AIDS and rape...ENOUGH ALREADY

Jason and I, along with the other 50 or so SA-16 Education Volunteers had our Life Skills Training (LST) in Rustenburg from April 17-21. This training was about, clearly, life skills but was primarily (if not totally) focused on HIV/AIDS awareness and gender empowerment. Each of us was required to bring a 'counterpart' from our respective villages who would attend the workshop with us.

We had several informative HIV/AIDS information sessions and discussion groups. The discussion groups, in my opinion, were the most informative for us as PCVs. We were able to hear candid admissions from our various counterparts regarding common misconceptions related to HIV and other gender related issues.

As the workshop progressed I began to become incredibly overwhelmed about the epidemic that is HIV. South Africa is considered a leader in Africa and even here the rumors and misconceptions are so ingrained, so entrenched into the minds of the populous that I cannot see a viable solution to the problems they are facing anytime soon. This is very difficult to come to terms with.

I am truly heart broken by the horror that is HIV. I am heartbroken by the new knowledge I have acquired. For example, taxi drivers have taken to bribing young female learners into trading sex for free transport or free lunch. Taken from the learners perspective "would I rather eat or starve, get a ride or sleep in the bush and be raped anyway?" I can't see how they'd honestly choose differently.

One counterpart confessed that some learners live in such squalor that they figure if they trade sex for food or shelter they may be taking a few years off their lives, but they know they won't live long anyway.

I also heard accounts given regarding misconceptions about condoms. For example: they are the white persons way of SPREADING HIV to the black population.

Also, if you have sex with a virin you are cured of HIV.

While I think statistics can do more harm than good it is still terrifying to remember that most villages in South Africa have a 30-50% HIV/AIDS rate. The national rate is around 35%, making South Africa a global leader of infected persons.

Most counterparts were shocked to learn AIDS isn't a black persons disease: 8% of white South Africans have HIV. This is VERY high when compared to other "white" populations in America (which has less than 1% of the 'white' population currently infected) and elsewhere (aside from Eastern Europe).

I'm also angry. Angry at the Apartheid system for infecting the population with this cycle of ignorance. Angry at the current government for doing so little to STOP the spread of ignorance (Zuma, the soon to be President of SA, was quoted saying that after he had forced sexual intercourse with a girl (yes that means rape) he did not have HIV because he took a shower). I'm just frustrated.

Also, I learned that the latest statistic says that every six seconds a woman/girl/child is raped in South Africa. So, that's what, 10 rapes/minute? 60 rapes/hour? 1,440 rapes/day? When is my card going to be drawn? When is my friends, my sisters, my mothers? When is South Africa going to take rape seriously? When is the world? Yes, I'm frustrated.

Very frustrated.