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Peking University: Anti-AIDS Campaign Is More than Free Condom Handout

2004-11-26 20:27:36 CRIENGLISH.com

Two of China's top universities' have suspended a programme to hand out free condoms on campus. This program was intended to be part of an anti-AIDS promotion held in Beijing's universities this week. Peking University says, that combatting AIDS is about more than handing out free condoms. Xie Qiao reports.

Peking University and Tsinghua University are two of the 34 Beijing Universities where free condoms were to be given out publicly.

Officials who organised the activity say it is necessary to give out free condoms in schools because university students are sexually active and most HIV carriers on campus were infected through sexual intercourse.

But the universities frowned on the idea, calling it inappropriate.

Zhou Baohua, head of Peking University's hospital, says combatting AIDS is not simply a matter of handing out condoms.

"It is very important to promote AIDS-related information. People should be educated on how to prevent it and how to treat patients. More emphasis should be paid to guiding students to correct sexual attitudes and condom use is only useful for those who can't control themselves. As the use of condoms is a private issue, it is inapropriate to hand out condoms openly."

She says the fact that they are not handing out free condoms openly doesn't mean the university isn't taking measures to fight against AIDS.

Peking University has carried out 11 activities this year to publicise AIDS prevention.

Some students at Peking University, though supporting giving out free condoms, believe that organizations' doing this publicly at leading universities is a publicity stunt.

"I support this idea, but it depends on where and when to handing out free condoms."

Statistics show that China is on the edge of an AIDS outbreak, with 840,000 HIV carriers by the end of April this year. The infection rate is rising by 40 percent each year.

HIV had been found at Beijing's universities since 2000.

Peking University was among the first Chinese universities to sell condoms from vending machines on campus.

Xie Qiao, CRI news.

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