Condoms Get a Bad Rap in Malawi

On April 13, 2007 there was an article release called “Condoms Get a Bad Rap” involving the country of Malawi. In a study conducted as part of the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project, men stated three forms of behavioral change. They are: being more selective about their sexual partners, reducing the number of partners, and using condoms. The lease popular form of change being that of using condoms. Some claim that it reduces the pleasure for the male and female and is ineffective in preventing AIDS.

Most Malawians are against using condoms and some even have particular views on the idea of using condoms and the subject of AIDS. One study participant stated, "Everyone knows that he/she is infected and we shall all die because the government has spread AIDS in many ways, such as condoms, injections, family planning methods, transfusions and many more."

Most of the problems relate to the difficulty of understanding transmission of the infection by Malawians. Because an HIV-positive person can live a long and healthy life before the infection becomes obvious, and not all contact to HIV leads to transmission, the link between using condoms now and not having AIDS a few years down the road is hard to prove. In Malawi, the researcher stated that "skin-to-skin ejaculation is the marker of a real man - one who uses condoms is being cheated out of his right to a high-grade sexual experience, or may even be the subject of gossip or ridicule".

Women were described as being desirable partners on the basis of their social position or personality. Some women and girls who came from "good" families were more preferred and were perceived as to less likely have HIV/AIDS. Schoolgirls were considered desirable partners, as they were considered to have had few previous partners than older women.

As I have previously stated in past posts, Malawi has a major problem with AIDS. Many are working to reduce the risks and the spread of AIDS by increasing condom use and this study shows the reasons behind the rejection of condoms and what strategies need to be taken to help reduce the AIDS crisis in Malawi.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200704130619.html?page=2