AFEW: For journalists >> Launch of the ‘Safer Sex – The Only Choice’ campaign to promote safer sex and prevent HIV/AIDS

Launch of the ‘Safer Sex – The Only Choice’ campaign to promote safer sex and prevent HIV/AIDS

27 June 2003 - Kyiv, Ukraine - International Youth Day - AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) and the All Ukrainian Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), in collaboration with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, are today launching a safer sex media campaign entitled 'Safer Sex - The Only Choice'.

The aim of this campaign is to encourage young people in Ukraine to take responsibility for their own sexual health by increasing their personal awareness of safer sex and encouraging them to engage in open discussions regarding sexual health issues with their partners.

In 1995, there were 250 cases of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine. Today, eight years later, there are more than 54 000 registered cases . Definitive statistics are, however, lacking. The World Health Organisation estimates the real figure to be 10 times higher. This means that more than 1% of the adult population of Ukraine may be HIV positive.

As a result of an increase in HIV transmission through sexual contact, the epidemic has now spread beyond the small vulnerable groups of injecting drug users and sex workers into the wider community. Increased numbers of unintended pregnancies and a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) provide indirect evidence that unsafe sexual behaviour is now common.

Furthermore, pre-campaign research conducted by AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) in November 2002 revealed that:
· the majority of young people do not believe that they personally are at risk of contracting HIV/STIs; and,
· approximately 40% of young people either never or seldom use condoms when having sex.

The 'Safer Sex - The Only Choice' campaign draws on international experience and the lessons that have been learnt worldwide. The campaign will target 15 to 29 year olds with a 30-second television commercial, a radio commercial, outdoor advertising, posters and stickers. More than 500 000 leaflets and posters will be distributed with the help of youth organisations at educational establishments and during youth events.

The campaign was developed with the participation of the international advertisement agency Lowe and with support from ICTV Channel which provides free air-time for broadcasting campaign advertisements.

The campaign will run for four consecutive months in five cities: Kyiv, Donetsk, Lviv, Odessa and Kharkov. To promote the sustainability of the campaign, AFEW will train local organisations to create, implement and evaluate mass media campaigns aimed at encouraging safer sex and preventing HIV.

The campaign will be launched on 27 June 2003, which is International Youth Day. Today, a TV-bridge connecting the 5 campaign cities will broadcast a large youth music event called 'Let's Talk About It'. This event is being organised in collaboration with the TV company 'Street TV' and will be broadcast live on the music TV channel 'Enter'. The event will mark the start of the AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) and All Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS campaign.

This campaign is financed by the Dutch Organisation for International Development Co-operation (Novib - Oxfam, The Netherlands) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

For further information, please contact:
Anja Teltschik, Head of Mission to Ukraine, AFEW
anja_teltschik@afew.org

Prem Abramova, Project Co-ordinator, Mass Media Campaign Projects, AFEW prem_abramova@afew.org

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