Disability is not Inability

:: TIME TO STEP UP ANTI-RAPE CAMPAIGNS TO SUSTAIN GAINS IN HIV MANAGEMENT:

What is the impact of the increased rape on spread of HIV in Kenya? Media reports in Kenya have expressed an increased in cases of rape with persons below the adult age or considered to old to face such sexual violence.

Many theories abound the causes of the sudden rise in rape in Kenya including socio-cultural changes that has a significant impact on sexuality and power relations between men and women.

Cultural sexuality

Rape as sexual violence, is a hot topic in African societies including Kenya. Many cultures attribute sexual ownership of their women to the men in their cultrual framework. The cultural hold of sexuality is strong and has expressions that convention can find violent.

This influence of culture in defines relationships between gender. Many African societies are patriachal. The dominance of men define power and influence in gender relationships including sexuality.

The influence of culture is strong in determining the success in implementation of legistlation related to risky sexual behaviour. Behaviour change is the major goal of ALL AIDs management programmes.

Research according to the American Journal of Pathology, shows that even under therapy HIV virus may have very little impact in reducing transmission by rape. This kind of information makes it very urgent for mitigation of rape as a method of transmission of HIV.

While a number of men AND WOMEN still see the sexuality from perspectives that perpetuate rape, it is important that changes in power relations would significantly redefine this. The success of a legistlative strategy in managing the risk of rape improves only when more women and men change their perception of relationships.

disability sexuality

Sexual relationships that take advantage of disability is even more common than others yet most unreported. Improving the status of PWDs in society significantly improve equaity in sexuality and relationships defining it.

The empowerment of communites beginning with the family both in communication and access to rights like education improves the status of PWDs as equal sexual partners. The redefinition of perspectives to sexual relationships among those with disability and in relation to those without disabilities helps reduce the risks of HIV from rape.

When more men find sex can be cool without violently acquiring it and more women find violently aquired sexuality not cool, then more rape cases would be prosecuted in a manner that mitigates it.

Empowering women (even with disabilities) significantly improves their sexual bargaining power to reduce risk in HIV transmission. This may also be the missiing link in the acceptance of the female condom. Changes in perception of sexuality will reduce defilement which is also common among Kenyan communities but under-reported or underprosecuted.

The success to legistalation it is hoped, is one of the ways we could significantly reduce the risk of spread of HIV through rape.

disabilitykenya