Condom ringtone a hit
2008-09-12 07:34
Chennai - A ringtone that sings
"condom, condom, condom" has attracted over 270 000 downloads since its launch last month and has spread the message of safe sex to many more cellphone users in India and abroad.
The innovative "Condom a Capella" ringtone that has the
word "condom" sung in many overlapping melodies is the work of
an Indian duo, Rupert Fernandes and Vijay Prakash. The website
http://www.condomcondom.org, where the ringtone can be heard,
has had over two million hits.
The campaign has been produced by the BBC World Service
trust in India and aims to target the increasing number of
India's cellphone users, presently estimated at over 250
million.
According to latest figures, 2.4 million people are living
with HIV in India. Only about half of the at-risk population,
including sex workers and men who have sex with men have access
to HIV prevention measures, the latest UNAids fact sheet on
India states.
Stigma and taboo associated with sex education are the
major challenges facings HIV/Aids prevention programmes in India.
Less than a third of the young population surveyed could correctly
identify the ways to prevent HIV infection, the UNAids report
states.
Never before has a cellphone ringtone been used to
communicate a social or public health message, said Yvonne
MacPherson, Country Director, India, BBC World Service Trust.
"We wanted to create a conversation piece that would get
people talking and ultimately break down the taboo about
condoms," she commented to Reuters Health. "We want condoms to
be seen as any other health product."