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32/2004 PROTECT AFRICA'S WOMEN FROM HIV/AIDS, SAYS AIDS AND GOVERNANCE COMMISSION Addis Ababa, 1 December 2004 (ECA) - Almost six out of ten of Africans infected with HIV/AIDS are women and girls and as a result, African communities are in danger, says K.Y. Amoako, Chairperson of the Commission of HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA), speaking on World Aids Day 2004. Women comprise an increasing proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS and of new infections worldwide. "The resulting social decay and community breakdown may well threaten the socio-economic fabric of our continent," said Amoako, who is also the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Factors such as social tolerance of gender-based violence, stigma and lack of education or empowerment all make women more vulnerable to infection. Inadequate legislative frameworks and other types of neglect or abuse of women’s rights, such as denial of access to anti-retroviral treatment add to the difficulties women face. Eveline Hefkens, a CHGA Commissioner and coordinator of the UN's Millennium Development Goals campaign said: "The real problem of AIDS is lack of economic empowered women, so any legislation that addresses this should be supported." CHGA called Wednesday for greater emphasis on effective African policies to address the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS and singled out four areas for immediate action - improved leadership, more protection for women's rights, strategies that go beyond behaviour change and empowering women economically. CHGA believes pro-active leaders who enact legislation to protect women, adopt new tactics and bold messages and provide women with the economic strength to make choices could reverse the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women. "Governments must act now, armed with effective responses, to address the changing dynamics of HIV," said Nana Poku, CHGA Director of Research. CHGA called on all African governments to prioritize these urgent needs and implement strategies to reduce the impact of the HIV on this particularly vulnerable sector of the population. (ENDS) MEDIA ADVISORY In more detail, CHGA believes that the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on African women could be reduced through attention to the following four areas. Leadership needed African leaders have woken up to the realities of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but efforts need to be increased and strengthened in order to reduce the speed at which the pandemic is spreading. Leaders particularly need to take responsibility for constructing an integrated response that addresses the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women. Protect women’s rights Protection of women’s rights is a powerful tool to enhance the status of women and limit the spread of HIV. African countries have ratified a number of international conventions on human, as well as specifically women’s rights but implementation is lagging behind. Governments need to revise often inadequate and outdated legal frameworks to provide a supportive legal context for the challenges posed by HIV. This includes enacting laws protecting the rights of women, such as access to land, heritance, credit and other productive assets, and against harmful cultural practices. Laws facilitating access to treatment and care should also be included in a country’s legal framework. Go beyond behaviour change Many governments have put most stress on persuading people to change their behaviour in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Two decades into the epidemic, it is clear that this message has not been sufficient. The HIV virus spreads far faster than the norms underpinning behaviour can change. While trying to find out why the behaviour message is not getting through, more effective strategies need to be deployed to slow the pandemic. Empower Women Economically Poverty makes women particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Economically disadvantaged women are more likely to contract the virus because they have fewer resources to protect themselves against unsought sexual contact. Poverty also adds to the burden of caring for the sick - widely seen as women's work - pushing women deeper into poverty on a downward spiral that can take them beyond the point of economic recovery. Social, legal and economic instruments to strengthen women should be deployed as fast as possible. The Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa is a UN system-wide initiative, involving partnerships with a number of UN agencies, as well as leading institutions, in Africa and internationally, on aspects of research, policy engagement and implementation. Under the Chairmanship of the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), K.Y. Amoako, CHGA works to understand the epidemic in all its aspects and its likely future implications. For more information on the Commission on HIV/AIDS and
Governance in Africa, please contact Fabian Assegid, Issued by the ECA Communication Team |