[procaare] Re: Clarification re: Pathfinder FP/VCT Tool Prevention Messages (5)

["Serge Doussantousse" <sergefabali@yahoo.fr>]

Re: Clarification re: Pathfinder FP/VCT Tool Prevention Messages (5)
- Serge Doussantousse
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Dear all,

I feel this discussion is highly interesting; people rarely dare to 
criticise big and rich organisations so openly.

The main question is, can educators [I call educators all the 
people/organisations involved in HIV prevention] give a slight freedom of 
choice to people as far as using a condom is concern?

I feel this choice often leads to an arrangement / adjustment with the 
reality and thus with the infection; typically you ALWAYS use a condom when 
you have penetrative sex (anal/oral/vaginal) becomes 'I use condom every 
time except with a good looking person, a person I know is safe, my spouse, 
a virgin, a rich person, somebody arriving from a rural area.' etc.

And after sometime the decision to use a condom becomes an individual choice 
and becomes: 'I use a condom, when I have condom! when I am not drunk!' and 
ultimately, it follows when people want, which makes prevention a very 
subjective and random act, the very opposite of its objective:

I think we have to consider that educators try their best within their own 
bias [religious for example.] to inform/form the mind of the people and 
people ultimately do what they consider convenient or appropriate according 
to factors beyond their knowledge.

In the context of Pathfinder I would have said: that a  couple should decide 
NOT to use a condom only if both have tested negative for HIV twice in the 
last three months AND are sure that the other partner is not involved with 
other sexual partners. I am sure that many people are in this situation but 
I am also sure that to arrive to this ideal situation is difficult for 
various reasons such as access to testing, and complete trust with partners. 
Thus, ALWAYS using a condom is the best advice knowing that people 
ultimately will do what they want or can as far as sexual activity is 
concerned.

Thanks to iconoclast educators

Serge Doussantousse
Email: sergefabali@yahoo.fr