By George M.O Williams
In Celebration of the International Condom Day, the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) and partners engaged students of different universities through dialogue on the use and need to use condom to prevent HIV/AIDS, Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies.
This disclosure was made during a media conference held on Friday February 10, 2023 to outline activities and to have a restatement of partners in celebration of the International Condom Day.
The commemoration of the International Condom Day is themed: “Safer is Sexy”. The day was formally commemorated on Friday 10th of February 2023, but Sierra Leone has decided to do its celebration on February 14 on Valentine’s Day as it is presumed that many young people get engaged in unsafe sexual activities on that day.
The Director General of NAS, Abdul Rahman C. Sesay, said that the engagement of young people especially females re-echoes their resilient to close the gap on new infections and to urge people to use condoms before having sex.
He added that it was realized that infection rate of HIV/AID increased in 2021, accounting for 3,862 infected persons with 32.9 percent new infection in male and 67.1 percent female among the youthful population.
In that regard, he cited that there is an urgent need to close the gap among new infections citing that the need is urgent but they are operating in an environment that is very challenging to achieve that intended objective.
Sesay mentioned that partners whose activity surround sexual and reproductive health had not been helping their course, as they are more focused on contraceptives aimed preventing teenage pregnancy rather than HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
In addition, Sesay noted that agencies that focused their activity on implants do not raise awareness about dual protection; viz preventing pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases; adding that because of such the use of condoms has declined among young people.
The Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nadia Rasheed said that the use of condom plays a critical role in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, but added that too many people are facing barriers in accessing and using condoms.
She added that in Sierra Leone, because there is less use of condom the country is battling with the growing number of teenage pregnancy citing that 1 in 3 female becomes pregnant before 18 years.
Rasheed mentioned that there is high rate and increase in new infections among young people, and demand that more be done for young people to have access to things that they need to stay safe during sexual intercourse.
The Country Director of CARE Sierra Leone, Dr. Yaikah Joof said that only 6 percent of young women use condoms when compared to 20 percent of male who used a condom during their last sex with a non – marital and non – cohabiting partner.
She emphasized that everybody must come onboard to break the stigma and discrimination that surround the use of condom especially among females.