Zim prisons a HIV nightmare
2003-10-14 21:49
Harare - Up to 70% of Zimbabwean prisoners are involved in homosexuality in jails where the HIV prevalence rate is estimated to be 60%, the state-owned Ziana news agency said on Tuesday.
The news agency cited a doctor from a government referral hospital who said many prisoners who seek medical attention have been involved in homosexuality, which is illegal in the southern African country.
"Out of all the prisoners that we attend to on a daily basis, about 60-70% of them admit to have had sex with other males at one time or the other," Blessing Mukumba was quoted as saying.
Sixty percent of the prisoners admitted to the hospitals are infected with HIV, according to research done by the referral hospitals, Ziana said.
A prisons officer said was widespread in the overcrowded jails, but said it was difficult to detect despite regular patrols.
In 1993 a lawmaker and now deputy speaker of parliament, Edna Madzongwe, suggested the provision of condoms for prisoners to curb the spread of HIV, but was rebuffed because such a move would would be tantamount to legalising homosexuality in prisons.
In January the country's prisons held 24 500 inmates, far exceeding their capacity of 16 000.
The government in July revised the HIV/Aids tally putting the percentage of Zimbabwean adults infected with the HIV virus or Aids at 24.9%, down from 33.7% recorded in 2000 by the United Nations.
It however remains one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic in the world.
An average of more than 3 000 Aids deaths occur each week in Zimbabwe.