In this qualitative inquiry, we set out to explore the experience of condom use and erectile disorder (ED) among men living with HIV in a rural district of Zimbabwe. Data on condom use related erectile disorder with antiretroviral (ART) medication were collected from a purposive sample of 18 men living with HIV and AIDS (age range 23-54 years). These data were supplemented with those from a convenience sample of 23 women living with HIV who self-identified as partners of men living with HIV and AIDS (age range 26-37 years). The data were thematically analyzed. Results suggest that men attributed their experiencing of erectile problems to two main explanations: use of condoms and ART medication. These men reported inconsistent use of condoms and/or adherance to ART therapy due to a belief that these cause their ED. The women informants reported similar observations, including the shared gendered perspective that the men perceived a loss of sense of manhood from ED. Beliefs that influence health promotion with men living with HIV and AIDS are important to public health interventions with them.

Very few studies have been conducted that examine the complex relationship between substance abuse and masturbation among street children of Harare Central Business District. The conceptual frameworks involving the child rights and child agency perspectives were adopted in analysing the realities of these children. The substance abuse and masturbation among street children of Harare Central Business District, demonstrate these children as social actors thus agency. However, the actions could be viewed as ambiguity of agency as they clash or threaten existing societal values. Also the behaviours could be viewed as self-destructive agency. On the other hand, drawing from a child rights perspective, the behaviours involving substance abuse and masturbation of the street children highlight huge child rights violations prevalent on the streets of Harare Central Business District. The street ethnography approach and qualitative research methodology were used to generate data for this study. The paper concludes by recommending full implementation of child rights laws and policies to reduce risks associated with the complex nature of substance abuse and masturbation among these children.

The objective of this study was to explore cultural practices that could expose babies to HIV infection during the postnatal period in Chiota community in Zimbabwe. Purposively selected and gender disaggregated members of the community (n = 231) were informants to 23 focus group discussions and 8 semi-structured key-informant interviews. Data were analysed thematically. Emerging themes relating to risky practices were rituals surrounding open fontanelle, toning of child's sexual libido, initiation of sex after childbirth, treatment of eye and ear infections, tongue-tie and pre-mastication. These practices exposed babies to bodily fluids such as saliva, breast milk, vaginal fluids, pre-cum and semen which in turn put the babies at low to high risk of contracting HIV. This paper discusses implications for these risky practices in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. There is, therefore, need for studies to establish the prevalence of these practices.

The paper argues that there is a close relationship between use of traditional medicine and commercial sex work among adolescent street girls in Harare Central Business District. As a result of using the traditional medicine one could argue that this demonstrates agency of these young adults. The agency is demonstrated when these adolescent girls use the medicine to facilitate commercial sex work. On the other hand one could argue that, use of traditional medicine in commercial sex work illustrates huge rights violations prevalent on the streets of Harare Central Business District. The behaviours associated with commercial sex work and use of traditional medicine could be viewed as contravening some provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) (1989), African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children (ACRWC) (1999). Included are violations of some of the national child rights laws and policies such as the Children’s Act (5.06), Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (9.23) and the National Action Plan for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (NAP for OVCs) (2011-2015). This study is part of the researcher’s doctoral study which used street ethnography and qualitative research methodology.

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