We are now among world leaders in providing a national multi-faceted campaign against the pandemic. This is worth celebrating. Of course our pride should not lead us into a false sense of security. Challenges lie ahead - new infections continue. We are yet to see very tangible results in the reduction of new infections. Hence we are yet to get to the bottom of the problem on this front. Alcohol abuse continues to play a major role in the spread of the deadly virus. Here we have only began to deal with issues. High-risk sexual behaviour persists. We are faced with major challenges in adjusting our campaign so that it reaches all sections of society. The campaign must be tailored to reach our people from all backgrounds without discrimination. Let us not be too concerned with the sexual orientation of certain people to the point that we exclude them from the anti-AIDS programmes. We should not assume that HIV/AIDS is the exclusive preserve of people of heterosexual orientation. We should not behave as it homosexuals and lesbians are not infected or affected by the pandemic. Human life is much more important than whatever ideological framework underpins our constitution. We are happy that NACA has announced that it is not guided by any legalistic definition in addressing the issue of gay people and HIV/AIDS.This is a breath of fresh air. We were worried when we heard media reports that the political leadership might have attempted to influence NACA to ignore the gay community because being gay is outlawed. We hope those media reports are not true for we cannot sacrifice human life on the altar of ideological positions. The point is that gay people exist in Botswana and we have to address the effects of HIV/AIDS among them just like among any other group in the country. The other important thing to factor in the anti-HIV campaign is drug abuse. The use of hard drugs is becoming common in our country and our campaign should take cognisance of this. Drug users require specific interventions and the sooner we understand this the better. Let us take this opportunity not just to celebrate our success but re-focus our approach to address new challenges.
Today's Thought
