HIV and Education EFA Media Training Ludo Bok - UNAIDS secretariat

Education and the response to HIV Provides knowledge for prevention Provides skills for prevention Helps to overcome conditions that facilitate the spread of HIV Creates conditions of understanding, respect and tolerance (provides an answer to stigma and discrimination)

Need for behaviour change Prevention requires more than transmitting accurate health information Effective prevention = change of risk behaviours Behaviours are embedded in social, economic and cultural patterns

School systems and the response to HIV Education protects individuals: gives young people increased control over their sexual choices Education informs individuals: reaches the target group when values, beliefs and sexual behaviours are still open to change Education protects societies: mitigate the loss of human capital when an increasing number of adults die

Beyond prevention To maximize effectiveness need for holistic approaches Prevention, treatment, care and support are mutually necessary and interdependent Comprehensive education sector responses use this holistic approach A comprehensive education sector response includes (1) quality education (2) content, curriculum and learning materials (3) educator training and support (4) policy, management and systems

Challenges in Asia and the pacific Demand for sex work fuelled by: (1) rapid economic growth (2) highly mobile populations (3) changing sexual norms Refusal to acknowledge the existence of “social evils” results in: (1) discouragement of discussions about sex and drug use (2) lack of access to information, skills and tools (3) lack of access to VCT and appropriate treatment (4) harm reduction being a sensitive issue

Challenges in Asia and the pacific (cont.) Stigma to sex, death and drug use results in: (1) stigma and discrimination towards people involved in sex work, MSM, drug use (2) difficult for teachers and/or not accepted by parents to raise these issues in the class room Prevention education has to take in account the region specific: (1) cultural aspects (norms, values, languages,…) (2) structural aspects (gender, class, ethnicity) Education systems not prepared for the impact on the system itself