Barbara Hogan, South Africa’s  Health Minister, was speaking at the Community Launch of the OneLove Campaign in Soweto this morning.

“This is the most exciting morning that I have spent in my life,” she said.

We are finally, finally asking the question: what is it that we are doing that is encouraging the spread of HIV among the people that we love? Ms Hogan congratulated all the people who are taking part in the campaign.

Minister Hogan made the following points in here speech:

1. We can halve the number of new people infected with HIV in a few years

• We are meeting in this inspiring week when US President Barack Obama has taken over the reigns as US President.  This is a miracle that many people said could never happen. But it happened because people were able to change their thinking. It happened because ordinary  American voters believed in their power to make history if they acted together for a higher purpose. And it happened because an army of dedicated grassroots organisers gave everything to get Barack Obama elected.

• Today in South Africa we can do the same -  Today we’ve come to the Community Launch of the OneLove Campaign in South Africa to support a goal that people say cannot happen.

• This goal, which is contained in our National HIV and AIDS  Plan, is to cut the number of new HIV infections in half within just a few years.

” Just like President Obama’s election, our success will depend on our ability to believe in ourselves, to change as individuals and to act together as a united force for a better life,” she said.

• HIV Campaigns can be effective if we adopt Barack Obama’s slogan: “Yes, We Can!”

2. Safe sex is key

• We know that we will not have a vaccine for  HIV for many years. But safe sex is open to us all and we can use it to reduce the number of new people who get HIV.
• We must  understand that having more than one sexual partner increases our chances to get HIV, and to pass it to all the people they have sexual contact with.

For more information about how you can protect yourself from HIV and AIDS, click here

3. MCP hurts us psychologically

• Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships also affect us psychologically.  When we find out that the person we love has a sexual relationship with other people, we are left with feelings of hurt and betrayal. This encourages an explosion of anger and violence.

“How many times do you hear a woman who has been betrayed say: I’m never going to have a man in my life anymore!” she asked.

• We all want to love and be loved, and having many sexual partners prevents us from building the trust that allows us to do so.

4.  Blaming people who have multiple sexual partnerships is not useful

• It is not good enough to rant and rave and say that people who have multiple sexual partnerships must behave themselves, she said. We need to find out what motivates people to behave this way.

• Negative attitudes do not help anyone, she says

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