Urge the U.S. to promote gender equity in HIV/AIDS relief programs
Women and adolescent girls are socially, culturally, biologically, and economically more vulnerable to HIV than their male counterparts. Urge the U.S. government to promote better HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs for women and girls around the world.
To Ambassador Dr. Mark Dybul,
As the United States Global AIDS Coordinator you are already aware that women and adolescent girls are socially, culturally, biologically, and economically more vulnerable to HIV than their male counterparts. According to the latest estimates, women account for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and 60% of all adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
We therefore urge your office to adopt the UNAIDS, UNFPA, and UNIFEM recommendations to PEPFAR to support programs that mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on girls and women. These six recommendations would ensure greater gender equity for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Recommendations:
1. Ensure that adolescent girls and women have the knowledge and means to prevent HIV infections.
2. Ensure equal and universal access to treatment.
3. Recognize and support home-based caregivers of AIDS patients and orphans.
4. Promote girls’ primary and secondary education and women’s literacy.
5. Promote zero tolerance of all forms of violence against women and girls.
6. Promote and protect the human rights of women and girls.
Gender inequity results in women having less access to resources and tools to effectively prevent HIV/AIDS. Unequal access to information on how to prevent and treat HIV leaves women more vulnerable to infection and more susceptible to contracting AIDS. According to the Global Campaign for Education, a minimum of a primary school education is necessary in order to benefit from health information programs. Girls disproportionately have a lower rate of participation in primary education. Studies have shown that educated women are more likely to know how to prevent the transmission of HIV, to delay sexual activity, and to take measures to protect themselves and their children.
Women are less able to negotiate safe sex practices due to economic dependency and gender-based violence. Worldwide, women and girls provide 90% of home care due to illness. This is in addition to the unpaid duties they take on that are generally not recognized by their national economies or their societies.
The overall promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls must be an integral part of any HIV/AIDS campaign. Education programs should aim to inform communities about the importance of treating women equally and the importance of empowering them to negotiate their roles in their society.
These recommendations are meant to address underlying issues that allow for the spread of HIV/AIDS and the increased vulnerabilities among women and girls. We therefore urge your office to increase attention and resources for promoting gender equity within U.S. HIV/AIDS relief programs to help reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS and ensure the equal protection of women.
As the United States Global AIDS Coordinator you are already aware that women and adolescent girls are socially, culturally, biologically, and economically more vulnerable to HIV than their male counterparts. According to the latest estimates, women account for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and 60% of all adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
We therefore urge your office to adopt the UNAIDS, UNFPA, and UNIFEM recommendations to PEPFAR to support programs that mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on girls and women. These six recommendations would ensure greater gender equity for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Recommendations:
1. Ensure that adolescent girls and women have the knowledge and means to prevent HIV infections.
2. Ensure equal and universal access to treatment.
3. Recognize and support home-based caregivers of AIDS patients and orphans.
4. Promote girls’ primary and secondary education and women’s literacy.
5. Promote zero tolerance of all forms of violence against women and girls.
6. Promote and protect the human rights of women and girls.
Gender inequity results in women having less access to resources and tools to effectively prevent HIV/AIDS. Unequal access to information on how to prevent and treat HIV leaves women more vulnerable to infection and more susceptible to contracting AIDS. According to the Global Campaign for Education, a minimum of a primary school education is necessary in order to benefit from health information programs. Girls disproportionately have a lower rate of participation in primary education. Studies have shown that educated women are more likely to know how to prevent the transmission of HIV, to delay sexual activity, and to take measures to protect themselves and their children.
Women are less able to negotiate safe sex practices due to economic dependency and gender-based violence. Worldwide, women and girls provide 90% of home care due to illness. This is in addition to the unpaid duties they take on that are generally not recognized by their national economies or their societies.
The overall promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls must be an integral part of any HIV/AIDS campaign. Education programs should aim to inform communities about the importance of treating women equally and the importance of empowering them to negotiate their roles in their society.
These recommendations are meant to address underlying issues that allow for the spread of HIV/AIDS and the increased vulnerabilities among women and girls. We therefore urge your office to increase attention and resources for promoting gender equity within U.S. HIV/AIDS relief programs to help reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS and ensure the equal protection of women.
583 total signers.