Thematic issues

Thematic issues
In general, poverty reduction, gender, population
movements and food security are good examples
of development issues that provide opportunities for
integrating HIV & AIDS and SRHR. It may not always
be obvious to all parties why it is important to include
a focus on HIV & AIDS and SRHR in approaches
towards these issues, so it may be necessary to
fi nd data or commission studies that make such
information available.
In the education sector, examples of thematic issues
– in addition to gender – can include such issues as
access and equity, education quality, teacher training
reform or human resource development. In the case of
teacher training reform, for example, typical questions
to ask are: what is the impact of HIV and AIDS on the
teaching force? How does the placement strategy
and the transfer of educators’ impact on HIV? Which
educators are most vulnerable to HIV infection? How
can the teacher training and human resource policies
be strengthened to reduce vulnerability to HIV? What
role should educators play in HIV prevention and in
promoting SRHR and what is necessary to ensure
that they can effectively play that role?
Specifi c vulnerable populations
Vulnerable populations, also known as key populations,
are important entry points, particularly in low prevalence
settings when the epidemic is still restricted to specifi c
groups within the population. Key populations may
include people located on migration routes or border
areas and people in areas of confl ict. In Thailand, for
example, a growing population at risk is young people
among whom HIV infection is increasing faster than in
any other population group. In the education sector,
orphans and vulnerable children are a relevant group.
Other groups may be populations of adult female
learners, sex workers and injecting drug users.