MORE RESOURCES NEEDED FOR HIV VULNERABLE YOUNG WOMEN – 24 June 2004

United Nations, Bangkok – The international AIDS campaign must focus resources on women, especially girls, if it is to curb an alarming trend in infection rates, according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

 UNIFEM’s warning follows a report by UNAIDS (2003) indicating a dramatic difference between the number of young men and women living with HIV.

The report showed there were over seven million women aged between 15 and 25 years living with the disease at the end of 2001, compared with 4.5 million young men.

Concern has been raised by a number of international bodies about the increasing vulnerability of women in the world’s developing regions, including the Asia-Pacific.

 “Young women in this region are generally ill equipped to protect themselves from the virus” said Ms. Lucita Lazo, UNIFEM Regional Programme Director for East and Southeast Asia. “They have limited access to education and preventative methods like condoms. And if they do, they aren’t always in a position to ask their partners to use condoms.”

 “Societal constraints on girls in Southeast Asia mean that they are expected to be sexually naive and know very little about the subject. If they ask questions about sexual health matters or know how to use condoms, they may be viewed as promiscuous. So the odds are really stacked up against young women.”

 While maintaining the momentum in protecting high risk groups like sex workers from infection, the AIDS campaign needs to evolve with the disease itself and focus greater resources on protecting traditionally low risk groups of women in the general population.

 An equal effort is also required in preventing new infections and caring for those who are already infected. Greater social and economic support is needed for women and girls who are often the primary caregivers for people living with HIV/AIDS.

 In line with UNIFEM’s concerns, the up-coming XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok (11-16 July) has announced an expanded program focusing on youth and women, two of the groups most vulnerable to the effects of HIV/AIDS.

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UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations, providing financial support and technical assistance to innovative programs promoting women's human rights, their economic and political empowerment, and gender equality in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.unifem.undp.org. UNIFEM, 304 East 45th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017, tel: 212 906-6400, fax: 212-906-6705

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