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HEALTH: Female Condom Going through Teething Problems in Namibia
By Rosemary Nalisa
CAPRIVI, Namibia, Nov 6 (IPS) - The introduction of female condom, Femidom,
in Namibia two years ago was seen as a weapon to empower women to protect
themselves against sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.
It was also meant to allow women to take decisions in their sexual
relationships and not to rely on their male partners to decide on their
behalf.
However, the condoms, which are now widely available at hospitals and
pharmacies throughout the Southern African country, have been received with
mixed feelings due to perceptions attached to them by consumers.
Some women have refused to use them because, they say, the condoms are
uncomfortable, while others say they make noise during sex. In Namibia's
northeastern region of Caprivi, the female condom has become popular for a
different reason; women make traditional jewellery out of it.
The female condom has two rings that allow for proper insertion, the
inner smaller ring and the outer bigger ring which allow the condom to stay
in place during sexual intercourse. But the Caprivi women use the rings as
bangles to decorate their arms.
Agnes Mwilima, who is Senior Health Programme Administrator for
Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the Caprivi
General Hospital, says, although the practice of using the rings as
jewellery have been observed, they are just common among those who are still
ignorant about the purpose of Femidom.
‘'Women have changed their perception about the female condom, especially
those who are enlightened. I know of people who collect them on a regular
basis from my office and when we sometimes run out of stock they even buy
them from pharmacies,'' says Mwilima.
She also says they ‘'had people who were scared that they will not be
able to urinate if they have the female condom on. Such questions just tell
you that more campaigns need to be carried out in the villages, towns and
cities to teach women about their anatomy and encourage them to use the
female condom whenever they have sex with their partners, so that they can
get used to them.''
Mwilima says health authorities have not yet established whether or not
the women in the Caprivi region were getting the rings from used condoms or
new ones. She says if they were getting them from used condoms then it is a
health hazard, while using new ones is also unfortunate as it will be hard
for distributors to come up with accurate statistics on their use in
Namibia. But, Mwilima has admitted that the female condom is going through
teething problems that need to be addressed through extensive educational
campaigns.
A woman, who spoke to IPS on condition of anonymity, says ‘'the female
condom works for me because I can insert it before I go out to bars. People
sometimes forget to use condoms when they are too intoxicated and only
regret later when they have contracted HIV or any other sexually transmitted
diseases. The Femidom can be worn in advance and this helps.''
Although the women in the Caprivi region are reluctant to use female
condoms, the region has the highest HIV infection rate in the country. The
bi-annually HIV Survey carried out on pregnant women in 2000 showed that the
region had the highest infection rate. Out of 200 tests that were done on
pregnant women, 65 were positive, a figure that represents a 33-percent
infection rate in a population of 91,000.
The Ministry of Women Affairs, which is coordinating the distribution of
female condoms, along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), says
Femidom aims to empower women to overcome cultural norms and beliefs which
prevented them from negotiating sex with their partners.
Juliet Kurirao, of the department of Gender Mainstreaming and
Reproductive Health at the Ministry of Women Affairs, says more training
need to be offered to both men and women in order to encourage them to
communicate with their partners about the correct use of condom.
‘'With the high rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the country, women cannot
depend on their partners to decide their destiny, they have to take the lead
and the Femidom is their main weapon in protecting themselves from the
disease,'' says Karirao.
She says the Ministry of Health has begun training medical officials on
the use of Femidom, a knowledge that they will later pass on to women who do
not know how to use them.
A survey conducted this year on condom use by the Namibia Social
Marketing (NASOMA), a non-governmental organisation, shows that most women
are aware of the existence of condoms, although some do not use them.
Some of the women say their partners do not approve of them using
Femidom, due to the negative perceptions attached to the life-saving gadget.
At least 230,000 people in Namibia are HIV-positive, while more than
30,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses last year
alone. (END/2002)
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