Indigenous sexual health confronted in Australia

Indigenous women from around Australia gathered in Melbourne last week, to discuss the state of sexual health among their communities.

The forum was organised by the Snake project: a community project that was specifically set up to deal with indigenous sexual health issues. The project started when four indigenous teenagers met in 2004, determined to do something about the fact that indigenous people are four times more likely to have sexual health problems than other Australians.

The teens teamed up with Marie Stopes Australia in a collaboration that led to a specially designed Snake condom being distributed around indigenous communities. Decorated with the colours of the aboriginal flag, it was designed with the fact that “indigenous people don’t want to put something white on something black” in mind, according to the Snake teens.

The condom is now available in indigenous youth centres and other places around indigenous communities. On top of their condom distribution efforts, the snake group have also held workshops, to give indigenous people advice and information about sexual health issues.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) such as chlamydia and genital herpes have affected the indigenous community in Australia badly. But the members of Snake hope that, through active intervention, they can reduce STD cases among the aboriginal community in the years to come.