HIV / Aids
The inequalities that characterize the HIV and AIDS epidemic, including gender inequalities, are striking. Poor regions are especially suffering under the disease – much more than half of all the people infected with HIV are living in ‘developing’ countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa . According to current global statistics, young women (aged between15-24) form the majority of the newly infected persons. The reasons for women’s and girls’ disproportionate vulnerability to HIV infection are rooted in gender inequality, manifested for example in the lack of control that many women have over their sexuality, making it difficult for them to decide when, how and with whom to have sex. Furthermore, gender inequalities in regard to HIV/AIDS are obvious when it comes to the question of access to appropriate prevention and health services, or the provision of education concerning the disease. A gender-sensitive approach should respond to the different needs of men and women at the different organizational levels, in prevention, curative intervention, research and policy.
Links:
AidsPortal: Gender and Aids
SDC: HIV / Aids
SDC: Health systems and sanitation
UNAIDS: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / Aids
Publications:
