AIDS info ignores women, say critics
AIDS info ignores women, say critics
JAKARTA (JP): Information about the Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are strongly biased against women, AIDS campaigners say.
This is particularly true when it comes to prostitutes, who are depicted as primary infectors.
"This trend follows the previous bias against gay people, who were initially believed to be the main infectors of the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)," Danny Yatim of the Mitra Indonesia, an AIDS hot line service, said at a seminar on "AIDS and Gender" on Saturday.
Speakers at the seminar, organized by the Women's Studies Section of the University of Indonesia, said this bias has led both to the neglect of women infected by the HIV virus, and of the men with whom they have had sexual contact.
They did not have to look far to prove their case, pointing to press reports about an HIV-infected woman in Bojonegoro, East Java, who gave birth last week.
According to reports, the 18-year old woman, a former prostitute, had been prevented from breastfeeding her baby for fear of passing on the HIV virus.
The authorities "have no right to tell her that she cannot breastfeed her baby," said noted AIDS campaigner Nafsiah Mboi. "It should be her decision after they inform her of the possible consequences."
Nafsiah, a member of the House of Representatives, said the authorities should focus more on "preparing her surrounding community" against misperceptions about HIV which might lead to her isolation. "They should also focus on giving her the freedom to spend the rest of her life productively."
Sexual partners
Nafsiah also said that the authorities should also try to find the woman's previous sexual partners who might have contracted the virus and pass them on to their wives or others.
Galuh Wandita, of the Britain-based OXFAM funding agency, said that there was an "information gap" among poor women which added to their risk of contracting HIV. As an example. she cited the conditions of East Nusa Tenggara, where she works.
She said that village health centers and family planning centers are only designed to meet minimum needs of women related to their reproductive functions, and overlooks their needs regarding sex. "Where does a woman go if she is worried that she has contracted a sex-related disease from her husband?" Galuh said.
She also raised concern that the nation-wide Family Planning program stresses modern contraceptives over "barrier methods" including the use of condom.
In areas where hygiene is still poor, the use of Intra-uterine Device (IUD) or injectable forms of birth control increase a woman's vulnerability to HIV.
Other speakers at the seminar pointed out to the fact that many family planning centers in isolated villages still use the same syringe over and over for a number of inoculations. (anr)