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HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention practices promoted among seafarers' wives |
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Posted on October 31 2008 Recognizing the vulnerability of male seafarers to HIV/AIDS and the risks to their spouses, the ADB RETA 6143 project team designed a capability-building activity that equipped two groups of seafarers’ wives in Luzon and Mindanao with the right knowledge and proven practices on sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The first of the series of seminars was held in Dasmariñas, Cavite on 6 September 2008 for 13 female spouses who belong to the Craftstruck Club Seaman’s Village. This was followed by a similar workshop in Davao City on 11-12 September 2008 for the Mary Star of the Sea Seafarers Families Association (MSSSFA). While OFWs have been publicly credited as silent heroes of the country’s economy owing to their considerable dollar remittances, the roles of the wives they leave behind have often been overlooked. In particular, how they face the risks of HIV infection (amid the burden of looking after the children) because of their husbands’ illicit sexual practices abroad has not been carefully looked into. The project aimed to empower seafarers’ wives through organized lectures and exercises that made up the two workshop activities. Early this year, the project consultant team visited the seafarer families in the two target sites and conducted a training needs assessment (TNA) among their wives. This affirmed the need for educational sessions that would tackle SRH issues, HIV and AIDS prevention, and safer sex negotiation. The workshop taught wives to (i) protect themselves from irresponsible sexual behaviours of their partners, (ii) be aware of their rights, (iii) negotiate for safe sex, (iv) and to recognize signs and symptoms of STIs in themselves and their partners. The workshop closed with a testimony from a resource speaker who gave a face to the HIV situation. Resource speakers from partner institution, Health Development Initiatives Institute (HDII), discussed topics such as overview on reproductive health, HIV and AIDS in the Philippine setting, as well as trends and ways to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It is envisioned that after the workshop, these women will become peer educators who can counsel and provide correct information on HIV and AIDS and SRH in their communities. The activity formed part of Component 1 (HIV Prevention for Female Spouses of Seafarers) of the ADB RETA 6143 project (Supporting Women at Risk and Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in the Philippines). The other components are Qualitative Study of HIV and SRH Risks and Vulnerabilities of Female Filipino Seafarers, and Qualitative Study on Gender-specific Vulnerabilities of Female Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in Metro Cebu and Zamboanga City. The project, which started in May 2008, aims to complement the objectives of RETA 6321, Subproject 5 (Strengthening Country Response to HIV/AIDS among High-risk Groups), which provides technical assistance to the Philippine Department of Health (DOH), local government units (LGUs), and NGOs in strengthening the country response to HIV/AIDS. RETA 6143 focuses on women as a specific target group in the overall HIV/AIDS prevention agenda.
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