Young Women and Their Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS

Amenla Nuken, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Reshmi R.S., International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

In the north east of India, HIV transmission chiefly because of behavioral aspect and is concentrated chiefly among drug injectors and their sexual partners (some of which also buy or sell sex), especially in the states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, all of which lie adjacent to the drug trafficking ‘Golden Triangle” zone. This paper, based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from young unmarried girls (15-24 yrs) from Dimapur, Nagaland, explores the young girl's risk-taking behavior and examine their vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS, by their ways of engaging in alcohol, drug use, risky sexual behavior, their knowledge about HIV/AIDS and will also explore contextual/situational factors that puts them at risk for HIV/AIDS. Based on the result, meaningful interventions may be designed to enhance the characteristics that are not favorable to untimely and risk-taking behavior and risky sexual activities among young women.