Annmarie Byrne is a peer HIV speaker for Body & Soul. She explains her response to the many visits she has made to hundreds of schools. "I am
astonished at how many children I speak to who have not heard of HIV.
They will be familiar with Aids - most think it's the death sentence -
but don't really understand what HIV is at all. This is something I try
to explain very clearly. Kids will usually respond well if you talk to
them honestly and give them the facts."
Annmarie uses two kinds of teaching. With older teenagers, she talks very
frankly about HIV, her own experience, HIV transmission, safer sex, condoms,
STIs, mutual consent and so on. The other focuses on discrimination and
victimisation. "For the young kids of about 10 years it's better
to concentrate on prejudice. I talk about how cruel children can be in
the playground - how hurtful it could be if a child says 'Don't go near
her, she might have Aids'.
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"Children are so used to thinking about Aids and HIV in stereotypical ways. The gay man, the drug user, the African. This continues to breed prejudice and ignorance. HIV is often still discussed along with being gay. This has to stop. It must be discussed in the context of sexual health. It must be normalised to completely remove the stigma, though, as I know, it is very hard when you have
HIV to just BE normal."
Cartoon strips help with the message: taken from Family Planning Association leaflets
