
February 2002 Cover
|
 |
To wear a condom or not to wear a condom? That is the question Turkey's Health Ministry is posing to young people, enlisting Shakespeare, Chinese history, and a chorus of singing condoms in an effort to spread awareness
about the dangers of AIDS. With the help of UNICEF, the ministry has produced a handbook to educate young people on the dangers of AIDS and the importance of condoms-- a taboo subject in a country that is conservative, but
where sex premarital is becoming more common.
"We're trying to address young people in a jokey style that they will identify with," said Dr. Unal Ertugrul of the ministry's department for monitoring STDs. The book, which will be handed out free to young people
in universities, cafes and cinemas, aims to address what authorities see as a dangerous ignorance about contraception and STDs. Titled "Never Without My Guardian Angel," the book's cover features a chorus of condoms
singing a verb conjugation: "I protect, you protect, he protects, we protect."
A study by Ankara's Hacettepe University found that only 14 percent of Turks use condoms. Turkey introduced sex education in state schools just last year. Islamic groups have opposed giving children information about
sex and contraception, which in conservative rural areas is largely taboo.
Editor's Note: from CNN.com
You are not logged in.
No comments yet, but
click here to be the first to comment on this
HIV Digest!
|