What Girls and Women Should Know About AIDS
The strength of women
Why girls and women?
Women and their bodies
Gender inequality
HIV/AIDS worldwide
What is the international community doing to address HIV/AIDS?
What is Canada doing?
Five things you can do to prevent and control HIV/AIDS
To find out more about the various aspects of HIV/AIDS
Every day, many girls and women are infected with HIV. Most live in developing countries.
In Monze, Zambia, peer educators raise
awareness about HIV/AIDS by using
performances and plays.
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A group of teenage girls in Zambia gathers outside a local market to watch a theatre group perform skits about HIV/AIDS. The actors are singing humorous songs about condoms and teasing the audience about teenage sexuality as one of them hands out condoms to the crowd. The girls laugh among themselves and tease each other as they slip the condoms into their pockets. Although they laugh at the skits and songs, they understand what the actors are trying to tell them: to be careful, to use condoms, to take control of their health and their lives.
One of the teenage girls in the group understands better than the others why being careful is so important. Both her mother and father died of AIDS last year, and she now takes care of her younger sisters full-time. She doesn’t go to school anymore because she has no time or money, and she has no one to turn to for help with the care of her sisters. She knows first-hand that AIDS not only kills, but it changes lives forever—her life, her sisters’, her friends and community, her future.
Even girls and women who know about HIV/AIDS often do not have the power or resources to protect themselves.
 The strength of women
Through an HIV/AIDS awareness
project, girls and young women
can find resources and support
at the Bauze Community
Youth Centre in Zambia.
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Because they contribute so much to their families and communities, the increasing rate of HIV infection among girls and women in developing countries means that families, communities, and even entire societies are in danger of collapsing. Women and girls grow the food. They cook and clean. They work in factories and street markets. They look after the children and the elderly. They walk long distances to get water. They are teachers and doctors and politicians. They are entrepreneurs.
However, as the virus continues to spread and more women become infected every day, women and girls around the world are organizing and equipping themselves to combat HIV/AIDS. They are getting informed. They are forming groups and working together. They are taking charge of their health and their families’ health. Still, women and men have unequal power relations; this inequality negatively affects women and increases the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Why girls and women?
A library in a village in Cameroon provides local
residents with general knowledge as well as information
about birth control and disease prevention.
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Girls and women are particularly affected by HIV/AIDS. There are many reasons for this: how their bodies are made; gender inequalities in social status, education, income, access to health care, and so on; the balance of power within countries, communities, and personal relations; or a combination of these different factors.
Women and their bodies
Women are twice as likely as men to be infected with HIV during sex. A woman’s vaginal tissue can be damaged during sex and especially during forced sex, making it easier for the virus to enter the body. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable due to the immaturity of their reproductive system. Girls and women with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are at an even greater risk of HIV infection. The stigma attached to STIs means women are less likely to seek medical care, which further increases their vulnerability to an infection transmitted by an HIV-infected male.
Gender inequality
Gender inequality makes girls and women more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Gender inequality also means that girls and women may receive less support once sick, and it may mean that they carry an unequal burden when others are sick. Several inequalities make girls and women more vulnerable to becoming infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, and more affected by the consequences:
Social status: In all countries of the world, women are not treated equally to men, and have differing levels of influence over matters that affect their lives. In developing countries, there are considerable gaps between men and women in education, income, employment opportunities, health, access to power, and decision-making. This disparity can mean that women have less access to treatment, are stigmatized for having AIDS, or are blamed for bringing AIDS into the family and are less able to avoid the disease. Also, due to their low social status, women and girls may not receive the necessary healthy food and medicines when they are sick.
Education: Girls and women usually bear the burden of caring for relatives who are sick, or they may need to work more to make up for the lost income of relatives. Unfortunately, to do this work, girls must quit school. Without an education, there is less chance for girls to become economically independent. With less independence, women may not be able to leave situations where sex is forced and unprotected and they may not be able to afford treatment when they are sick. For girls who are able to stay in school, there is little education provided about sex, birth control, and disease prevention. Since the subject is often taboo in their community, girls and women often lack adequate information about HIV prevention.
Financial dependence: Women are often forced to be financially dependent on men because they do not receive education, training, or employment opportunities. As a result, financial decisions are often made by male partners. This unequal distribution of power hurts women’s ability to make decisions and participate even nominally in decision-making. Women are sometimes able to earn an income by selling food, handicrafts, and other items or by working for a wage in factories or on farms. But their work always suffers when a family member gets sick or dies. As a last resort, some women are forced into the sex trade, or to undertake “transactional” sex in exchange for food and services.
Balance of power: Compared with men, women often have less control over their lives and their bodies. Women often have limited capacity to negotiate sex in a relationship. For example, it can be difficult for women to refuse to have sex, or to convince their partners to use a condom, especially their husbands. If a woman suggests that her husband use protection, that may imply that she is cheating on him or does not trust him. Also, cultural attitudes often make it difficult for women to appear knowledgeable about sex or to request the use of a condom. When women do demand protection, they may face rejection, violence, and/or economic hardship. A woman may suffer violence or rejection by her family and community. In times of war or conflict, women are often attacked and raped, increasing their exposure to sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, and HIV infection.
