The link between drug use and HIV/AIDS among young people in ...

Five groups argued that there should be more school-based programmes. The government should
employ persons whom young persons can trust (confidentiality), who are well educated on drugs and
HIV/AIDS, and, more importantly, persons who do not themselves use and abuse drugs, and who do
not engage in negative behavior. The government should also start groups where students visit other
schools to talk about risky behavior. Form a link between students who are knowledgeable about drugs
and HIV/AIDS with youth on the block.
Community-based programmes were recommended by five focus groups. It was reported that in
school youth, when out of uniform, engage in similar behavior as youth on the block. It is thus
believed that these in-school youth would employ better approach tactics than adults and can have a
more positive influence on youth on the block. They in turn can advocate positive peer pressure which
will eventually filter into the community. Other effective activities included brochure campaigns,
marches and motorcades, condom distribution, non-advertisement of alcohol and cigarettes and follow
up programmes.
Five groups indicated that it was important to use drug and AIDS victims for greater impact and to
improve the effectiveness of the programmes.
Young persons are more prone to react or modify their behavior if they can identify with the
messenger. It was the expressed belief that youth communicated and interacted better with youth than
with adults. Additionally, persons of the same age group seemed to be experiencing similar problems
and were therefore able to identify with each other, creating a greater impact and fostering behavioral
modification. There should therefore be more prevention and intervention programmes with youth
involvement with little adult supervision. Four groups therefore recommended more youth groups.
“Imagine me as a child listening to another child. I will get caught up and say, ‘Oh, I will
listen to a child. She is like me I will listen to her.’ So then we (young people) could have
an advertisement for the prevention of HIV and drug abuse.” [females, 14-16, in school]
Reasons identified as to why adult interference was not effective were the perceived generation gap,
where generally youth do not trust adults to maintain confidentiality, and young persons seeing adult
talking about HIV/AIDS and the negative effects of drug use implies to youth that these issues are
strictly adult issues and such problems cannot affect the youth.
Four groups recommended the use of entertainment through creative arts, drama, and music and more
fun based and social activities so that young people would get the message that people care and life is
enjoyable without drugs and other negative behaviors. These include music with positive lyrics,
including hip hop, reggae, dance hall – all which already attract young people. Use concerts and youth
conventions to talk to young people about drugs and HIV/AIDS, portraying drug users and AIDS
patients, through the collaborative efforts of social and religious groups, leaders, comedians and
famous singers / stars and utilizing new methods to reach a diversity or wide cross-section of persons
and avoid boredom.
Four groups stated that the law was too lenient with drug offenders, and that even the law enforcers
were involved in such offences. Therefore stricter law enforcement must be employed to deter the
incidence of drug use among young people. Other recommendations included boot camps for youth,
reality checks where youth are made to experience street violence and homeless and are frightened by
AIDS patients and information on persons who died of AIDS.
38