1.7 Behaviour Change Communication around STIs and HIV & AIDS in PNG
Life Drama adopts a model of Behaviour Change Communication which aims to help people make gradual shifts in:
- knowledge
- attitudes
- intentions
- behaviours
There are a number of challenges to Behaviour Change Communication around sexual health, STIs and HIV in Papua New Guinea. These include:
- over 850 languages, with not everyone speaking Tok Pigin and even fewer speaking English as a shared language
- cultural diversity
- geographical challenges to reaching people (85% of the population is rural or remote)
- lack of infrastructure including roads, electricity, and telecommunications
- cultural practices including polygamy, sex with multiple partners before marriage and when married
- behaviours associated with cultural practices eg. sex with multiple partners following initiation, sex in conjunction with cultural festivals
- negative attitudes towards condom use and promotion
- gender relations