Press Release
Phnom Penh, 4 November 2010
Forty per cent of all new HIV infections globally are reported to be among young people aged 15-24. While the epidemic affects populations around the world differently, across all populations adolescents and young adults, particularly young women, have been identified as the most vulnerable to HIV.
While Cambodia is experiencing relative success in preventing new HIV infections, with around 35 per cent of Cambodia’s population aged between 10 and 24 years, a potential resurgence of the epidemic among most-at-risk-populations, particularly involving young people, is raising new concern.
Unsafe behaviour related to drug use, alcohol and unsafe sexual practices can lead to HIV and other infections. The risks are intensified by little or no access to sexual and reproductive health services and no protection from violence, abuse and exploitation.
Today, the Inter-departmental Committee on AIDS and Drugs (ICHAD) of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports will launch the findings of a survey on Cambodia’s most at risk young people, which was carried out to learn more about and address multiple risk behaviours of young people in the context of HIV and AIDS.
The goal of the survey was to provide policymakers and planners with reliable data on alcohol, drug and sex related behaviours and access to sexual and reproductive health services among young people who are most at risk of HIV infection. This includes young people who are involved in multiple unprotected sexual partnerships and injecting drugs with non-sterile equipment, among others.
The survey, which was implemented by the Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance with support from UNICEF, UNAIDS, WHO, UNFPA, UNESCO, PSI, FHI, Friends International and other partners, represents continuing commitment and efforts to obtain age disaggregated data on Cambodia’s young population and their health and risk to HIV infection and drugs. According to the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, H.E. Im Sethy, “we wanted to conduct research that would help us to identify the best methods to mitigate the strong challenging issues that make it unsafe for young people in Cambodia”.
The research involved interviews with over 2,400 young people between the ages of 10 to 24 at “hot spots” - areas thought to have high rates of HIV-risky behaviour, in eight provinces. Young people, including most at risk young people, were closely involved in all stages of the research.
Findings from the survey highlight strong interactions between all risk behaviours among young people, as well as a need for stronger collaboration and coordination between civil society and government stakeholders from different sectors. According to Richard Bridle, UNICEF’s Representative, “it will require concerted joint efforts to ensure that policies and programs respond appropriately to the needs of young people most at risk, and protect their rights to correct information and services, including condoms”.
The report provides a number of recommendations to programmers, policymakers and researchers that, if taken on board, could help to accelerate HIV prevention efforts among Cambodia’s young most at risk population.
