Indonesia To Hold National Condom Week To Curb Spread of HIV, Reach Youth
Indonesia's National AIDS Commission recently announced competitions for journalists and university students to promote the country's upcoming National Condom Week, which takes place the first week in December, the Jakarta Post reports. According to Commission Secretary Nafsiah Mboi, the competitions are being launched in an effort to engage younger generations in the country's second condom week, adding that more than half of the country's youth under age 30 are living with a sexually transmitted infection. The competition for journalists is to promote condom use, and the one for university students is to design proposals for condom use campaigns. Funding will be awarded to the top three designers to implement their campaigns at their respective university campuses.
During the condom week, other events and campaigns, such as concerts and conferences, will be held at malls, office buildings, campuses and other locations frequented by young people throughout the country. In addition to encouraging condom use, the events will promote abstinence as one of the best methods of preventing STIs and unplanned pregnancies (Winarti, Jakarta Post, 11/5).