This week, I listened to a pod cast from World Forum
Radio (http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio/)
involving Deevia Bhana, professor of
Education in South Africa, with research specializing in gender and early
childhood sexualities. Her work is
focused on ways in which children understand HIV/ AIDS. She told a story of a 7 year old girl who was
afraid of men (boys in school and men she passed while walking home). Her fear was very real because there is a lot
of HIV/ AIDS, sexual and gender violence, and a belief that sex with a young
girl can cure HIV/ AIDS.
There has been a lack of research on young children regarding
gender and sexuality because we want to protect children from issues such as
HIV/ AIDS or sex. Some people also believe
that young children don’t have the capacity to understand gender issues. Deevia Bhana’s research is addressing this
because she believes that we can focus on and listen to young children regarding
these issues in order to provide educators with assistance on how to address
young children on issues relating to sex or their sexuality as well as children’s
curiousity about sex. She stated that
teachers and practitioners need to work together to help educate children on
these issues.
I was unable to contact Deevia Bhana, so I visited Harvard
University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/). I was able to learn a lot of important
information regarding the Global Children’s Initiative. The first thing was that their focus was
three-fold: 1) “reframing the discourse around child health
and development”, 2) “supporting
innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects”, and
3) “building leadership capacity in
child development research and policy”. I
also learned that their focus revolved around three different areas: 1)
development in early childhood, 2) child mental health, and 3) conflict
solutions for children in crisis.
Finally, I was able to see Harvard University’s work being accomplished
through the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project, which is a collaborative
effort that is looking at the effects of an anti-malaria initiative on children’s
development. There was also another
project underway that looks at the science of health and development in children
to help children and their families in Brazil.
Hi Melinda,I no that Africa is stricken with AIDS/HIV,and there needs to be some one to educate these young girls and boys on the facts about all diseases, not only HIV/AIDS all sexually transmitted diseases. I am one who thinks that teachers and doctors should work together to educate our young children.
ReplyDeleteTO response to Gloria and Melinda, yes AIDS/HIV are bad in Africa, I think it is becoming a world wide thing. I do not know what has happen to the world or individual families about morals and vaules. I think people just do not care anymore about who they sleep with. Have they taken sex education out of school now days? Do parents talk with their kids about sex, HIV/AIDS, transmitted diseases that can kill you.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the discussion on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in certain regions of the world, having traveled to many of them and offering educational classes the population seems to understand the difficulties and consequences of sex but rape, incest, and prostitution seems to be how many obtain Aids/HIV. With many becoming pregnant due to these circumstances and uneducated on how to properly treat and avoid passing to their children, this is how the epidemic spreads even worse. Sad.
ReplyDeleteMelinda, thank you for an informative post!
Hello .
ReplyDeleteWOW , what information you have shared. Thank you for reminding us not to take for granted the information we know in America to protect ourselves. This is a sad , sad thing facing this country.