I recently read an article by way of Amplify entitled " Condoms: Recession Proof" wherein several arguments were cited in purporting that the recession, in effect, could actually spell something good for safer sex endorsements. The article posited that in light of the existent polical climate, individuals,  upon doing a cost benefit analysis of their options, will no doubt opt for activites that will cost them less in pursuit of their romantic endeavors. Sex is free  for one and secondly staying home and enjoying each other's comp[any would turn out to be less expensive than going out on a date. Thirdly, person will take into consideration how unwise it would be to have a child in the face of our economic hardships.

Upon reading this article i was immediately reminded of an incident that occured on my campus, The University of the West Indies, yesterday. A friend of mine and i were  leaving one of the halls of residence when another student, upon passing us exclaimed (in Jamaican Patois), " *@!&*!, a so safe sex expensive?" "Mi jus' buy waan pac' a condom a wile ago a Den an' i' caas mi $180.00!!"  The student was complaining about how expensive safe sex was after purchasing a pack of condoms from a popular grocery outlet on campus, for  what he deemed to be an exorbitant price for a student's pocket.

So herein lies the flip side  to the said situation. Putting the Jamaican situation into context, and more specifically, the student living on campus who had  his allowance reduced drastically for obvious reasons, we easily see wherein the effects of the recession on the typical Jamaican is so deleterious that one might be tempted more often than not to for go safer sex practices by virtue of an inability to even afford condoms. Indeed, this Jamaican student for example, upon doing a cost benefit analysis, will be looking at the fact that he really has three options open to him.
1) Sacrifice something in his budget, maybe lunch or a phonecard, so that he can afford that pack of condom
2) Have less sex
3) Have sex without a condom

Surely having sex  without a condom obviously has the greatest cost attached to it given the possible outcomes. However, i know one too many persons who, if they  have a long term girlfriend or boyfriend and have no reason to doubt that he/she has an STD/STI, would chose option three at the end of the day. Surely in this era of a potent obsession with "daggering"  (rough sex) and the proliferation thereof, the typical Jamaican guy would not consider the option of having less sex for too long  and sacrificing lunch or phonecard is not a plan to be considered for the long term either. To that individual, upon erasing the possibility of getting infected and even getting pregnant ( as i've heard girls talking about their boyfriends having mastered the pull out method), the cost attached to having sex without a condom easily becomes neglible. And for the wiser ones among us (like the student referred to earlier), they might avoid option three for a while but later revert to it if the recession has too lasting an effect on their pockets.

My boyfriend and i at times love to have sex multiples times in one go and affording the requisite amount of condoms is not a problem for us...yet. I am now considering the many couples  like us who, because of the effects of the recession,  are not able to buy as many condoms as needed. Surely they would be tempted to at least go the first "round"  without a condom and use a condom in the follow up acts. This possibility is even higher if they couple have been together for a long and if they male, as the girls now put it, are able to master the "pull out" method. Remember, that not everyone place as high an importance on the virtues of safe sex as we do so expect anything to happen.

I now underscore the importance of our job as young advocates in empowering our peers to care enough to make responsible decisions in the face of the many temptations that we all have to contend with on a daily basis. It is not enough to assume that our peers already know the ramifications of unsafe sexual practices so they will not practice them. For some people, the temptation is so great that repetition of the safe sex messages is needed ever so often.

Let's not leave anything to chance Advocates!!! Let's spread the word with as much aggression as we  did even before the recession!