Page 35 - Bophelo - Edition Two | March 2025
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often discourage men from expressing vulnerability or   approach to address the current barriers to access and
 seeking help. Many men feel pressured to conform to these   use  of  contraceptives,  including  myths  and
 norms, which can prevent them from acknowledging their   miscommunication about contraceptives and stigma
 health issues and seeking necessary care. From a young   around accessing health services for family planning
 age, many men are taught to suppress their emotions,   is needed. Similarly, to address improve uptake and
 which can lead to a lack of emotional literacy. This makes   continuation of PrEP among both men and women requires
 it difficult for them to recognise and articulate their health   a multi-level, targeted and contextualised approach
 needs, further delaying or preventing them from seeking   to address PrEP stigma, improve PrEP knowledge and
 help.   awareness, including positive messaging about HIV
 prevention methods is needed. There is an urgent
 Much of the research in the HSRU has focused on AGYW.   need to improve the availability and accessibility of SRH
 Scientists in the focal area (sexual and reproductive   services for both men and women; and the SRH services
 health of vulnerable populations- SRH  focal area) has   should include, amongst other things, sexual rights
 also conducted research among boys and young men   and  confidential  stigma-free,  unbiased  contraception
 in the Championing Safe South Africa project which is   counselling on options and services; treatment and
 led by Prof Cathy Mathews and Mr Akhona Rasmeni. In   prevention of STIs  including  HIV;  and information and
 this project, researchers tackle social norms through an   counselling services about sexuality. More efforts are
 intervention that integrates prevention of both HIV risk and   needed to increase awareness of PrEP and address the
 sexual violence perpetration, with a purposive focus on   stigma  around  PrEP  use.  There  is  a  need  to  improve
 adolescent boys by correcting misperceived social norms   and promote positive PrEP messaging in communities
 combined with behaviour change among boys in school.   to  destigmatise  PrEP  and  address  misinformation.
 Correcting misperceived social norms create a potentially   Increasing public knowledge about HIV prevention and
 powerful risk or protective pathways for interlinked risks   treatment to dispel myths and misinformation, thereby
 of HIV and IPV. Thus, changing norms is one important   reducing the stigma around it can help improve uptake of
 approach to address stigma, but must be combined with   PrEP and reducing rates of HIV infection among men and
 behaviour change strategies which can contribute to the   young women at large.
 prevention of HIV and IPV among men.
 Addressing stigma involves promoting health education
 What is needed   and awareness, fostering supportive communities, and
 implementing inclusive policies. By reducing stigma, we
 To reduce the unmet need for family planning and   can improve health outcomes and enhance the quality of
 unintended pregnancies among AGYW, a multi-level   life for all.
































 32  THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
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