Researching gender: explorations into sexuality and HIV/AIDS in African contexts

This report from the Research Consortium on Educational Outcomes and Poverty (RECOUP) demonstrates that working with children using a gender-sensitive life-cycle approach to HIV yields social and health benefits. The paper focuses on children and young people engaged in HIV/AIDS education, not only as consumers of information but also as generators of knowledge relevant to their needs and aspirations.

The report finds that young people were eager to discuss sexuality and by extension sexual and reproductive health issues, including HIV/AIDS, with friendly and non-judgemental researchers. It is therefore important that gender relations that influence the nature and form of sexual activity be addressed with young people becoming sexual beings who are acting and learning through experience. Development of empathy should be encouraged through group discussions where young people are provided the space to explore the merits and demerits of healthy gendered relations. Discussions of this nature should be done in a manner that is participatory, subject centred, gender sensitive and non-threatening. [adapted from author]