Dr. Sylvia Anie, Director, Policy and Planning, Ghana AIDS Commission, on Thursday advised children, especially pupils to speak out whenever they sensed the danger of being defiled or abused.
"When someone, a teacher or a relation tries to touch you, have sex with you or fondle you, do not keep quiet, speak out because the era of keeping
silence is over", she told pupils of the Independence Avenue 1 and 2 Junior High School in Accra.
Dr. Anie was giving a talk on HIV and AIDS as part of activities marking this year's World AIDS Day.
The talk was organized by the American Corner of the Ghana Library Board (GLB) as part of the education and informing the public on topical issues.
Dr. Anie educated the children on the disease and advised them not to discriminate or stigmatized People Living With HIV (PLWH) since infection
was just like any chronic disease which could better be managed with the Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART), saying over 20,000 people were now living on the ART in Ghana.
She said stigmatization included finger pointing, shunning of people living with HIV (PLWH), refusing to associate with PLHIV and eviction from home.
She therefore urged the children to avoid such reactions and rather embrace and encourage PLWH to give them hope since anybody, including school
children were at risk.
Mrs. Bernice Kuttin-Nuamah, Coordinator at the American Corner, GLB said the programme was to help the children serve as peer educators to their
friends at school and home.