Young women facing greater AIDS risk<\/p>\n
By Prapti Widinugraheni<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Young women are facing greater and greater risk
\nof contracting the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome,
\nphysician-cum-legislator Nafsiah Mboi says.<\/p>\n
Nafsiah, citing a recent report by the World Health
\nOrganization (WHO), said an alarming increase in the number of
\nyoung women with AIDS and those infected by the Human
\nImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV).<\/p>\n
\"What I heard was very, very distressing. In all the countries
\nwhere the main mode of HIV transmission is through heterosexual
\nintercourse, the number of women with AIDS and HIV -- especially
\nyoung women, adolescents and younger girls -- increase at a very
\nhigh rate,\" said Nafsiah, who attended the WHO-sponsored Global
\nConsultation for Policy Makers on Women and AIDS in Geneva this
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference which was also attended by non-
\ngovernmental organization and women activists on Thursday, she
\nsaid some eight million women in their reproductive age are
\ninfected with HIV, 1.3 million of whom live in South and
\nSoutheast Asia.<\/p>\n
From almost absent in the 1980's, over 14 million women will
\nhave been infected by the year 2000 and four million of them will
\nhave died, she said. \"Every minute every day of the year, two
\nwomen become infected by HIV and every two minutes a woman dies
\nfrom AIDS.\" she said.<\/p>\n
According to WHO reports, up to 50 percent of all new HIV
\ninfections are in women. Fifty to 60 percent of HIV infections
\noccur in young people aged 15-24, most of whom are girls, girl
\nadolescent and young women.<\/p>\n
Young women, adolescents and younger girls were especially
\nvulnerable because many of them -- for a variety of different
\nreasons, including economic pressure -- are actively involved in
\nsexual intercourse.<\/p>\n
Nafsiah cited that in some cases, older men try to avoid
\ngetting HIV from 'older' prostitutes and opt for young girls
\ninstead. However, many of them may be unaware that they already
\nhave the virus from past relationships and instead of being
\ninfected they transmit the HIV to the female.<\/p>\n
\"And if a woman gets AIDS, she will almost be certain to have
\nan HIV-infected baby,\" Nafsiah added.<\/p>\n
She stressed that both women and men had an equal
\nresponsibility in AIDS care and in preventing further
\ntransmission. \"Men have to take their fair share of the
\nresponsibility in preventing the spread of AIDS,\" Nafsiah
\nstressed.<\/p>\n
She said that everyone, regardless of their job, should do
\ntheir best in solving the problem.<\/p>\n
\"Religious leaders must prevent the spread of AIDS by
\nconveying religious messages to as many people as possible, while
\nNGO activists can do their share in the anti-AIDS campaign by
\npromoting condoms for safe sex,\" she cited.<\/p>\n
Changing attitudes, she said, was \"very, very, difficult\" and
\ntherefore she recommended people to \"opt for the AIDS prevention
\nmethod which they feel is most suitable to them... be it through
\nreligion, abstinence, or -- if they can't help it -- by using a
\ncondom\".<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, 280 people have tested positive for HIV.<\/p>\n
\"But the actual number could be as high as 350,000, judging
\nfrom the extremely biased methods of assessment in the country,\"
\nNafsiah said.<\/p>\n
She said that the bias could be seen, for example, in the HIV
\ntests which are imposed only to female prostitutes.<\/p>\n
\"What about the male prostitutes and their clients?\" she
\nasked, adding that such discriminations often occurred in
\npractice although it was not necessarily stipulated in official
\npolicies.<\/p>\n
Nafsiah, who is a legislator from Commission VIII of the House
\nof Representatives which oversees health and welfare issues, said
\nthat integrating anti-AIDS campaigns with campaigns against other
\nsexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) would be effective.<\/p>\n
\"People are more familiar with STDs. By integrating AIDS with
\nother STDs, they will realize that AIDS is not so far-fetched as
\nthey may have thought,\" Nafsiah said.<\/p>\n
She said that in all provinces in Indonesia, STD cases have
\nsignificantly shown a sharp increase. She was certain that the
\nactual number of AIDS\/HIV cases in the country could well be much
\ncloser to the number of STD cases than results of HIV tests.<\/p>\n
Nafsiah said that changes in the pattern of infection -- which
\nwas once believed to be limited exclusively among homosexuals --
\nwas mainly due to biological conditions, social-cultural
\ndiscrimination and economic situations of women.<\/p>\n
\"Biologically, women are more vulnerable to HIV...This makes
\nwomen two to four times more susceptible to an HIV infection
\ncompared to men,\" Nafsiah said.<\/p>\n
She explained that the Consultation in Geneva, which brought
\ntogether members of parliaments, representatives of people with
\nHIV\/AIDS, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
\nand ministries, concluded that top-level political commitment was
\nneeded to reduce the social vulnerability of women to HIV
\ninfection.<\/p>\n
This, she said, could only be achieved by increasing access
\nand utilization of basic education, health services, legal
\nprotection from exploitation and other services which will
\nenhance the women's economic independence and security.<\/p>\n
The Consultation also recommended that women should be
\nempowered and encouraged in their own efforts at networking,
\ninformation exchange and advocacy so they could protect
\nthemselves and others against HIV infection.<\/p>\n
The Consultation saw the importance of the role of the media
\nin supporting and educating the public to stop the spread of
\ninfection and minimize stigmatization of those with AIDS.<\/p>\n
It considered that research was vital to find ways for men and
\nwomen to make new and sustained efforts to build effective
\nalliances, based on mutual respect and for the mutual benefit of
\nboth.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/young-women-facing-greater-aids-risk-1447893297",
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