Teenage HIV infection Pandoras box

In addition to the country having one of the world’s highest HIV and AIDS statistics, 94 000 SA schoolgirls fell pregnant in 2011, some as young as 10 years old

False security, gullibility bordering on naivety, submissiveness and downright recklessness driven by a compulsive and insatiable appetite for money, are some of the main reasons young girls continue to practise unsafe sex despite their proclaimed awareness of the risks involved including HIV/Aids.

This much is evident at Botshabelo, 40kms east of Bloemfontein, where the pandemic is not just cutting swathes, but is also steadily tightening its grip on teenage girls, many of whom have to deal with the extra burden of single-handedly raising children from inter-generational relationships with men old enough to be their fathers.

*Motshidisi Ntabe thought she was safe in her relationship. She was faithful to her boyfriend who she started seeing when she was 18. She was his only girlfriend and she had no reason to fear infection, or so she thought despite knowing that the boyfriend had a history of multiple sexual partners.

Barely two years into the relationship, she fell pregnant and a mandatory prenatal blood test revealed she was HIV-positive. Now 23, Ntabe is married to her partner and the couple have two children.

“I was in love and trusted him with my life. We were both young and I did not imagine anything bad happening. The only thing I thought was worth protecting myself from was an unwanted pregnancy, not a disease. He was faithful and I justtook it for granted that he was ‘clean.’

“Because he was always there, when I fell pregnant we were excited. Yes we were still young but we loved each other. But things changed when I had to take a blood test. The result came out positive; I was surprised because I never thought this could happen to us,” added Ntabe.

Her husband Pule Ntabe told The Weekly that he had never tested before and therefore did not know he was HIV-positive.

“I had had a string of relationships prior to Motshidisi. She knew about some of them, but we never thought of testing for HIV because we somewhat believed that nothing was wrong with us. I forgot that I needed to protect the person I loved by ensuring that I was clean. Thanks to the medication, we are now coping and looking forward to raising our children together.”

While Ntabe’s is a story of complacency, there are girls who actually throw caution to the wind and indulge in unprotected sex, like Puleng Radebe.

“I know that sex comes with responsibilities. I did not take any precautions even though I knew the consequences of my actions too well. I only worried about an unplanned pregnancy; for some reason I never thought I would contract HIV.

“How wrong I was. I wish I would have listened to my parents, especially my mother. Although she was bothered by my wayward and carefree behaviour, she too never mentioned HIV. I am now an 18-year old HIV-positive mother.”

Seventeen-year-old Moipone Moiloa’s story is more disturbing. She has six siblings and all of them have different fathers.

Growing up, she would wonder why they had different fathers. That was until dawned to her that her unemployed mother depended on the men for money.

“They would come and stay for a while before leaving my mother pregnant. By the time I was 14, I was already under the notion that men and their money were the only way for a woman or a girl to survive.

“I wanted to emulate my mother. I would think ‘if men can provide me with what I need why should I bother to work’. My mother could not hold a formal job for more than a year. I eventually translated my thoughts into action and, in no time, I had an older man who provided me with everything I needed.

“He gave me enough money to buy food and clothes; as a matter of fact, I could also buy clothes for my mother too! But I knew it was risky because sometimes I would engage in unprotected sex. I am on contraception. I was aware then, and I still I am, about HIV but I am hoping for the best. My concern is not to get pregnant. I still do not know whether I am HIV positive or not, but I guess I need to test,” added Moiloa.

In March this year, health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, revealed that about 28 percent of schoolgirls in South Africa are HIV positive compared to only four percent of boys.

“It is clear that it is not young boys who are sleeping with these girls. It is old men,” the Sowetan newspaper quoted Motsoaledi as saying then.

Motsoaledi further revealed that 94 000 South African schoolgirls fell pregnant in 2011, some as young as 10 years old. This despite the country having one of the world’s highest HIV and AIDS infection rates in the world. On the other hand, death due to the pandemic is decreasing.

Lucie Cluver, who is affiliated with both the Universities of Cape Town and Oxford quoted a study during the HIV conference held in Durban last month that revealed that child support grant reduce chances for teenage mothers to contract HIV.

“Girls are half as likely to be having transactional sex or become involved with older partners if they get a child-focused grant or go to a free school,” Cluver was quoted by the Mail and Gaurdian.

Cluver said research from South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe showed that older men or “sugar daddies”, who could be men in their twenties and older, are much more likely to be infected with HIV than younger boys “because they have had more sexual partners and if they have money, are more likely to have had more girlfriends”.

But Cluver added that girls who have sexual partners that provide them with material support like food or school fees are often less able to negotiate condom use as they are in unequal power relationships.

Contrary to Cluver’s assertion, the girls that The Weekly spoke to article do receive social grants for their children, and go to free schools, demonstrating that society needs to do more to reduce the prevalence of HIV than treat the issue as a simplistic one.

Additional information from the Health System Trust website

FACTS ABOUT TEENAGE PREGNANCY, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE, AND BIRTH CONTROL

Consequences of Unprotected Sex
Many teenagers are curious about sex, but do not know the facts. Movies, television, and magazines portray sex as fun, exciting, and adult, but they rarely tell you about unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and their consequences.

Facts About Teenage Pregnancy

• In the United States, 1 000 000 teenagers become pregnant each year
• A young woman who is sexually active for 1 year and is not using birth control has a 90 percent chance of getting pregnant.
• Four out of 10 girls in the United States get pregnant at least once before age 20
• Most teens who are sexually active do not want to become pregnant- 85 percent of teenage pregnancies are unplanned
• You can get pregnant the first time you have sex

Facts About Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)

• You can get an STD the first time you have sex if your partner is infected
• About 1 in 4 sexually experienced teens 3 contracts an STD every year
• The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, is spread by sexual contact and by injecting drugs. The best protection against HIV is not having sex (abstinence) or using a latex male condom. Also, don’t inject drugs
• The consequences of STDs can be severe- infertility (not being able to have a child), cancer (of the cervix), and death (of HIV infection and AIDS)
• The safest way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and disease is not to engage in sexual intercourse (abstinence)
• Latex condoms, or rubbers, are the best protection against STDs. Unfortunately, the most effective means of preventing an unwanted pregnancy don’t protect you from STDs. Most health care providers recommend that teens use both a birth control method and a latex condom to be safe.
• If your partner refuses to use a male latex condom, you can use the female condom to help prevent disease. Male condoms and the female condoms are available in drug stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores without a prescription.