The All Nations/Hope AIDS Network is encouraging young people to think twice before they go out and get a body piercing or tattoo.
The group’s director, Leona Quewezance, says the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C is greatly increased when people get the procedure done by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing:
“We tell the kids not to get tattoos or body piercings done at home — especially, the tongue piercings.”
She adds Aboriginal females between the ages of 15 and 24 tend to be the highest demographic of people living with HIV/AIDS in Saskatchewan.