HIV is not capital punishment

Name of article: HIV is not capital punishment

Name of publication: Free Lancer

Country: Lesotho

Theme: HIV and AIDS

Synopsis

Brief description of the item of work you submitted and motivation of why it is a good example of gender awareness and sensitivity in advancing gender equality Post-2015.

HIV/AIDS is not capital punishment The article brings to the people’s attention that with no vaccine or cure in sight, the HIV/AIDS remains a nationwide threat, and that it is likely to remain so for decades to come. It puts emphasis on the phenomenon that there are auspicious changes as AIDS patients and those infected with HIV live longer as the treatments seem effective and that being HIV positive does not mean the end of life. It brings forward the programs initiated by the government of Lesotho in the combat against HIV/AIDS. It is put in black and white in the article that females and young girls are the most infected compared to males and young boys.

The article engages female voices and points of views for an example, Chief ‘Makhoboso Peete the Chief of Mapoteng in Leribe district and She-hive Association President ‘Matsietsi Tšephe form a team of sources in the story and their voices and points of views are put forward. The article is a good example of gender as it consults women in leadership to table their views on HIV/AIDS pandemic disease and those who are directly affected by HIV (those who are HIV positive) on how they cope to live longer. It addresses the HIV/AIDS issue in relation to males and females.

It brings to everyone’s attention that gender inequality contributes primarily in the spread of HIV/AIDS as young girls and women expecting money from men as bread winners are misused and infected with the deadly disease. It vividly states that gender inequality in relationships has intensified the problem of HIV/AIDS hence it also calls for gender equality and women participation in a step to reverse the HIV prevalence in Lesotho. It calls women to stand up for themselves and play their part.

 Background

Why did you produce the story? What problem or context is it responding to?

Background I produced the story to respond to the silence that intensifies the spread of HIV/AIDS in Lesotho. Bodies that were preaching about HIV/AIDS went silent as if the era of this epidemic is over. Fundamental to this article is the verity that HIV/AIDS is an alarming threat to Lesotho and its people. Everyone in Lesotho is either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS spreads like wild fire amongst Basotho. Lesotho has the second highest HIV prevalence rate in the whole world. Over half of the 206, 000 adults living with HIV in Lesotho are women. There are currently more than 200, 000 orphans in Lesotho, most of whom are AIDS orphans. The AIDS epidemic in Lesotho has had a devastating impact on the country, its economy, social structure and capacity of families to care for themselves. The impact on individuals, families and the whole nation is being felt as adults become too sick to work and children orphaned by AIDS are left to run households. The devastation of the social structure in Lesotho from the AIDS epidemic has left a huge number of children increasingly vulnerable and alone, especially in rural areas of Lesotho.

 Key objectives

What did you hope to achieve with this coverage?

A luta continua is the Portuguese phrase which means the struggle continues. The article establishes the fact that the fight against HIV/AIDS is not over. It brings hope to people who are diagnosed HIV positive that it is not the end of life; they will live longer through treatment. It shutters the silence and reminds the people that HIV/AIDS is still here and spreading like wild fire amongst Basotho. It brings to the people’s attention that the spread of HIV/AIDS is worsening and that Lesotho has the second highest HIV prevalence rate in the whole world.

Target audience

Who did you hope to reach? Did you succeed in reaching this audience? What evidence do you have to that effect?

The article targeted the whole populace; men and women, boys and girls, leaders and the public. Primarily its target is the females as they contribute chiefly in the spread of HIV/AIDS. In 2009 there were around 23, 000 new HIV infections and approximately 14, 000 people died from AIDS. Over half of the 260, 000 adults living with HIV in Lesotho are women. Girls operate brothels openly. Young girls start their sex lives with older men who are more likely to be infected than the boys of their age. It has a profound and clear impact as my fellow female colleagues at work read the article and responded positively that they acknowledge the fact that females are at the centre in the spread of HIV/AIDS. In this regard I am sure it will bear fruits in the wide-ranging community. The Minister of Health, Dr. ‘Molotsi Monyamane, was moved during the interview and promised to bring the positive change through the implementation of the strategic plan of engaging counsellors, traditional doctors, support groups, and chiefs who are at the grassroots in the battle against HIV/AIDS. He said those to be engaged will be provided with appropriate training.

How did you go about researching and writing the story?

How did you gather the data, how many sources, female and male did you consult? Why did you choose these sources and how were their voices important?

I collected and gathered the data by interviewing the sources of relevance. I interviewed sources; a doctor, a chief, the Minister of Health and someone living with HIV. I consulted both men and women. I chose these sources because they would balance my story accordingly. I had to interview the doctor who specialized in the field of HIV/AIDS to be informed about HIV/AIDS and its status in Lesotho. The doctor provided the scientific analysis of the pandemic. As the chief is an official member and the leader of the community, I had to get official information about the general behavior of the ruled. The Minister of Health is a necessity to inform the public about the maneuvers they plan to implement in a battle against the epidemic. The Minister represents the Ministry and the Ministry represents the government. It is imperative to know how the government plans to deal with health issues on behalf of its citizens.

Feedback

What impact did it have? What evidence do you have to illustrate impact?
Please provide any examples of feedback that you received from the articles (from websites, letters, etc.)

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 Follow up to your story and why

I will conduct a follow up to my story by writing a follow up article. I will engage the same people I have engaged during the first article so that they would be able to compare and contrast their

timely observations. I would engage the same doctor that specialized in HIV/AIDS to update me of the HIV/AIDS status, and inform me about the late report. I would interview the chief, to know if there are positive changes in her villages. I would approach the Minister with the bag full of queries of whether he has implemented his strategic plans and whether he found them effective and productive. If he would have succeeded, I would applaud him, and if he would have failed, I would ask him about the cause of such failure and his plans rectify such a situation. Click here to view file