Media centre

HIV/AIDS Public service announcements air on national television

Beginning 1 December, the country’s national broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), will air three public service announcements (PSAs) on HIV/AIDS and young people to mark World AIDS Day. The PSAs are supported by UNICEF Iran as part of the organization’s Global Campaign on Children and AIDS.

Each thirty second PSA will be aired five times a day for one week on Channel Three, the sports channel, which has the highest youth viewership in Iran. Focusing on young people and emphasizing the need for youth to be informed and to protect themselves from the disease, the spots depict situations that young people in Iran can identify with.

Of the 40 million people worldwide living with HIV and AIDS, more than one quarter are between 15 and 24 years old. Although in Iran there are only 72 children infected with AIDS, many more are at risk or vulnerable to contracting the disease. The PSAs encourage those at risk to arm themselves with knowledge to protect against infection. They also motivate young people not to discriminate against those living with HIV and AIDS.

UNICEF Programme Communication Officer, Ruchira Gupta, says, “The strategy is to make society aware of issues related to young people and AIDS. We want the concerns of young people to be the center of a national policy on HIV and AIDS.”

Español Français

Search:

Email this article