HIV prevention in conflict and crisis settings

The need to relieve stress, loneliness, and boredom can lead to risky behavior. Added risk factors include the use of alcohol and drugs to cope with stress, the youth (and attendant feelings of invulnerability) of many uniformed service personnel, and the risk-taking and aggressiveness valued and encouraged by uniformed service institutions. This training-of-trainers module was developed for eventual integration within a larger training curriculum that has been produced by the Civil-Military Alliance to Combat HIV and AIDS, in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). The curriculum currently consists of five training modules under the overall title "HIV Prevention and Behavior Change in the Uniformed Services": (1) defining HIV and its impact on the military; (2) HIV prevention; (3) substance abuse, HIV, and STIs; (4) HIV risk assessment and prevention strategies; and (5) review of HIV prevention and behavior change issues. A sixth module, on HIV prevention for women in conflict and crisis settings, is under preparation.