![]() Addressing these challenges successfully, however, is critical to the achievement of the Emergency Plan's ambitious prevention, treatment, and care goals, and remains a high priority for PEPFAR. The societal issues around gender and HIV/AIDS are complex, and in some cases the issues vary from one country to another, requiring different approaches. In addition, women who provide care - or who become known to be infected themselves - often face severe stigma. These burdens often fall on girls and young women, preventing them from obtaining education and the possibility of economic empowerment. Some of the implications of these challenges are introduced in the chapter on Prevention.Īs noted in the chapter on Care, women carry a disproportionate caregiving burden when family and community members become sick with AIDS or die. ![]() The interaction of this biological fact with the social fact of male behaviors and norms that put women at risk has proven to be deadly.Īmong the harmful social norms and practices that increase the vulnerability of women and girls are those that 1) restrict women's access to HIV/AIDS information and services 2) severely limit women's control over their sexual lives, leaving them vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse as well as putting them at increased risk of HIV transmission and 3) deprive them of economic resources and legal rights necessary to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and contribute productively to caring for others affected by the disease. Male-to-female transmission of HIV is estimated to be eight times more likely than female-to-male. In addition to societal factors, another reason for this elevated risk is that women, especially young women, are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection than men. In some countries, girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are infected at rates three to six times higher than boys their age. Adolescent girls continue to face especially high risks. In sub-Saharan Africa, the share is even higher - 57 percent. UNAIDS estimates that 46 percent of adults living with HIV worldwide now are women. The number of women and girls living with HIV continues to grow rapidly. ![]() ![]() The President's Emergency Plan recognizes that social inequalities between women and men, which contribute to harmful gender-based cultural norms and practices, not only perpetuate women's vulnerability to HIV but also continue to fuel the HIV epidemic among both men and women. Another important aspect of empowerment and the fight against AIDS is the legal protection of women and girls against sexual violence and abuse." President George W. We must give more girls in Africa a real chance to avoid exploitation and to chart their own future. Educated young women have lower rates of HIV/AIDS, healthier families, and higher rates of education for their own children. " There is a deep need for the empowerment of women, and that begins with education. Western Hemisphere (Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada).Near East (northern Africa, Middle East).Counterterrorism & Countering Violent Extremism.Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment.Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.Arms Control and International Security.Alphabetical List of Bureaus and Offices.
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