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Sugar daddies a no-no: Dhlomo

KWAZULU-NATAL health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo has appealed to women amakhosi to educate young girls about the risk of "sugar daddies" who spread Aids among young schoolgirls.

He accused sugar daddies of being responsible for spreading HIV-Aids.

Dhlomo first made the statement earlier this week when he addressed a gathering of women traditional leaders and women from royal families on the South Coast.

Yesterday Dlomo's office said the MEC's statements were prompted by the latest research findings showing that young girls had become HIV-Aids carriers due to dating older men.

The research shows that the prevalence of HIV-Aids is high in young girls around the age of 15 and 19 and at about 6percent compared with boys of the same age at only 2percent.

The study shows that girls are more exposed to the disease because they are sexually active with sugar daddies. The number of women with HIV between the ages of 20 and 24 increased to 8percent. The percentage of men between the ages of 25 and 29 is a little higher at over 8percent while women remain at 8percent.

Dhlomo urged women amakhosi and other women to educate young girls about the dangers of becoming sexually active at an early age.

He said "Aids infection in young girls has become a "moral issue" and deserved attention.

"The study shows that girls are becoming more sexually active, while boys are not. Girls become involved with sugar daddies who lure them while spreading HIV.

"And when the boys become sexually active they sleep with the same girls when they get to tertiary institutions," Dhlomo said.

"We also need women amakhosi to be the messengers of the other diseases."

KwaZulu-Natal house of traditional leaders deputy chairperson Mpiyezintombi Mzimela said it was part of their culture to take care of young girls.

"We have few incidents of this nature in our clan. It is considered a disgrace for an elderly man to sleep with children and we also do not believe in that mentality.

"It's a disgrace to us. Those who do such things are acting inhumanely to our children and must be sent to jail."

Mzimela said "sugar daddies" were common in the urban areas.

"But we cannot shy away from the fact that children from the clan study in the big cities and are exposed to such behaviour as well."

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