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| Tuesday, 10 August 2004 |
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Timely guide to sexuality and AIDS Sexuality in the Times of AIDS - Contemporary Perspectives from
Communities in India Sex and Aids is a worldwide issue. With nearly five million living with Aids, India now has the second largest number of cases of the disease in the world after South Africa, according to reports. India is at a critical point in tackling the disease and a huge prevention effort is necessary to control its spread, according to experts. Even though the epidemic is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, the awareness of sexual relations in the country is not at satisfactory levels. This is a major issue that is affecting efforts to halt the spread of the virus. 'Sexuality in the Times of AIDS' published by Sage Publications (www.indiasage.com) tries to raise awareness of contemporary sexual behaviour and sexual attitudes in both rural and urban India and in different strata of society, including adolescent girls, sex workers (male and female), college students and slum dwellers. The book has been released at an appropriate time. This publication presents studies from different states of India and it identifies the contextual, cultural and social factors that contribute to the risk of HIV infection. The book covers three broad areas. Firstly, it gives an overview of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India and the response of both the government and the public. Secondly it gives perspectives from diverse communities concerning premarital, marital and extramarital sexuality. Thirdly, it broadly discusses the lessons learned at the national level in terms of research methodology and in the development of new approaches to HIV/AIDS. The book has 16 essays on the themes of sexuality, premarital sexuality, marital and extra marital sexuality, sexual problems and prevention. Four essays in the first section discuss premarital sexuality in four diverse contexts. These include feedback from street children and male sex workers, children and women on their sexual encounters. In the marital and extra marital section are five essays, focusing on intervention in the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The section brings out the experiences of a segment of men and women who have gone through various extra marital issues. The section on sexual problems and prevention discusses male sexual health problems. Overall the book stresses the need to view sexuality and risk in a broad cultural and social context, as also emphasises the need to learn directly from the community in order to develop innovative programs. With salient findings, methodological issues and various data on the subject, this publication will be of immense use to a wide readership including those who are in the health sector, NGOs, researchers and policy makers and those who are involved in educating masses on sex and health implications. (CJ) |
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