By SHEILA LASIBORI
RESEARCHES have shown that there is a high rate of sexual activities amongst men at prison compounds.
And the act of sex was through anal, which increases the chances of some of the male prisoners contracting HIV/AIDS.
This was revealed yesterday by Ghang Oyang, a researcher and HIV/AIDS adviser to the law and justice sector programme (LJSP) in Port Moresby, during the Correctional Service (CS) conference on equal employment opportunity policy.
Without giving statistics, Mr Oyang said researches had shown that there were cases of male prisoners engaging in sex with each other.
He also said some male CS officers were also involved.
“Homosexual activities are dominant in prisons. When you are doing that you are risking yourself,” he told the CS officers who had come from prison compounds all over the country.
Mr Oyang was speaking on the issue of gender and HIV/AIDS aimed at showing the relationship between gender and the virus.
He said there was no specific health facility in place to address men’s sexual health problems, and that other men were shamed by women at clinics when they came for help.
Mr Oyang also said there were sex worker networks existing countrywide, and in most cases involving the workers, spouses of senior executives, college and university students and expatriates.
He said young boys and girls were engaging in sexual activities, usually with “sugar daddies” who gave them money for their personal needs.
Mr Oyang said faithful wives were also being infected with the virus.
“At the moment, a lot of infections are spreading in marriages. A lot of women getting infections were faithful housewives,” he said.
Mr Oyang had encouraged the participants to start educating their children on HIV/AIDS instead of waiting until they reach that stage when they would explore sex by themselves.
The week-long conference ends today with CS Minister Tony Aimo as the closing guest speaker.