New website SNAKES its way into the community for World AIDS Day
Posted on Monday 1st December 2008
In celebration of World AIDS Day, Australia's leading sexual and reproductive healthcare charity, Marie Stopes Australia, today launched a new sex education website aimed at Aboriginal youth.
snakecondoms.org.au has been designed to educate Aboriginal teenagers on key issues of sexual health, drug and alcohol use.
“At a time when sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates are at an all time high, there is an alarming lack of access to contraceptive information and services in Indigenous communities,” Bev Greet, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Program Manager for Marie Stopes Australia said.
“The geographic isolation of many Aboriginal communities further adds to these access issues, resulting in teens having limited knowledge concerning STIs, as well as a number of misunderstandings about contraception.
“The SNAKE Condoms website has been developed to equip teens with the information they need to make the right choices at the right time, with the end goal of reducing the rates of STIs and teenage pregnancy.”
Developed, written and designed in consultation with Aboriginal youth, the website features information on STIs, teenage pregnancy, contraception, and drug and alcohol usage. Teens can find out where there nearest sexual health centre is and how they can obtain contraception.
According to Bev Greet - who is Aboriginal and was diagnosed as HIV positive 24 years ago - the high HIV and STI rates in the Indigenous communities further reinforce the need for culturally-appropriate, easily accessible sexual health resources.
“In 2006, there were approximately 10 newly diagnosed HIV infections per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders residing in major cities, and only 6 per 100,000 non-Indigenous¹,” said Ms Greet.
“To add to this, among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing in remote areas in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, the rate of diagnosis of Chlamydia was almost 13 times that of non-Indigenous people.²
“These statistics are frightening and are more proof of why it is vital that Aboriginal teens are educated on the importance of practicing safer sex at all times and having regular sexual health checks - and what better day to start spreading the word than World AIDS Day.”
SNAKE Condoms are Australia’s first and only Indigenous-friendly, socially marketed condom brand.
Enlisting the help of the Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service in Katherine, the SNAKE Condoms website - www.snakecondoms.org.au - will be officially launched by ex-AFL footy star, Dean Rioli on Monday 1 December. The event will kick off with a barbeque followed by the launch at 3pm at the Tick Market in Katherine and a free community footy clinic.
About Marie Stopes Australia:
Marie Stopes Australia is a charity dedicated to raising funds and implementing projects for improving reproductive health amongst needy communities in Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. For more information visit www.mariestopes.org.au.
For media enquiries or to arrange an interview with Bev Greet, please contact:
Kath Markov, Communications Coordinator 0421 097 150
¹ Bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Surveillance Report 2007, p 25
² ibid, p 11