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HIV/AIDS awareness programme targets prisoners

An NGO has launched a prison HIV/AIDS awareness programme in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). The programme is headed by the Comite National de Lutte contre le Sida, and aims to inform prisoners about the risks of engaging in same-sex activities, which are often unprotected. Dr Marcel Massanga, an official of the NGO, was quoted by the state-owned Radio Centrafrique as saying: "Prisoners often have sexual behaviour with high risks that favour quick propagation of HIV/AIDS." Research shows that overcrowding in prisons frequently leads to an increase in promiscuity and high rates of HIV infection.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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