Adolescent reproductive health and awareness of HIV among rural high school students, North Western Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is faced with an increasing problem from HIV infection, and the vulnerability of adolescents is a key concern. There is little information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of this age group with respect to HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and preventive measures. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 260 students from two rural high schools in North Western Ethiopia. We found that although the general awareness of HIV was high, correct knowledge of the virus and its modes of transmission was shown in only 44% of adolescent boys and 41% of adolescent girls. Knowledge of HIV and condoms was lower among students whose parents were farmers, significant so among girls (p=0.02). Use of condoms among sexually active single male students (49%) was insufficient but was higher than among adolescents in many other African settings. Knowledge of STDs was generally low: 82% of adolescent males and 37% of adolescent females had some awareness of STDs. Almost 20% of sexually active males in the study had previously experienced an STD, almost all of whom had visited a commercial sex worker. Targeted interventions are warranted among adolescents and sex workers in Ethiopia complemented by STD treatment services

Palestinian Women and Resistance

The study aimed at identifying Palestinian women and resistance. The study approached the literature as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, which addressed both theoretical and applied research. The significance of this recent study is the first, which dealt with this theme, based on the authors' knowledge. This, however, in turn encourages other researchers to work on further research on this important question.The findings revealed that the Palestinian woman has realized the importance and effectiveness of the role of national strugglein the liberation of Palestine; she was able to employ different forms of the struggle in harmony with her own physical, mental, psychological, and spiritual capacities. Palestinian women have actively participated in the national struggle across Palestinian history; she was the mother, the captive, the civilian activist, the fighter, and the suicide martyr (Istishhadiya).Keywords: Palestinian women, culture, resistance, occupation.

THE PROFILE OF THE PALESTINIAN SUICIDE MARTYRS (ISTISHHADIYIN)

The Profile explores all the characteristics of the Palestinian suicide martyrs (Istishhadiyin) and the operations of their martyrdom as well. A national representative survey which consists of two-hundred participants of the Palestinian suicide martyrs (Istishhadiyin) families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was used in this current Profile. The Palestinian suicide martyrs (Istishhadiyin) were able to implement two hundred qualitative martyrdom operations that rocked Israel, and raised a large wave of reactions both locally and internationally. The Profile has all their demographic characteristics; all the characteristics of their martyrdom operations; their personality characteristics mostly: social, religious, national and psychological features which qualified them to embark on this strategic action; also, the Profile has the main motivations which drove the Palestinian youth to carry out such operations, and the relationship between the emergence of these operations and Israeli crimes committed against the rights of the unarmed Palestinian people. Additionally, the Profile includes the main behavioral changes which appeared on the Palestinian suicide martyrs (Istishhadiyin) prior to the execution of the martyrdom operation, in addition to their families’ opinion about martyrdom operations. The Profile showed that the Palestinian suicide martyrs (Istishhadiyin) were ordinary people who enjoyed life; they were sociable, religious, national, and had a high degree of psychological stability. However, their motivations behind the carrying out of martyrdom operations are nationalistic, and are closely associated with the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, and the daily suppressive practices against the helpless and unarmed Palestinian people. They had to sacrifice their lives for Palestinians, to shake off the occupation and preserve their holies, homeland, and people

Violencia contra las mujeres palestinas

The current study explored violence against women in the Palestinian society as a multidimensional phenomenon. An index of a 60-item scale (developed by the researcher) used to measure violence against women was administrated to three hundred and sixty-three randomly selected married women at Jericho & Al-Aghwar governate. The research revealed that Palestinian women are still subject to many forms of violence mostly, physical, psychological and sexual. Of the Palestinian women surveyed, seven in ten women (74.4%) reported partner violence. The study concluded that it is difficult for a battered woman to seek redress or help with any guarantee of privacy. Furthermore, the under-reporting of violence is widespread in a society of patriarchal patterns of kinship, legalized inequality, social subordination and ingrained male dominance. The implications of the findings and probabilities for future empirical research are briefly discussed.El artículo estudia la violencia contra las mujeres en la sociedad palestina como un fenómeno multidimensional. Se utiliza un índice con una escala de 60 ítems (elaborado por el investigador) para medir dicha violencia, siendo entrevistadas sesenta y tres mujeres aleatoriamente seleccionadas en Gobernación de Jericó y Al Aghwar. El estudio revela que las mujeres palestinas sufren todavía muchas formas de violencia física, psicológica y sexual. Así, el 74.4% de las entrevistadas manifiesta haber padecido violencia de parte de su cónyuge, y ello en una situación en la que es difícil para una mujer maltratada encontrar apoyos o ayuda con garantías de salvaguardar su privacidad. Además, el registro de estas formas de violencia presenta serias deficiencias en una sociedad inmersa en pautas patriarcales de parentesco, en la aceptación como ‘normal’ de la desigualdad de género y en el presupuesto de la necesidad de subordinación de las mujeres a los hombres. Finalmente, el artículo debate brevemente acerca de las implicaciones de esta situación y sobre las investigaciones futuras que pueden realizarse al respecto