Province to insist on condoms for extra-marital sex
2001-01-22 09:42
Jakarta - Authorities in Indonesia's province of Irian Jaya plan to make the use of condoms compulsory for extra-marital sex, a report said on Monday.
Jakarta-appointed Irian Jaya Governor J.P. Solossa was quoted by
the Kompas daily as saying that the obligatory use of condoms was
aimed at curbing the spread of Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (Aids).
He gave no details on how the regulation would be policed, but said violators would be punished.
Although the regulation would eventually cover the whole of Irian
Jaya, the first targets would be areas with high infection risks.
"We will soon issue a provincial decree on the obligatory use of
condoms in specific high-risk locations and areas from where the
disease could spread," Solossa said.
Irian Jaya province has one of Indonesia's highest rates of
HIV/Aids sufferers. By the end of last year, the province had 320
cases of HIV, the virus that leads to Aids, and 107 cases of
full-blown Aids.
Health office estimates put the prevalence of AIDS in Irian Jaya at 4.86 per 100 000 people, or 25 times the national average of 0.2 per 100 000 people.
Irian Jaya is the base for many large fishing operations that
employ foreign fishermen from Thailand, Taiwan and China.
Irian Jaya health official Didik Irawan also blamed the infection
rate on the relatively low income and education levels in Irian
Jaya, compounded by the lack of health awarenesss. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA