Moodie N, Msimang S, Tallis V, Bwakira C; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. D12784.
UNICEF/UNAIDS, Pretoria, South Africa
Issues: African women are at least 1.2 times more likely to be infected with HIV than African men. This ratio is 2.5 among young people aged 15-24. Southern Africa is worst affected, with more than one in five pregnant women infected. This is due to women's biological vulnerability, a tendency to earlier sexual activity for women, and for young women to have much older sex partners. Widows are often dispossessed of their land and property. Women do most of the caring for the sick and orphaned. Description: In follow up to the January 2003 mission to southern Africa of two of his Special Envoys, the UN Secretary General requested UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy to set up a Task Force on women, girls and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. The Task Force - leaders and activists from government and civil society from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe - aims to catalyse intensified action on gender and HIV/AIDS. Based on wide-ranging country and regional consultations, recommendations for urgent action at national and regional levels have been made. Implementation has begun in most countries, with the United Nations regionally supporting resource mobilisation and advocacy. Lessons Learned: The links between gender inequality and HIV are often acknowledged in discussions with stakeholders and in policy documents, but are usually missing in the formulation and implementation of responses. Responses that do make the link rarely focus on transforming gender relations or empowering women. Because gender is crosscutting, it is seen to be everyone's problem, but no one's responsibility. Insufficient resources are reaching grassroots women's organisations. Recommendations: The Task Force recommendations are concrete and time-bound and relate to advocacy, policy development, and programmes in relation to the gender aspects of prevention, education, violence, property rights, care and treatment.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Advisory Committees
- Africa, Southern
- Botswana
- Demography
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Planning Guidelines
- Humans
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Male
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Organizations
- Policy Making
- Pregnancy
- Sexual Behavior
- Socioeconomic Factors
- South Africa
- Swaziland
- United Nations
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- education
- organization & administration
Other ID:
UI: 102278343
From Meeting Abstracts