family Planning Association (PKBI), has gained recognition from gay people, transvestites, youngsters, university students and housewives through the discussions and campaigns it holds.

From January to April this year, Lentera has held 19 discussions, more than 200 outreach activities and distributed more than 2,000 condoms.

Lentera's activities are funded by Echoing Green, a U.S foundation which helps newly-established non-governmental organizations.

Test

Desti Murdjiana, project coordinator and AIDS counselor, believes that the number of people already infected with HIV or those who already have full-blown AIDS in Yogyakarta have exceeded the official number. According to the latest data issued by the government, one person has been infected with HIV and another has developed AIDS in this special province.

She said that the organization's field observation in a number of red-light districts and other areas indicates that there are many people in the city practicing unsafe sex. Sanggrahan, Pasar Kembang and Alun-Alun, or the town square, are among the places known for sex transactions.

The major problem which hampers the effort to determine the exact figure of people infected with HIV is the lack of information for them on where to undergo tests.

"There is also not enough information about AIDS," she added.

Desti believes that many people do not have any idea where they could have the tests and that some of them are in doubt if the results of the test would be kept in confidentiality.

Sardjito, a government-run hospital here, provides HIV tests for people who want to know if they are infected with the virus.

Desti pointed out that while people with high-risk behaviors do exist in Yogyakarta, their knowledge of AIDS is still limited and that some people still consider talking about sex taboo.

"These facts will only cause the spread of AIDS to become faster," she said. The small number of people infected with HIV in the province does not mean that people should be slow in anticipating the worse, she added.

She said that Irian Jaya, which was initially considered as an area where HIV is not likely to spread, has unexpectedly reported 54 people with the virus. "We do not want this to happen here," she stressed.

The latest official records issued by the government indicate that a total of 213 people carry HIV in 14 provinces. Of these HIV carriers, 35 have died. The carriers are scattered in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, East Java, Bali, Irian Jaya and some other areas.

The pattern of HIV transmission in Indonesia indicates that 50 percent occurs through heterosexual activities, 27 percent through homosexual activities, 1.5 percent from blood transfusion or use of blood products and 1 percent from intravenous drug use.

Desti said that most of the people who make use of Lentera's hot-line service are heterosexual men who face a high risk of HIV infection because of their frequent encounters with prostitutes.

Modification

"Some of the callers are men who sometimes try to have sex with prostitutes but then are afraid of being infected," she said. People who frequently change sex partners also call the group for information.

What is considered a good development in the wake of the fear of AIDS is that the syndrome serves as a catalyst for modifying the sexual behavior of some people, she said.

"Some men have told us in the hot-line service that AIDS has made them decide to stay away from prostitutes and return to the right track," she said.

Desti said that one of the most important tasks carried by the organization is providing correct information about HIV and AIDS when most people still wrongly believe that the virus spreads through casual contacts such as shaking hands, sharing combs or kissing and that AIDS is the syndrome for Westerners and gay people.

It is not uncommon to see letters coming to Lentera in which the senders ask if they could get infected with HIV from insects and if condoms are really needed to prevent people from getting the virus. This shows that people are still ignorant of the fact that HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, blood, or from mother to child during pregnancy or breast feeding.

Desti said that Lentera is taking careful steps in campaigning with the condoms to avoid the misinterpretation that the group is promoting free sex.

Using condoms, she said, is the last resort in preventing people from getting the virus, because to delay sexual intercourse until marriage and to avoid having sex with different partners are the safest ways to prevent HIV infection.

Desti said that in distributing correct information about HIV, Lentera has received valuable help from gay men and transvestites who have proven to be effective messengers in conveying accurate information on the virus.

Some gay men have even called the safer sex activities "Lentera style," she added.

Dewi told the Post that distributing condoms and giving information to sex workers are not meant to tell them to leave their professions.

"If we do, we should find them other jobs," she said. "We just tell them to protect themselves," she added.

Desti said that Lentera does not aim to pressure sex workers to change their professions.

"What we want is for them to change their sexual behavior and be responsible with themselves and other people," she said.

"We want to involve more volunteers and more people in giving correct information on AIDS," she said.