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"UN: Women need more control over their
lives to fight the spread of AIDS"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(06/06/06)
NEW YORK: To reverse the spread of AIDS, women must have greater control
over their bodies and lives, said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the executive
director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
There was also a need for public policies and the budget for this.
In addition, everyone must understand that progress for women meant progress
for all, as agreed by global leaders at the 2005 World Summit.
Thoraya said women and girls were vulnerable to HIV/AIDS “not because of
their individual behaviour but because of the discrimination and violence
they face and unequal power relations.”
In the context of the HIV environment of today, she added, even being
married is a risk factor for women.
Thoraya spoke during a panel on ending the increased feminisation of AIDS –
one of the main events of the 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS.
The gathering, attended by senior officials from about 140 countries, is
reviewing progress in achieving the goals of the Declaration of Commitment
that was adopted at the 2001 General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS.
“Twenty years ago, one-third of adults living with HIV were women. Today, it
has climbed to nearly half,” Thoraya said.
More women than men are infected in the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.
Female HIV infections are on the rise in Asia, eastern Europe and Latin
America.
And AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women aged 25 to
34 in the United States.
Even though women and girls are highly vulnerable to HIV infection, said
Thoraya, “they have less access to education and HIV information; less say
in matters of marriage and sexual relations; less access to credit and
economic opportunities; and little role in designing AIDS policies and
responses.”
As a result, fewer than 10% of pregnant women in the developing world were
offered services to prevent mother-to-child transmission last year.
In addition, only 20% of young women could correctly identify the ways to
prevent HIV infection.
“Only by addressing the needs and human rights of women and ensuring their
full participation can we change the course of the epidemic,” said Thoraya.
Ulla Tornaes, Denmark's Minister for Development Cooperation, said that
while many international agreements recognised the rights of women, “still,
we are often faced with difficult negations when we want to reaffirm these
rights.”
However, she added, “we have to keep on insisting that access to
comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is a key.”
Nilcea Freire, Minister of the Special Secretariat of Policies for Women in
Brazil, said that in order for anti-AIDS efforts to succeed, it was
necessary to enhance support for women’s movements and feminist
non-governmental organisations.
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