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Cameroon |
AIDS
Campaigns are underway aimed at changing male behaviour
Mr. Bebey Ekindi is a leader of the Confederated Union of Workers in Cameroon (CSTC). He says: «Like most African countries, Cameroon is a “patriarchal society”. Men believe themselves to be free to have as many wives or mistresses as they want», thus playing a large part in contributing to the spread of AIDS. «Because of this», explains Mr Ekindi, «the CSTC believes that men have an important part to play in the fight against this disease».
Mr. Alphonse Etonde who works in a rural radio station, shares this opinion. He stresses the disproportionate power men have over women in the economic, political and family spheres: «Men have financial superiority, as well as the whole weight of tradition behind them. In Cameroon», he observes, «when women engage in adultery, it’s called a crime. Men on the other hand, can go around with any number of girlfriends».
According to Mrs Colette Kenfack of Women Stand Up, an NGO working in two of Cameroon’s English-speaking provinces, it’s possible to change male behaviour by using well-defined aspects of the country’s traditional culture. In Cameroonian traditional culture, men have considerable power over women. But this same social standard also requires them to look after their wife, their children and other members of the family. «Honest men protect women from AIDS»: is the slogan printed on the t-shirts worn by those attending a Workshop organised by Women Stand Up in Mbalmayo, near Yaoundé, for media professionals.
At Bafoussam, in the western province, another group, named Po’o Binam (literally, «children of the village»), believes it’s possible to change the current role and behaviour of men, by talking more freely with women and leading men to be more critical of the situation.
Founded originally by a group of friends, Po’o Binam now consists of sixteen groups of men, spread all over Cameroon. Mr Assongkeng Fosso states: «It’s time to take up the challenge, and begin to spell out who we are, and to encourage each other to give a positive image of masculinity which does not depend on oppressing or treating women badly».
Po’o Binam does’nt just question sexist prejudices, it also fights against AIDS by asking men the following question: «To what extent have men contributed to received ideas which means women are made to bear the heaviest responsibility for HIV/AIDS ?»
Such examples of positive action are similar to the United Nations AIDS(UNAIDS) campaign called: «Men Make The Difference» and campaigns undertaken by other AIDS organisations. Their aim is to supplement the HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns aimed at women and girls, by appealing to men to take part in these campaigns as well. According to a UNAIDS report published in May 2000, «the time has come to begin to see men not as a source of problems, but as one of the elements in the solution».
Use of condoms
Since women have little negotiating power when it comes to sexual relationships, the CSTC takes a very practical approach, trying to encourage the many men who make up its membership to use condoms. «The confederation does not preach», explains Mr. Bebey Ekindi, «nor does it tell its members “thou shalt not do this or that”. Rather, it tries to help them understand the risks. All you can do is help a man to come to his own conclusions and take his own decisions».
The CSTC has hundreds of thousands of members. It incorporates unions from all sections of industry in Cameroon, as well as teachers and other staff from schools and universities, and public and parastatal sectors. «Most of our members are men», notes Mr. Ekindi, adding that the size and make-up of the CSTC makes it particularly well-placed to promote the anti-AIDS message to large numbers of people.
Its campaign against the spread of AIDS has involved the CSTC in organising several meetings of union leaders, coordinated by members working full time in the campaign against AIDS. «Our policy consists in ensuring that union leaders are sufficiently well-informed and organised, and to allow them to mobilise their own members», explains Bebey Ekindi. For example, at a gathering against AIDS organised on 12 December 2001 at Yaoundé, the CSTC invited union leaders to organise similar meetings in their own areas.
The confederation has however raised a few problems it found when promoting the use of condoms. «This is an important issue of conscience», explains Mr. Ekindi, «but for a married man, it’s very difficult to accept the use of a condom when having sexual relations with his wife, since condoms are associated with prostitutes. This is one of the received ideas that must be challenged», he says, «in order to achieve results».
According to UNAIDS, «in many cultures, conceiving a child is considered to be a proof of masculinity. This attitude prevents almost any use of condoms, thus multiplying the risks of transmitting the virus within the family, and possibly to the next generation, through mother-to-child transmission».
Contributors to change
The Association of Responsible Parents of Cameroon (APRC), present in six out of ten Cameroonian provinces, is also involved in the campaign aimed at men. It recruits local community representatives, responsible for speaking to men in rural areas about sexuality, health and family planning. These representatives (including tailors, barbers, cobblers and members of other professions) receive training from APRC on sexuality and health. When practising their trade, the representatives then pass on their knowledge to their fellow workers.
«The idea is that when customers come to see them in their shops or at their place of work, the local community representatives take the opportunity to educate them on HIV/AIDS issues and also to sell them health kits», explains Guillaume Kamdem, APRC‘s head of communications. The principle behind the programme is that these representatives «know the men in their own community and can suggest they change their sexual behaviour and use condoms». The APRC sells contraceptives and condoms to their representatives. These can be obtained without prescription. The representatives then retails them to their customers, taking a small commission.
Targeting lorry drivers
The APRC is in the process of launching another campaign, aimed mainly at lorry drivers. «Many of them are responsible for the spread of AIDS», asserts Mr Kamdem. UNAIDS believes that long-distance lorry drivers are particularly exposed to risk. Because of their job, they are far from home, sometimes for weeks, moving from region to region, having sexual relations with different women along the route. Launched in March 2002, the APRC programme aims to recruit and train lorry drivers to be able to inform their colleagues about the importance of condoms and other aspects of AIDS prevention. Community theatre performances are then organised at the main truck stops. The concerts aim to provide the truckers with alternative leisure activities other than frequenting prostitutes along the main arterial roads.
Participation by the Churches
At Bonadibong, a district of Douala, the Assembly of God Church organises Sunday evening programmes aimed at informing its 2000 members of the dangers of AIDS. It invites outside speakers, such as Dr. Atangana Raphaël, from the central hospital of Douala, who recently explained to parishioners that it is more common for men to pass HIV to women than the other way round. «We want to make people aware, by inviting experts to come and talk about this fatal illness», explains Pastor Nteppe Samuel. Although the educational programme is addressed to the whole congregation, young people are the prime target of the message.
Anyone who wishes to marry in this Church is now required to undergo an HIV screening test «so that no innocent party should find themselves in a difficult situation without being aware of the fact», states Pastor Nteppe. He knows that the progress of the campaign will not be easy, but he believes it will get results «if we don’t preach too much and improve our teaching on the purpose of marriage. We must endeavour to explain to men that the purpose of marriage is not just sexual». He recalls the Bible teaching that a man must respect his wife and treat her well.
The need for dialogue
Dr. Atangana quotes the case of a couple where the man was HIV-positive and the woman, who was HIV-negative, had to have sexual relations without a condom in order to conceive another child. With complex situations such as these, participants in the campaign must try to encourage dialogue about sexuality and family issues, between men and women, and within the two groups. They hope that men, women, children and other members of the community, will discuss issues freely and openly that were previously considered as being exclusively the concern of men. This dialogue will need diplomatic handling, free of recriminations, they say, since neither men or women can be held responsible for propagation of the disease.
«Parents must learn to listen especially to their children», says Mrs Njankouo Fatima of Women Stand Up, «so that they can open dialogue on issues relating to sexuality which have long been considered taboo. They must also realise that “telling children to keep quiet” is not a solution».
«They must also find ways of helping women to negotiate with their partner in order to have protected sex», adds Mrs Njankouo. «Improved education will be a decisive factor, since women often don’t know how to deal with their partners on this level. Above all», she concludes, «women must be encouraged to assert themselves».
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