Access to health care: It is generally difficult for women in many regions to access health care and support when they are pregnant, or to find out if they are infected with HIV. There are many reasons for this problem: distance from health care centres, cost of a medical check-up, job or family responsibilities, and fear of reprisals by their husbands or their community. Even when they have the chance to receive medical care, women may hesitate to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases or HIV due to the fear of being stigmatized. Yet the results could affect their lives and their families’ lives.
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HIV/AIDS worldwide
HIV/AIDS has touched the lives
of about 2.2 million children aged 15
and under worldwide. In 2004, close
to 510,000 young people died
of this disease.
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According to the joint report AIDS Epidemic Update (December 2004) of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), 39.4 million people now live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, including 2.2 million children under 15 years old. Of these, approximately 25.4 million live in sub-Saharan Africa, and close to one million in North America. In 2004 alone, 3.1 million people died of AIDS. Of this number, 510,000 were children under 15 years old.
In the countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, women are infected at a far higher rate than men.
Africa is still the continent hardest hit by HIV/AIDS.
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Let’s compare Canada and a sub-Saharan African country, such as Mali. |
 | | Canada | Mali | Difference |
| Life expectancy | Women
Men | 82 years
77 years | 49 years
48 years | Difference of
33 years
Difference of
29 years |
| Primary enrolment | Girls
Boys | 100%
100% | 32%
44% | Difference of
68%
Difference of
56% |
| Per-capita gross domestic product | | $29,480 | $930 | Difference of
$28,550 |
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Did you know that …
- The first case of HIV/AIDS in the world was reported in 1981. Since then, about 13,054 Canadians (women and men) have died of AIDS. (HIV and AIDS in Canada: Surveillance Report to June 30, 2004) . Globally, over 20 million people have died of AIDS. (UNAIDS 2004 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic)
- According to UNAIDS estimates, in 2004, some 44,000 adults and children became newly infected with HIV in North America compared to 3.1 million in sub-Saharan Africa.
- It may take eight to ten years before a person living with HIV experiences symptoms of AIDS.
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What is the international community doing to address HIV/AIDS?
It is becoming increasingly obvious that gender inequality, or unequal relations between women and men, and women’s lack of empowerment are among the root causes of the global spread of HIV/AIDS. Addressing gender inequality and meeting the needs of women and girls in developing countries is key to stopping the spread of the disease.
In 2000, world leaders agreed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to promote sustainable human development in all countries. One of the goals is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases that hinder development. Another goal that will also help reach the MDG AIDS goal is to promote gender equality and to empower women.
In 2004, the international community created a tool to continue fighting for human rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of women. Women and HIV/AIDS: Confronting the Crisis is a report prepared by UNAIDS, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). This report stemmed from the work of numerous stakeholders in the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. Headed by UNAIDS, this initiative aims to improve the living conditions and health status of women and girls. CIDA contributed one million dollars to this initiative in March 2004.
What is Canada doing?
Mainly through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada plays a key role on many fronts to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Preventing the spread of the disease and minimizing its impact on all people—including girls and women—is integral to these efforts:
- Canada has tabled Bill C-9, the Jean Chrétien Pledge to Africa Act. The bill aims to make lower-cost versions of patented medicines available to developing countries facing public health problems. The bill is in response to the August 30, 2003, decision of the World Trade Organization.
- Canada chaired UNAIDS’ governing body from 2004 to early 2005.
- Canada supports the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and sits on its board.
- Canada is the leading donor of the 3 by 5 Initiative of WHO, which seeks to treat three million people living with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral drugs by the end of 2005.
- Canada supports the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the African AIDS Vaccine Programme in their efforts to develop a preventive HIV/AIDS vaccine.
- Canada helps to build health care capacity in developing countries by supporting country-led strategies to train health care providers, establish systems for drug procurement, and monitor and evaluate HIV/AIDS programs.
- Through CIDA, Canada is making efforts to study various prevention measures. These measures include education, research, fighting for human rights, and including sexual and reproductive rights in Canada’s approach to HIV/AIDS. CIDA has put forward many projects that help to combat HIV/AIDS, together with various partners (international and non-governmental organizations, colleges and universities, and so on).
- On December 1, 2004 (World AIDS Day), the Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of International Cooperation, further demonstrated Canada's leadership in the global fight against HIV/AIDS by taking on the important issue of gender inequality and HIV/AIDS. CIDA will provide close to $105 million to various initiatives targeting women and young girls infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in developing countries.
- In 2006, Canada will host the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto.
Five things you can do to prevent and control HIV/AIDS
- Practise safer sex. The Canadian Health Network and Health Canada sites will give you a lot to think about and do in this regard.
- Talk about preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS to your family and friends.
- Share what you know about the status of women and HIV/AIDS worldwide. Have you thought of being a youth speaker or taking part in the butterfly 208 contest?
- Read the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, adopted in December 2004 in Kigali, Rwanda. Over 5,000 groups and individuals helped to draft this document rooted in freedom, equality, solidarity, justice, and peace.
- Follow in the footsteps of thousands of women! From March 8 to October 17, 2005, women from five continents will march from Brazil to Africa, for freedom, equal rights, and an end to violence.
To find out more about the various aspects of HIV/AIDS
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