JAMAICA IS now a part of a global partnership between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).The programme is aimed at using crickt's popularity to spread HIV prevention messages and reduce stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people worldwide.
Bertrand Bainvel, chairperson of the United Nations Theme Group on HIV and AIDS in Jamaica, said yesterday the UN will work with the ICC, via the local cricket board, in three main directions at the national and parish cricket levels to foster a growth in knowledge about HIV prevention and behaviour change.
The proposed directions include: contacting and educating young cricket players to not only protect themselves against HIV and AIDS but to recognise the strong role they play in their own communities; teaching young people to take prevention messages to their peers and communities; and enlist well-known cricket players to become HIV/AIDS Ambassadors in Jamaica, using their popularity to show people that persons with HIV and AIDS are not abnormal and should not be subjected to discrimination.
PUBLIC EVENTS
"To do that, we could organise some public events and matches where you will have mixed teams where some people who are living with HIV can play cricket with professional cricketers," added Mr. Bainvel during an interview with The Gleaner at the United Nations Children's Fund's, New Kingston office, yesterday.
The group plans to start by having "sensitised" workshops today with potential members of Jamaica's under 19 cricket team, who may serve as the first local set of "ambassadors".
"We are going to (be) telling them what HIV is about, what they can do to protect themselves from HIV and possibly also what is their role in their communities. We will adopt the same approach for spokespersons," Mr. Bainvel said.
The organisations also hope to spread the message through cricket players in local secondary schools and later primary schools.
"We have to pass the message HIV is around us and that it is not now related to a set group of people," Mr. Bainvel said. Ehsan Mani, president of the ICC, launched the partnership with UNAIDS in September 2003 to raise awareness about HIV.
Data provided show that of the estimated 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, over 12 million live in cricket playing countries, including the Caribbean, which has the highest rates of infection oustide of Sub-Saharan Africa.
AIDS AWARENESS ACTIVITIES
So far, a number of global AIDS awareness activities have been held in other nations including India, where information materials on HIV/AIDS were distributed to sports commentators and journalists and an HIV-positive person tossed the coin before the start of the First Test against New Zealand on October 8, 2003.
Officials said plans are now in the preliminary stage for some countries but pledged HIV prevention and stigma reduction will become an integral part of activities for the Under 19 World Cup next year in Bangladesh and for the next Cricket World Cup, to be held in the West Indies in 2007.
The Cricket World Series will attract an estimated one billion viewers worldwide, said Mr. Mani, who was confident these persons will be sensitised to what is needed to successfully fight the pandemic and the need to end stigma and discrimination against persons already infected, despite the attractions of the games.
"We have a total commitment to this programme at the ICC. The commitment is to raise awareness... The message will come through. That's the important thing. Subconsciouly they will start linking the two together," Mr. Mani said.
