Original article by Ingrid Brown
With more than 32,000 Jamaicans believed to be infected with HIV/AIDS, Betty Ann Blaine believes the local epidemic can best be controlled through public education geared towards abstinence and grounded in the principles of good family life.
Were her New Nation Coalition (NNC) to form the next government, Blaine said she would ensure the National AIDS Programme is further strengthened with public education examining how the breakdown in family life and values continues to contribute to the spread of the disease.
"It all goes back to family life and we are not going to be able to solve this problem of HIV/AIDS which is really about behaviour and people being responsible for their sexual life, unless there is a focus on good family life," Blaine said.
Blaine, who was addressing the Observer Press Club last Thursday, said only when young men and women can respect their bodies and avoid casual sex will there be an impact on stemming the disease.
"What is happening is that a lot of our young people are getting involved in sexual activity without any kind of protection, and one of the reasons they are doing it is because the family life is so unhappy," she argued.
"There are so many problems with the family life and a lot of the people they are having sex with are offering them things as well. We have children that go missing that are with big men just for a day, just for food," she added.
The HIV/AIDS education programme, she reiterated, would lean heavily on pushing the abstinence message, especially to children and youth.
It is the kind of public education, according to Blaine, which will be framed in such a way as to make better sense to young people.
"It has to make sense to the young people and so I would like the campaign, especially for teenage parents, to send the message that early sexual activity and early pregnancy will make you poor," she said.
"I would show them the hardship of what happens when you are a teenage mother and father and you have a baby and no money, and show them how it completely makes you poor."
Blaine, who stepped down as head of Hear the Children's Cry after she launched the NNC, was also quite vocal in insisting that condoms should not be distributed in school.
"Quite frankly I don't support it... I personally don't think that is what schools should be doing," said the convenor of the NNC, a party priding itself as being built on Christian principles.
She explained further that guidance counsellors, teachers or anybody should not have the right to give condoms to children since it requires a full conversation and relationship with the child, which most of these persons do not have the time for.
"But the schools can barely educate the children. The guidance counsellors can't even manage what they have now let alone to be running a condom distribution cafeteria inside schools," she lamented.
On the issue of sex education in schools, beginning at the primary level, Blaine said this should not be undertaken without the full involvement of parents.
"Parents must be involved at every level of the education of their children, and so if you are going to have sex education for smaller children, then the parents must be a part of that decision and must have a sense of what their children are being exposed to," Blaine said.
Meanwhile, Blaine said the problem with many of the Government's current sex education campaigns is the absence of parents and/or adults.
"This has to be something that adults must be involved in," she argued. "I think the message must be properly framed always, because if it is not framed properly you will send the wrong message, which is "have as much sex as you want but use a condom".
And as Jamaica faces great challenge in finding the US$120-million shortfall in the national budget needed to address and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS over the next five years, Blaine expressed surprise that the country is not able to source more of the funds available internationally.
"I am a bit surprised that we are not attracting more funding because, to the best of my knowledge, there is quite a bit of international funding to the HIV programme," she said.
Blaine did not shy away from giving her views and that of her party on homosexuality, given her Christian background.
The act of homosexuality, she said, was wrong. However, she stressed that her problem is with the behaviour and never the person.
Blaine, whose party is hoping to form the next Government, said although the movement is grounded in Christian values, everyone — homosexuals included — will be welcomed.
"I see the behaviour, not the person, as being a sin, just like how all of us as heterosexuals sin... I don't see it any different and we love them," she said.
"I think it is about love when all is said and done and about seeing the image of Christ in every Jamaican regardless of sexual orientation," she said, adding that violence will never be tolerated against homosexuals.
Were her New Nation Coalition (NNC) to form the next government, Blaine said she would ensure the National AIDS Programme is further strengthened with public education examining how the breakdown in family life and values continues to contribute to the spread of the disease.
"It all goes back to family life and we are not going to be able to solve this problem of HIV/AIDS which is really about behaviour and people being responsible for their sexual life, unless there is a focus on good family life," Blaine said.
Blaine, who was addressing the Observer Press Club last Thursday, said only when young men and women can respect their bodies and avoid casual sex will there be an impact on stemming the disease.
"What is happening is that a lot of our young people are getting involved in sexual activity without any kind of protection, and one of the reasons they are doing it is because the family life is so unhappy," she argued.
"There are so many problems with the family life and a lot of the people they are having sex with are offering them things as well. We have children that go missing that are with big men just for a day, just for food," she added.
The HIV/AIDS education programme, she reiterated, would lean heavily on pushing the abstinence message, especially to children and youth.
It is the kind of public education, according to Blaine, which will be framed in such a way as to make better sense to young people.
"It has to make sense to the young people and so I would like the campaign, especially for teenage parents, to send the message that early sexual activity and early pregnancy will make you poor," she said.
"I would show them the hardship of what happens when you are a teenage mother and father and you have a baby and no money, and show them how it completely makes you poor."
Blaine, who stepped down as head of Hear the Children's Cry after she launched the NNC, was also quite vocal in insisting that condoms should not be distributed in school.
"Quite frankly I don't support it... I personally don't think that is what schools should be doing," said the convenor of the NNC, a party priding itself as being built on Christian principles.
She explained further that guidance counsellors, teachers or anybody should not have the right to give condoms to children since it requires a full conversation and relationship with the child, which most of these persons do not have the time for.
"But the schools can barely educate the children. The guidance counsellors can't even manage what they have now let alone to be running a condom distribution cafeteria inside schools," she lamented.
On the issue of sex education in schools, beginning at the primary level, Blaine said this should not be undertaken without the full involvement of parents.
"Parents must be involved at every level of the education of their children, and so if you are going to have sex education for smaller children, then the parents must be a part of that decision and must have a sense of what their children are being exposed to," Blaine said.
Meanwhile, Blaine said the problem with many of the Government's current sex education campaigns is the absence of parents and/or adults.
"This has to be something that adults must be involved in," she argued. "I think the message must be properly framed always, because if it is not framed properly you will send the wrong message, which is "have as much sex as you want but use a condom".
And as Jamaica faces great challenge in finding the US$120-million shortfall in the national budget needed to address and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS over the next five years, Blaine expressed surprise that the country is not able to source more of the funds available internationally.
"I am a bit surprised that we are not attracting more funding because, to the best of my knowledge, there is quite a bit of international funding to the HIV programme," she said.
Blaine did not shy away from giving her views and that of her party on homosexuality, given her Christian background.
The act of homosexuality, she said, was wrong. However, she stressed that her problem is with the behaviour and never the person.
Blaine, whose party is hoping to form the next Government, said although the movement is grounded in Christian values, everyone — homosexuals included — will be welcomed.
"I see the behaviour, not the person, as being a sin, just like how all of us as heterosexuals sin... I don't see it any different and we love them," she said.
"I think it is about love when all is said and done and about seeing the image of Christ in every Jamaican regardless of sexual orientation," she said, adding that violence will never be tolerated against homosexuals.
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