Support Us

Prevention

04/01/2012

  • Talk to your children about life choices. When children become adolescents, they need accurate and full information on making healthy life choices. This will help them avoid becoming infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
     
  • Teach your teenager important life skills. Adolescents need support to learn the life skills that can help protect them in situations where they could be vulnerable to HIV infection. These skills include problem solving, decision-making, goal setting, critical thinking, communication, assertiveness and self-awareness
     
  • Talk to your child/teenager about HIV prevention. Adolescents need to know the risks of HIV. They need to understand how it is passed through unprotected sex with an infected person or through the use of contaminated needles or syringes for injecting drugs. They should also know about safer practices and the consequences of lifestyle choices.
     
  • Have a non-judgmental attitude towards those who are HIV-positive. Apart from learning about HIV prevention, everyone should also know how HIV is not transmitted so they can reject myths and prevent discrimination against people living with HIV that is based on unfounded fears of contagion.
     
  • Get tested and find out your HIV status. Anyone can have HIV – it is not restricted to those with many sex partners. People who do not show signs of infection may carry the virus. Testing is the only sure way to tell.
     
Download: Click here        

Sign up here to receive copies of UNICEF's e-newsletters