I had the chance to speak with Aisha Usman on the need for comprehensive sexuality education in Nigeria. This was part of the training of religious leaders from Africa as global #Faith2EndAIDS ambassadors which the Church of Sweden International Department has collaborated with INERELA+.
Interview Transcript
JP
JP Heath here from the Church of Sweden and I’m privileged today to be sitting with Aisha Usman from Nigeria. She is a member of the of the INERELA+ ambassadors, and we’re going to share a little bit today about the need for comprehensive sexuality education.
Aisha can you tell us basically what the age of sexual debut in much of Nigeria is?
Aisha
I believe it’s 11-12 years old.
JP
And do you have comprehensive sexuality education available in Nigeria?
Aisha
As far as I know, we don’t have it because I particularly hadn’t that education before I would. I was married out.
JP
You have a very personal story about the cost of no sexuality, understanding and education. Do you? Want to share that with us?
Aisha
Yes, of course, because I carry the scar of it for all my life. I was part of those that were given this is what we call female circumcision that is female genital mutilation, and this has led me to marriage and divorces, and at the end even married somebody that was living with HIV and it’s how they left me with this. I mean that’s how I contracted HIV.
JP
How old were you when you were married to the for the first time?
Aisha
About 14 years old.
JP
And was this a marriage of your choice?
Aisha
Not at all, not that’s. I was just told it’s either having a husband or I’ll be given out to somebody else so I just looked around and I brought somebody.
JP
So Aisha in INERELA+ the need for sexuality education is understood as one of the ways of helping our young people reduce their own risk of HIV infection by giving them information that helps them to make informed decisions for themselves. We also believe in INERELA+ that sex is a good and positive gift from God. How do you see sexuality education, comprehensive sexuality education as aiding in HIV prevention in Nigeria?
Aisha
Very good, thank you very much JP. If I had that comprehensive sexual education at the initial stage. Maybe I would have been able to protect myself from even getting infected with HIV then and I would have even been able to delay my sexual debut but without that and I don’t have it. My parents don’t. Even if they had it, they wouldn’t have sacrificed me in the 1st place, so I believe it’s a very bold step if we can educate it in our families. So as parents and guardians should be the custodian. They should be held responsible for giving their children comprehensive sexual education before anybody else outside.
JP
We understand that the provision of comprehensive sexuality education leads to a delay of sexual debut. We have this as evidence from studies across the world, and today we want to make sure that every child has access to the information that allows them to make informed decisions about their own sexual health.
