Female 'Bliss' slow on take off

MQONDISI DUBE
Correspondent | Thursday November 20, 2008 00:00

SELEBI-PHIKWE: Women continue to shun the female condom known as 'Bliss' despite efforts to promote its use.

Selebi-Phikwe District AIDS Coordinator, Lameck Myengwa said the use of the female condom is low, as is its distribution.

The district has set a target of two million condoms to be distributed this year alone. However, during the second quarter of the year, between April and June, figures were low, casting doubt on the district's ability to reach its target.Between April and June, 274,608 male condoms were distributed ,while only 4,203 female condoms were dispensed.

'The take off of the female condom has been slow. People have different conceptions and attitudes about the female condom.

This is an embarrassingly low figure,' Myengwa said.He added that despite efforts to promote the female condom, figures have remained relatively low. Myengwa said the government had come up with the name 'Bliss' for the female condom to try and bring it to the fore but that has not bore fruit.

Additionally, the district AIDS office came up with promotional materials like calendars to promote the condom. Selebi Phikwe West Member of Parliament, Kavis Kario was featured on one calendar displaying the female condom, in a bid to promote it.

'I don't know what the first impression was. Some claim it is noisy while others say it is not sexy. We are trying all we can to promote it but it is difficult,' said Myengwa.

He said misconceptions might have led to the low use of the condom. Some people were misled into believing that the condom is inserted eight hours prior to sexual intercourse, which Myengwa said was not true.

There is another belief that the size of the female condom makes it an unattractive option.'The size suggests that women are 'big'. As a woman, I do not feel comfortable using the Bliss condom,' said one woman.

However, some people believe that manufacturers have concentrated on male condoms at the expense of the female type.

'There are a variety of male condoms and some are scented, while the female condom looks unattractive,' one middle aged man noted.But Myengwa believes that the high use of the male condoms compared to the Bliss might be because women trust their partners.

'Maybe women trust their partners. They feel that if the man has the condom on, then it is fine,' Myengwa argued.

He however, notes that this defeats the whole purpose of having women as equals in sexual relationships.

Myengwa said women are still unassertive on sexual matters and leave everything to men.He encouraged men to try the female condoms, 'particularly those who do not like using protection'.

'Psychologically, they will be telling themselves that they are not wearing a condom'. Myengwa said his office has noted that there are some condoms which people do not like. He said these preferences affect condom use.Myengwa remains hopeful that the district will reach the two million target despite the low figures so far.

He attributed the slow distribution of condoms to shortage. At one stage, the district went for four months without condoms. Of the 274,608 condoms distributed, the Selebi Phikwe government and BCL hospitals got 76,081, with clinics receiving 67,727, while 130,800 were distributed in other places like bars.

The Men, Sex and AIDS sector has set a target of 525,000 condoms to be distributed to bars, truck drivers and commercial sex workers.Over 30,000 condoms have already been distributed to sex workers.

Men, Sex and AIDS coordinator, Dikgang Keabetsweng said their unit has tried to promote the use of the female condom.

He said at first, the condom got a positive response but the prolonged shortage of the condoms in the district might have lowered interest. Keabetsweng, however, says people are still interested in the Bliss condom.