UGANDA: Cultural practice exposing women to AIDS

JOHANNESBURG, 17 Aug 2005 (PLUSNEWS) - Cultural practices among tribes in Uganda's central and western regions are exposing young women to HIV/AIDS, according to the local AIDS Commission and Makerere University.

These customs included a rite of passage in which a woman's labia minora (the inner lobes of the vagina just below the clitoris) are stretched to better please a man sexually.

Although supporters of the practice argue that "stretching" only increases the surface of the birth canal and helps widen the vaginal passage during sexual intercourse, researchers maintain that "when girls are taught about stretching their labia minora, they are awakened to their sexuality and want to try it out", leaving them more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

According to the local New Vision newspaper, the Ugandan AIDS Commission agreed that tackling the pandemic from a cultural and gender perspective could help reduce the country's AIDS prevalence.

[ENDS]