The Midlands State University (MSU) has complained that negative media reports that claimed a high HIV prevalence rate as well as numerous leaked pornographic videos on social media, have led to abuse of its students. MSU dean of students Reginald Nyango said:
After those articles, we had organisations such as New Start Centre who started coming here.
They have had to stop because they are not getting the numbers they want,
The problems reported as MSU’s are problems faced by young people everywhere.
Let’s be fair; children grow up in a community not a university. Any way, we only have these students 15 weeks from the 52 weeks in a year.”
When the media isolates them, it demoralises these students, makes them susceptible to abuse even when they seek employment.
We have a student who was raped recently and the perpetrator told her she deserved it because she is from MSU.
National Aids Council District Aids Coordinator for Gweru, Murari Hwingwiri added:
Youths are highly sexually active. Research which has been done shows infections are declining in all ages groups except 15 to 24 which constitute the majority of students at MSU, infections are going up,
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