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UNISEX
Background
UNISEX is a unique project. There is no other University in
the UK with a similar service. Our existence came about because
the Universities and Student Unions wanted to respond to the
growing HIV epidemic in the late 1980’s and jointly
funded a three year post – AIDS Campaign Co-ordinator.
In the early 1990’s, external funding was found from
AVERT (AIDS Education Research Trust) which helped to further
develop the awareness-raising work by including a research
element. In 1994 the local health authority replaced AVERT
as the external funder in recognition of the ongoing need
to maintain HIV prevention work and sexual health promotion
within the student population of Brighton & Hove, and
the project began to view the involvement of student volunteers
as integral to it’s strategy. It was in 1996 that the
name UNISEX was created by the volunteers themselves, helping
to give them a sense of ownership of the project.
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UNISEX Today
Although UNISEX is jointly funded by the University of Brighton
and University of Sussex, it’s existence relies upon
external funding from the NHS through the Brighton & Hove
City Primary Care Trust, with whom we negotiate a contract
on an annual basis. This contract is called a Service Level
Agreement and it is this which determines our workload for
the year. UNISEX also receives funding in kind from the University
of Sussex Students Union through the space that they provide
for us, IT support and graphic design services. The value
of this cannot be underestimated. Support in kind is also given
by the University of Brighton Students Union who provide office
and drop-in space at the Cockcroft campus.
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Priority Groups
Brighton & Hove has the second highest prevalence of
HIV infection in the UK (the highest is London). Prevalence
means the proportion of the population that are infected with
HIV. Within that population, HIV incidence (the rate at which
people become infected with HIV) is highest among gay and
bisexual men. This means that gay and bisexual men who are
sexually active have more chance of coming into contact with
HIV than the general population, making this group a higher
priority for HIV prevention and sexual health promotion work.
The incidence of HIV infection among heterosexuals in the
UK is highest among people from sub-saharan Africa and the
Indian sub-continent. Again, this means that this group of
people are a higher priority for HIV prevention and sexual
health promotion work.
The student population of Brighton and Sussex Universities
totals around 30,000 of which 11% are from black and minority
ethnic communities and internal sources suggest that at least
15% are gay or bisexual. Nationally, prevalence of HIV infection
is higher in gay/bisexual men and black and minority ethnic
people compared with the general population as a whole, and
this inequality demonstrates the need for sexual health promotion
and HIV prevention initiatives to be targeted at these groups.
In Brighton & Hove, 82% of people living with HIV infection
are gay/bisexual men and 7% are from black and ethnic minority
communities. 67% of the local student population are aged
between 18 - 25 years. Nationally rates of STIs (sexually-transmitted
infections) are highest among the 18 – 25 age group,
reflecting a high level of unprotected sexual activity. University
life offers young people the opportunity to experiment sexually,
and frequent partner change during this time is common.
Your Voice
This section of the website is for students from our priority
groups to use as a resource. It features journal articles,
research, recommended book titles and more. All of these have
been submitted by students for the beneift of their peers.
Click here to visit Your
Voice
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