World AIDS Day is a day for people worldwide to unite and spread awareness about a disease that affects 3.3 million people across the globe.
In Amsterdam, the day was commemorated with unusual flair as Dutch organization STOP AIDS NOW unfurled a giant condom over the historic Munttoren in the center.
The condom sheathe is no less than 35 metres long and uses laser lights to promote the organisation’s latest campaign slogan: ‘Sex education saves lives’. The 1 December action was greeted by a huge crowd of supporters and hand-outs of red ‘awareness’ ribbons and free condoms.
The mega-condom is not the only way Amsterdam is drawing attention to the AIDS pandemic, which has claimed the lives of 25 million people since 1981. Bus shelters all over the city are decked out with posters of youngsters with captions such as, “Ayanna does not know how to prevent AIDS. But you do.� These, along with public information messages delivered through email, radio and TV highlight the issue of AIDS prevention and overcoming the taboo of talking about the disease.
Youngsters are one of the most important target groups, says STOP AIDS NOW. According to them, over 40 percent of all new HIV infections worldwide are found in people between 15 and 24-years-old. Much of this is due to failures in the education department to adequately address safe sex.
The first ever World AIDS Day was held in 1988. Now 23-years-old, the day is still gaining momentum. For some it is a way to honor those who have succumbed to the disease. For others it is a way to help prevent new victims. For everyone, it is a day of action and awareness about a disease that affects us all.