Advice columns in South Africa’s print media are giving advice that puts people’s lives at risk, according to new research conducted by Soul City.

These research findings were presented at a workshop today, which was attended by a number of advice columnists.

Download the full report,  entitled Advice Columns In South African Print Media

Advice columns in 11 print publications were analysed between January and March 2009. The purpose was to establish whether HIV/Aids was mentioned in response to reader problems in the columns, and how it was addressed.

Sue Goldstein, Soul City’s Senior Executive: South African Programmes, says that advice columnists are very often consulted about dealing with unfaithful partners and sexual infidelity.

“The advice given is mostly emotional encouragement rather than letting the person know that they are at very high risk of getting HIV when they or their sexual partner has another partner,” she says, “In a country where over 10% of the population has HIV this is almost criminal.“

Soul City initiated the study as part of the OneLove campaign – a massive regional campaign that encourages a rethink of the common practice of multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) and the issues that drive this practice. MCP has been identified as a key driver of new HIV infections in many southern African countries.

Typical questions from readers related to many of the reasons that people have other partners, like sexual dissatisfaction, being too drunk and polygamy.

“The publications we analysed are high-circulation media and the issues raised are common problems amongst readers. It follows then that the media has a responsibility to ensure that the high risk of HIV in such situations should be made clear, and people are encouraged to go for HIV tests and to either get themselves out of the high risk situation or to insist on condom use to protect themselves,” says Goldstein.

The ten-country OneLove research report was presented at the workshop to provide advice givers with solid, credible research on which to base their advice.

The Soul City TV series flighted earlier this year on SABC1 was part of the OneLove campaign in South Africa and each episode attracted over 6 million viewers.

Other elements of the OneLove campaign include radio dramas currently on air on SABC African Language stations, community dialogues across the country in partnership with many key players in and smaller NGOs, OneLove seminars with educators nationally, radio and television competitions, a website and a Facebook profile.

One Love promotes happy fulfilling sexual relationships between two people without the need for other relationships as a norm. It reinforces positive behaviours without blaming people who are behaving in risky ways. It plans to role model safer sexual behaviour, and challenges men and women to change behaviour for a happy long life. One Love challenges gender stereotypes and cultural norms that reinforce having more than one partner.

Download the research report on advice columns, entitled Advice Columns In South African Print Publications.

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