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Background on Women, Girls, HIV/AIDS and the Asia/Pacific Region
The AIDS epidemic the world over shows few signs of abating. In 2002 alone, the epidemic claimed more than 3 million lives. In addition, the same year, 5 million people newly acquired HIV bringing the number of people living with the virus to 42 million worldwide.
When looking at new trends and transmission dynamics in the HIV/AIDS pandemic
throughout the world today, the spotlight has been placed on high risk populations which include for the most part, commercial sex workers (male and female), intravenous drug users, men having sex with men, and migrant populations of men. The focus on these groups has been important, as it has forced policy makers and program managers to allocate resources and plan interventions in areas where infection rates are rising most rapidly.
However, the focus on these groups has obscured the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on another vitally important group: Women and Girls. It is estimated that almost 50% of those living with HIV AIDS in the world today are female (19.2 million). Women account for half of the 15,000 new infections occurring daily throughout the world and recent studies have shown that the highest rates of prevalence of HIV are found among women aged 15 to 25. Today, in many part of the world, to be a young, married woman, engaging in monogamous, heterosexual sex is a major risk factor for HIV/AIDS, an irony of the most bitter type.
The Asia and Pacific region is itself an area of great concern. Although a number of countries in the region have comparatively low rates of HIV prevalence, there is vast potential for the spread of HIV within the populations of India and China. It is thought that over the next 6 years an additional 45 million people will become infected with HIV in low and medium-income countries, of which 40% will occur in Asia and the Pacific.
Thus for women living in the Asia Pacific region, the situation is particularly worrisome. Not only will women be at risk of contracting HIV due to the massive level of exposure that they will be facing in their communities and homes, they also will be placed at further risk due to social, cultural and gender-related norms that make up the reality of their lives. The low status accorded to women in Asia contributes to their vulnerability by limiting access to the means and resources that they need to protect themselves, such as knowledge and awareness, health care services and critically, decision-making power.
A special focus in the conference will be placed on the highly precarious situation of young Asian girls. According to estimates by UNAIDS, 60% of new infections occur among young people and when data is disaggregated by sex, girls have considerably higher rates of infections than boys. The complex interplay of biological vulnerabilities of girls, economic need, limited educational opportunities, social and gender-based inequities and unequal power relationships put girls at greater risk for infection.
Rationale for the Asia/Pacific Women, Girls & HIV/AIDS Conference Series
Although a number of conferences have recently been organized to discuss and debate the emerging issues related to HIVAIDS in the Asia Pacific region, it is felt that insufficient attention has been given to the imminent crisis facing Asian and Pacific women and girls. It is thus proposed to develop a series of conferences on |
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AMAL Human Development Network
Gender responsive AMAL’s interventions cover: Community mobilization support, development management trainings, project management, micro finance/enterprise development, reproductive health/HIV/AIDS, primary education (including non formal education) and rights based approach to programming...
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