Holding a Mirror up to Women During World AIDS Day
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December 1, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Following today’s international AIDS Day, The Fresh Outlook has focused on the conditions of women battling with HIV and AIDS.
Back in the 1980s, HIV and AIDS were the forbidden words no one wanted to hear. Today nothing has changed or, at least, not enough. Yes, we can have an international AIDS awareness day but has the taboo been dropped for good?
Even today people have common misconceptions about HIV and AIDS and not many seem to realise how dramatic the situation for women and children worldwide is.
According to Avert, an International HIV and AIDS charity based in the UK, at the end of 2010 it was estimated that out of the 34 million adults worldwide with HIV and AIDS, half were women.
“Currently, of the 34 million people living with HIV, half are women, a fraction that is higher in sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS is the leading global cause of death for women of a reproductive age. Whilst women are biologically more likely to catch HIV than men through heterosexual sex, other social factors exacerbate the problem, which varies around the world,” said Madeline Denny, spokesperson for Avert, speaking exclusively to The Fresh Outlook.
“In the Caribbean, women often find it difficult to negotiate condom use, and sex-workers are often paid a higher, much-needed rate for sex without a condom. In Asia, women are often perceived to be at low risk, in India they account for thirty-eight percent of HIV infections, but there is often a lack of awareness among women of their partners’ status, making prevention difficult,” Ms Denny added.
Women are considered to be biologically more likely than men to become infected with HIV through having unsafe heterosexual intercourse. Moreover, women are less likely to be able to negotiate condom use and are more likely to be subjected to non-consensual sex.
“There are many examples of women having to keep their status secret, due to the social stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. This can prevent women accessing the treatment they need,” said Ms Denny.
“Protecting oneself against contracting HIV requires a certain level of power in society. If one is forced into unsafe sex work through lack of economic opportunity, unaware of the risks due to lack of education or subjected to sexual violence, then becoming infected is more likely. All of these examples are about lack of gender equality, which needs to improve urgently if women are to protect themselves against HIV,” added Ms Denny.
Pregnant women with HIV also have to come to terms with the sense of guilt of transmitting the virus to their child. Although the transmission could be prevented by undertaking a long course of antiretroviral drugs and avoidance of breastfeeding; this practice would reduce the risk to below 2%. Although, even today, very few women have access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services.
“Women also have to contend with the problems of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Although there are drugs which greatly reduce the chance of mothers transferring the infection to their child during pregnancy and birth, these need to be available for many more women worldwide. The global epidemic affects many women who do not have HIV themselves, as they often take on the caring responsibility for AIDS orphans and others who have become ill through AIDS,” said Ms Denny.
In order to reduce the number of women contracting AIDS, it is necessary to increase the efforts to produce always more effective women’s campaigns promoting education and awareness among women and encouraging the development of new preventative technologies such as post-exposure prophylaxis and microbicides.
AIDS stands for the ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ and is caused by HIV which stands for the ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus. AIDS is a serious condition that attacks the body’s defences against illness. For more information please visit http://www.avert.org/aids-information.htm .
By Rosaria Sgueglia
[Image courtesy of city of west Hollywood]