Attack the root causes of AIDS

Editor: First of all let me congratulate Earl “Old George” Daniel and his partner Joel Butcher on accomplishing what many of us thought was an impossible task. They have made this country proud. Thanks guys. Keep up the good work.

The HIV/AIDS and crimes situation in our blessed country is on the rise. We know that much information has and continues to circulate about the AIDS epidemic, yet the figures continue to rise. {{more}}

We know that the government has been spending millions of dollars yearly to assist the victims of HIV/AIDS and also to run programmes. Yet still there is a rise in the number of persons who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS. The question that needs to be asked is, why? And who is to blame?

Ladies and gentlemen, we need to look closely at the root causes.

While there are several root causes, I would just like to name two causes. These two causes are partly responsible for the HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies, crimes and many social ills in our society. They are the family and society.

Many of these young people grew up in an unstable home, either without Daddy or no parental guidance from their parents. As a result they suffer from low self-esteem. They are searching for love. They are unfulfilled, so they end up in gangs and commit crimes. The girls become pregnant while at school and because of the promiscuous lifestyle they end up having HIV/AIDS. They are seeking for attention.

That’s why the guys go on drugs and take up weapons and the girls offer their bodies to men.

Society has painted a false picture about love. Society feels that a person should become sexually active as a demonstration of one’s love for each other. They feel that it is safe to have sex once you use a condom, but we know that condom is not 100% safe. Society pressures our young men into thinking that they should have many girls and be called a ‘shatter’. Society promotes a materialistic world where it is felt that the more money you have, the more you would be accepted. They promote the idea that to be a man you got to prove it by being bad and so our young people are left with a false sense of security.

I therefore recommend that monies be spent by the family service in aiding programmes to build up the family. The family service should be strengthened with more staff and have seminars and get the support of the church, youth groups and other community based organisations.

I recommend that some of the monies allocated to HIV/AIDS Programme be spent on attacking the root causes, then we would be able to minimise crimes and HIV/AIDS.

Kennard King