Churches in Swaziland take on new roles to combat HIV/AIDS.

• Author: Hall, James

Churches in Swaziland are going beyond their traditional functions as places of religious and social congregation to assist young women and combat child abuse and HIV/AIDS.

The Swaziland Council of Churches, which estimates that over 90 per cent of the Kingdom's 970,000 people are churchgoers, is targeting teenage girls for special attention to receive advice on HIV transmission and human rights. The new initiative is called 'Say Yes to Children'. Church leaders point out that girls in the 15 to 18 years age bracket tend to be overlooked by initiatives devoted to HIV/AIDS and Human rights. The church leaders say that AIDS is intimately tied to gender and children's rights, because incidents of incest and child abuse have a direct bearing on the HIV infection rate.

United Nations agencies, in a disaster relief report, have concluded that ensuring gender equality for young women can reduce HIV-infection and empower a new pool of income earners who can create an environment of disease-free, sustainable development that will reduce the need for further humanitarian assistance. The report notes that due to their widespread influence, Swaziland's churches are valuable pulpits to provide information to young women about their rights in health and empowerment matters. The Swaziland Council of Churches' work with United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) on this year's child welfare campaign, which focuses primarily on girls, is a highlighted as an example of what can be accomplished when religious leaders co-operate on social concerns.

James Hall, International Press Service (IPS)

A Swaziland, une eglise joue un nouveau role dans la lutte contre le VIH / SIDA

A Swaziland, des eglises depassent leurs fonctions traditionnelles de lieux de congregation sociale et religieuse pour porter assistance aux jeunes femmes.

Le conseil des Eglises de Swaziland, qui estime que les 90% des 970,000 personnes de la population frequentent des eglises, est en train de viser les jeunes filles dans le but de leur preter une attention particuliere en termes d'education dans les domaines de la transmission du SIDA et des Droits de la personne. Cette nouvelle initiative est appelee 'Dites oui aux enfants'. Les dirigeants des eglises declarent que les...