Madam, - Dr Miriam Duggan (Opinion, January 5th) rightly praises the Ugandan Government for the huge efforts it has made to educate the population there about HIV/AIDS and how it is spread. As a gynaecologist working there, her witness to the success of programmes promoting sexual abstinence must be recognised. Certainly, these initiatives are more useful than an incredible effort I and other Irish parliamentarians encountered in Kampala where some starving, glue sniffing, street children were being instructed in the use of condoms by some well intentioned, but misguided non-Ugandans.
However, I wish she had mentioned the lack of choice over sexual activity that is the lot of many women, especially adolescents, in the developing world. Young girls frequently have to have sex with older men who correctly believe these young girls are more likely to be HIV-free than older women. Sometimes they agree so that their school fees will be paid.
Traditional practices, such as a widow being obliged to have sex with her deceased husband's brothers, are being discontinued in some, but not all, areas. Dry sex, which involves the insertion of powdered bark into the vagina, increases the risk of bleeding at intercourse and, therefore, increases the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
Promotion of women's rights by national and international organisations is vital for these women. Abstinence and monogamy are possible only for women who have agreement from the males in their society. - Yours, etc.,
Senator MARY HARNEY, MD, Seanad Éireann, Baile Átha Cliath, 2.