Posted on 11/16/2003 3:09:15 PM PST by Pokey78
Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, has revealed his personal involvement in the fight against Aids, describing in an interview to be broadcast today how he and his wife Alma help to educate young girls in Washington about sexual abstinence.
Mr Powell drew on his personal experience to defend plans to spend one third of the $15bn (£8.8bn) the US has pledged to the global fight against Aids on abstinence projects.
Mr Powell also repeated his view that Aids was a matter of "national security" and "more than a health problem".
He was interviewed by the BBC World Service to coincide with the release of a global survey on attitudes towards Aids and HIV that reveals worrying levels of ignorance about what the disease is, how it can be caught and whether it is even life-threatening.
In China, which recently won a United Nations grant for $95m (£56m) to help treat a million peasant farmers infected with HIV, the survey found 14 per cent of people questioned did not know what Aids was.
In Brazil, which is considered relatively successful in stemming the spread of HIV, more than 60 per cent of those interviewed did not consider the disease to be life-threatening, while in the US nearly one-in-five thought HIV could be contracted by sharing items such as towels and cups.
The survey, commissioned by the BBC, also reveals that the overwhelming majority questioned did not believe their governments are doing enough to combat the disease.
Of almost 3,000 people questioned across 15 countries, the survey found that only citizens of Bangladesh were more than 60 per cent satisfied with their government's tackling of a disease that has killed more than 20 million people worldwide and infected 42 million.
Russia and Ukraine, two countries considered to be on the verge of a major outbreak, were described as "naïve" by the report, which found only 8 per cent of people considered it a major worry.
In Africa, by comparison, three-quarters of respondents said Aids was one of their biggest concerns, with two-in-three Tanzanians, from a country where 8 per cent of the population is infected with HIV, calling it their greatest worry.
In South Africa, however, where more than 20 per cent of adults are infected, the highest rate in the world, nearly half of those asked said crime was their greatest worry.
We Must Deploy US Troops to Jessica Linden's Uterus Immediately
That's nothin'
I used to do it all the time in high school...
Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, has made an admission reminiscent of Gladstone by revealing that he and his wife Alma help to educate girls in Washington about the virtues of sexual abstinence.
The Victorian-era British prime minister would scour the streets searching for prostitutes to rescue and rehabilitate. Meanwhile, Mr Powellhas described in an interview how he and his wife warn girls about the dangers of Aids. "Abstinence is a good thing to teach young people before they're ready for the responsibilities of sexual activity," Mr Powell said. "Abstinence works. We know it works ... and it is a perfectly sensible strategy to take to young people."
Mr Powell was drawing on his personal experience as he defended plans to spend one third of the $15bn (£8.8bn) the US has pledged to the global fight against Aids on abstinence projects. During an interview with the BBC World Service due to be broadcast today, he described how he and his wife, with whom he has three children, frequently came face to face with girls who belonged to the sector of society at the "greatest risk" of contracting HIV.
The encounters took place via an organisation operated by his wife in Washington known as Best Friends, which aims to demonstrate to girls how to improve the quality of their lives. In an attempt to increase their awareness of the implications of the disease and subsequently their quality of life, he tells them: "You are not ready for this, so let's take your energy and any hopes and dreams you have and convert that into other healthy activities ... dance, group activities, other things."
Mr Powell's comments coincided with a pledge by President George Bush to tackle the growing global epidemic of Aids, which he described as an "unbelievable devastation besides terror going on in the world". He added: "I look forward to reminding the British people that our country proudly is leading the world when it comes to the battle [against] Aids."
A global survey into attitudes towards Aids and HIV, commissioned by the BBC, revealedyesterday worrying levels of ignorance surrounding the disease, its transmission, effects, subsequent life expectancy and its treatment.
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