Market Women, Kayayei Storm Global Female Condom Day

This year’s Global Female Condom Day recorded a massive turn-out as market women, Kayayei and food vendors root for female condoms at the event which took place at Agbogbloshie, Accra.

The event offered women the rare opportunity to take part in a free breast and cervical cancer screening as well as HIV testing and counseling, and other health related services kept the numbers swelling as more women took part in the exercise.

Mr. Cosmos Ohene-Adjei, Acting Director, Technical Services of the Ghana AIDS Commission [GAC], who read the statement on behalf of the Director General, said the event is held to create the awareness of the existence of the female condom and assure women of its effectiveness.

Meanwhile the use of female condoms if not lost its relevance, is gradually fading away in Ghana as women have lost interests as a result of perceived cultural beliefs and misconceptions about female condom.

Mr. Ohene-Adjei noted that sexual and reproductive health, and rights advocates around the world are calling for increased global investment in female condoms based on widespread demand.

According to him, the female condom is a highly effective sexual health tool and as one of the available female oriented and initiated options for prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections [STIs] including HIV.

He added that Ghana is making steady progress in the national HIV and AIDS response because as at 2014, our National Prevalence is 1.47 percent.

This means that, for every one hundred persons, we have less than two persons who are HIV positive.

The Acting Technical Director however added that the number of new infections among young people aged between 15 to 24 years is increasing.

He added that AIDS related deaths among this age bracket is also increasing coupled with high stigmatization and discrimination among the youth.

Mr. Cosmos Ohene-Adjei expressed worry over the huge gap in our treatment services especially for children.

He urged that children who are test positive for HIV remains in care whiles the pregnant women visits the clinic to test for HIV in order to keep the baby safe from acquiring the HIV virus.

Ms. Gloria Dei Tutu, President for Society for Women and AIDS in Africa [SWAA] said the aim of the event is to demystify the myth surrounding the use of female condom in our society by educating the public on the positive advantage of using female condom.

According to her, women are the vulnerable in society hence the need to widen their understanding about the importance of female condoms.

The event was organized by the Ghana AIDS Commission in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa to provide more women the opportunity to receive information, ask questions and clear all doubts and misconceptions about the female condom.

IMG 20150916 113143

IMG 20150916 113153