In this era of Mjolo (Casual sex and dating), a lot is at stake. The risk perception for HIV, especially in the the young generation at times known as Ama 2k, has greatly declined simply because people are no longer dying of AIDS as was the case two decades ago.
By Nthokozo Gudu
A number of factors at play expose the young generation especially young adolescent girls and young women to the risk of contracting HIV. According to UNAIDS, in Sub Saharan Africa, HIV now wears a young girls and women’s face owing to a plethora of issues ranging from inter-generational sex, poverty, child marriages among a hots of others.
For Marble Shamu* (25) discovering that she was HIV positive almost teared her pieces. As someone who was born and grew up HIV free, the thought of her getting infected at her prime age led her into depression. She at some point consulted five different doctors hoping that at least one test result would come out negative.
Discovering that i had HIV was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. You know as someone being so young and 21 years at the time, it was a difficult situation for me,” said Marble.
“I got into a relationship and the person suggested that we get tested first before we proceed with the relation. I was very comfortable with it because I thought nothing was there to hide not knowing I was about to receive the most heartbreaking news of my life.”
Before her new Boyfriend, the one suggested that they got tested, Marble had dated another guy whom she says was a her first love and had been intimate with him.
“As someone who had never been sick or showed any symptoms of having this disease I was shocked and devastated. In my disbelief, I had to do five more tests thinking i would get a negative report but that did not happen I was positive for sure.
“After discovering that I was positive, i knew exactly who to confront and that was my longtime boyfriend who had now become my ex and had married someone else. He denied everything but I was certain since before we were involved sexually, we got tested and I was negative and fortunately he was my first. He also at that time we got tested was negative. He denied everything and even called me names and this broke my heart because i was so sure that it was him because i had never been involved with anyone,’’she added.
She lost her current relationship that time the moment this boyfriend discovered her status.
“You know it was not easy for me, the guy i was dating that time ended our relationship silently he never said anything but he just went quiet and i had to figure out myself. Though he was there for me emotionally, you could certainly see that this person was no longer interested. I understood him and gave him his space.
“Reality struck and I was all alone, i was able to tell my best-friend and my elder sister through the process they were there for me but i got depressed and lost weight because i was thinking a lot and i had not made up my mind on taking the medication. After three months, i then decided to go for the treatment in-order to be healthy for myself and the people around me. It was never easy to process. I would cry alone and blame myself for the situation i was in, but as time passed on, i was healing, i can safely say i am still healing.”
Marble urged young people both men and women to indulge in safe sex and always protect themselves.
“I can say i was not careful personally, even though someone had infected me, i had to come to terms with the fact that i am positive so what do i do now, i had to find myself a counsellor and she is very supportive. Sometimes thoughts are overwhelming and you need someone to talk to, but I would like to say to other young people be careful and always get tested regularly.
“I am still gathering strength to carry on because I never thought that at 25 years, I would be positive but I accepted it and right now i am working on keeping myself as healthy as I can,’’ she said.
The Marriages Act of Zimbabwe has to some extent left those in need of legal recourse in some sort of a conundrum as it now decriminalizes wilful transmission of HIV. Clause 53 of the Marriage Act repeals Section 79 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) which made it an offense to transmit HIV to a partner in certain circumstances.
Meanwhile, Dorcas Chitiyo a Health Policy Expert said, “The willful transmission of HIV is no longer a crime in Zimbabwe, even though it may be sad in this case HIV cannot be proven through science that it was transmitted to the other partner, but according to the law in our country it is no longer a crime.”
The Constitution of Zimbabwe adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines that decriminalised the offence.
In 2019, Zimbabwe completed a legal environment assessment, which identified the criminalization of HIV transmission as a barrier to health care and a driver of stigma and discrimination for people living with HIV and other key populations. Since then, the United Nations Development Programme has worked with key populations and other stakeholders, convening meetings with parliamentarians and other partners to advance the recommendations of the legal environment assessment.
In 2018, UNAIDS, the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care and the International AIDS Society convened an expert group of scientists who developed an Expert Consensus Statement on the Science of HIV in the Context of Criminal Law. The statement calls on the criminal justice system to ensure that science informs the application of the law in criminal cases related to HIV.
Zimbabwe has made great progress in the response to HIV over the past decade. It is estimated that 1.2 million of the 1.3 million people living with HIV in the country are now on life-saving medicines. AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 63% since 2010, with new HIV infections down by 66% over the same period.
Please note that Marble Shamu* is not her real as the interview subject requested anonymity
