HIV / AIDS and Sex Education in India

AIDS education for young people plays a vital role in global efforts to end the AIDS epidemic. Despite the fact that HIV transmission can be prevented, each year hundreds of thousands of young people become infected with the virus. Providing young people with basic AIDS education enables them to protect themselves from becoming infected. AIDS education also helps to reduce stigma and discrimination, by dispelling false information that can lead to fear and blame. This is crucial for prevention, as stigma often makes people reluctant to be tested for HIV and individuals that are unaware of their HIV infection are more likely to pass the virus on to others. Educating young people about HIV and AIDS necessitates discussions about sensitive subjects such as sex and drug use. Many people believe that it is inappropriate to talk to young people about these subjects and fear that doing so will encourage young people to indulge in risky behaviours. Such attitudes are often based on moral or religious views rather than evidence, and severely limit AIDS education around the world. Substantial evidence shows that educating young people about safer sex and the importance of using condoms does not lead to increases in sexual activity. The belief that young people should only be taught about sex and drugs in terms of them being wrong may perpetuate stigmatisation of people who are living with HIV. If young people are taught that indulging in immoral sex and drugs will lead to HIV infection, educators risk implying that anyone who has HIV is therefore involved in these immoral activities.