In Honor of World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.

Around the world, women continue to be denied their basic human rights: violence against women, poverty, lack of access to education and basic health care services. This denial makes women more susceptible to HIV/AIDS.

A few weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a landmark study which identifies "AIDS-related illnesses as the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age in low and middle income countries, particularly in [Sub-Saharan] Africa."

The report also stated that around the world, unsafe sex is the single leading risk factor contributing to deaths among women of reproductive age.

Women make up approximately half of all people living with HIV worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women make up an estimated 57% of adults living with HIV, and three quarters of young people living with disease there are young women aged 15-24.

The US, the largest funder to global health programs, has a $48 billion dollar AIDS initiative called PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) which notoriously promotes the ABC (abstinence, be faithful, and as a last resort use condoms) prevention program in Africa.

This has widely been proven to be an ineffective strategy in preventing HIV/AIDS transmissions. It is harmful and simply does not work. The ABC program places condom distribution and usage, which is the most effective barrier method against the disease, at a low priority.

Moreover, to change US policies which needlessly harm women and girls around the world, we must take action!

Here is what you can do:

• Raise awareness on the emphasis of ineffective abstinence and fidelity prevention programs in PEPFAR.
• Educate your campus about its harmful impact on young women.
• Demand that the US change its policy to promote safe sex practices, access to comprehensive reproductive health and rights services, and sex education.
  

Take Action on World AIDS Day, and every day, to save women's lives around the world.

Does Living Longer Really Mean Living Better?

A new study done by the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that despite the fact that on average women live 6-8 years long then men, women are still being denied the chance to live life to their fullest potential due to the lack of essential health care (lame!).

Although women often seek medical attention more then men, there are still obstacles standing in their way, such as failure to get adequate treatment. An article from CommonDreams.org noted, “Women generally live longer than men, but their lives are not necessarily healthy or happy” and that “the obstacles that stand in the way of better health for women are not primarily technical or medical in nature. They are social and political.” Better access to health care is not simply about overcoming economic struggles and money issues; it is about changing social and political norms within a society.

Unfortunately, many health care systems are not fully capable when dealing with women’s issues despite the fact that women make up half the population. WHO estimated that “99 percent of the estimated 500,000 women who die every year giving birth are in developing countries where medical supplies and skilled workers are in short supply.”

Unequal access to health care is wrong and detrimental to women around the world. The lack of access to quality health care are denying women the change to live life to their fullest potential, who knows with quality health care women might be able to outlive men 10-15 years!

Photo Credit: takimabibelot on flickr.com

AIDS: The Leading Cause of Death Among Women Ages 15-44

The World Health Organization did its first study on women’s health around the world and found the AIDs virus to be the leading cause of death and disease among women 15-44 years of age.

Yesterday, the Associated Press released an article describing unsafe sex as the leading factor for AIDs in developing countries. It stated, “throughout the world, one in five deaths among women in this age group is linked to unsafe sex.” It noted how women have a biological advantage as they tend to live longer then men, but such an advantage is often cast aside as women “suffer serious disadvantages because of poverty, poorer access to health care and cultural norms that put a priority on the well-being of men.” Better access to contraception and education programs is desperately needed to battle unsafe sex and the spread of AIDs.

Want to know more? Get involved with the Global Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights campaign with Feminist Majority Foundation! More information can be found at http://www.feminist.org/global/gsrhr.html.

Photo Credit: Sully Pixel on flickr.com