rising cases of HIV infection in women

Worried by the upsurge of gender-based violence, which is directly responsible for the rising cases of HIV infection in women, health writers and advocacy groups have gathered to drum support for women living with HIV and AIDS. The women are battling with stigma, ridicule from the public, discrimination, dismissal from place of work, segregation and loss of inheritance.

The forum, held in Lagos was organised by Journalists against AIDS (JAAIDS) and it featured lectures on women health rights.

Programme Officer, Human Rights Education, Mrs Kate Ibeanusi, decried the rate of gender-based violence against women and stated that statistics show that more women are exposed to HIV infection, supporting her argument with a 2008 UNAIDS report on global AIDS pandemic which shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, 60 per cent of people living with HIV are women.

She argued that this rising number of HIV infections among women and girls is directly related to violence against women and their unequal legal, economic and social status.

Ibeanusi, who spoke on gender based violence and the consequences for women, said coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty to women, whether occurring in public or private life is both a cause and consequence of HIV.

She noted that sexual violence and harmful traditional practice such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, widowhood right that predisposes the victim to contracting HIV, the myth that sex with a virgin cures HIV have increased the incidence of sexual assault among some groups.

She said: "Violence and threat of abuse increases the vulnerability of women and girls to infection with HIV by making it impossible for women to negotiate safe sex e.g. abstain from sex get their partners to be faithful or to use condom."

Nigeria has recorded significant reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence.

Nigeria has recorded significant reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence. According to the Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, “we have recorded a fall in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from 5.8 percent in 2001 to 4.24 percent in 2008, doubled treatment of patients from 16.7 percent in 2007 to 34.49 percent in 2008. We have trained 944 HIV/AIDS counselors in 472 primary health care centres and established 370 new Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) sites in all the states, including the federal capital.” All the same, the new initiative is good provided that the intentions are matched by action. Now that the government is waking up to the stark reality that HIV is affecting a lot of people, this is the time to devote more resources in tackling the health challenge. Let the government’s resolve on this go beyond mere intention. Let the outcome be measurable as well. Since the drugs are accessed free, effort should be made to ensure that the treatment sites are expanded, especially in rural areas so that those in need of the ARV drugs can access them with great ease. We say this because the current treatment sites at 1,198 are inadequate for the over 850,000 people that live with the virus in the country. Government should publicise the new initiative so that many Nigerians, especially those living with HIV can be aware of the new approaches and strategies to contain the disease. People living with the virus should not be discriminated against or stigmatized. Doing so would greatly undermine all efforts to halt the spread of the disease. In the fight against the pandemic, efforts should be geared towards the preventive in addition to other methods. In fact, a holistic approach to the problem can be more effective. As scientists continue to search for cure of the scourge, let us not give up on local efforts to tackle the HIV/AIDS problems.