asians undercover
arranged marriages and Indian family life."
HIV prevention and arranged marriage
Men and women traditionally have very segregated roles in Indian family
life. Parents keep strict control. Very little is discussed openly between
the sexes when it comes to sexual health and negotiating sex. Naz and
Parminder's own team of workers are trying to confront the unique problems
of reaching south Asians with HIV prevention awareness. She explains what
they're up against:
"Most of our male clients who've acquired HIV through
page 4 of 7
contents
of issue 79
back
issues
the
gazette
recipes
small
ads
contacting
us
weblinks
Posters that tell a different story: Naz Project prides itself on its striking health promotion material
having sex with another man will not admit that they're gay, and will
have a family too. Most HIV prevention for gay men is still aimed at men
open about their same-sex status.
"For girls and boys going into arranged marriages, finding out about
a potential partner's previous sexual history is impossible. Asking personal
questions like: 'how many sexual partners have you had before?' or 'have
you had an STI infection or HIV test?' will seem too embarrassing and
nerve-wracking."
Arranged marriages depend on extended family transactions involving social
and economic advancement, as well as commitment. Private information coming
out could have severe family repercussions.
Parminder says: "'We'll deal with it later', that's the common refrain.
One of Naz's
priorities is to encourage concern about a potential partner's sexual history
