Young women facing greater AIDS risk

Young women facing greater AIDS risk

By Prapti Widinugraheni

JAKARTA (JP): Young women are facing greater and greater risk of contracting the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, physician-cum-legislator Nafsiah Mboi says.

Nafsiah, citing a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), said an alarming increase in the number of young women with AIDS and those infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

"What I heard was very, very distressing. In all the countries where the main mode of HIV transmission is through heterosexual intercourse, the number of women with AIDS and HIV -- especially young women, adolescents and younger girls -- increase at a very high rate," said Nafsiah, who attended the WHO-sponsored Global Consultation for Policy Makers on Women and AIDS in Geneva this month.

Speaking at a press conference which was also attended by non- governmental organization and women activists on Thursday, she said some eight million women in their reproductive age are infected with HIV, 1.3 million of whom live in South and Southeast Asia.

From almost absent in the 1980's, over 14 million women will have been infected by the year 2000 and four million of them will have died, she said. "Every minute every day of the year, two women become infected by HIV and every two minutes a woman dies from AIDS." she said.

According to WHO reports, up to 50 percent of all new HIV infections are in women. Fifty to 60 percent of HIV infections occur in young people aged 15-24, most of whom are girls, girl adolescent and young women.

Young women, adolescents and younger girls were especially vulnerable because many of them -- for a variety of different reasons, including economic pressure -- are actively involved in sexual intercourse.

Nafsiah cited that in some cases, older men try to avoid getting HIV from 'older' prostitutes and opt for young girls instead. However, many of them may be unaware that they already have the virus from past relationships and instead of being infected they transmit the HIV to the female.

"And if a woman gets AIDS, she will almost be certain to have an HIV-infected baby," Nafsiah added.

She stressed that both women and men had an equal responsibility in AIDS care and in preventing further transmission. "Men have to take their fair share of the responsibility in preventing the spread of AIDS," Nafsiah stressed.

She said that everyone, regardless of their job, should do their best in solving the problem.

"Religious leaders must prevent the spread of AIDS by conveying religious messages to as many people as possible, while NGO activists can do their share in the anti-AIDS campaign by promoting condoms for safe sex," she cited.

Changing attitudes, she said, was "very, very, difficult" and therefore she recommended people to "opt for the AIDS prevention method which they feel is most suitable to them... be it through religion, abstinence, or -- if they can't help it -- by using a condom".

In Indonesia, 280 people have tested positive for HIV.

"But the actual number could be as high as 350,000, judging from the extremely biased methods of assessment in the country," Nafsiah said.

She said that the bias could be seen, for example, in the HIV tests which are imposed only to female prostitutes.

"What about the male prostitutes and their clients?" she asked, adding that such discriminations often occurred in practice although it was not necessarily stipulated in official policies.

Nafsiah, who is a legislator from Commission VIII of the House of Representatives which oversees health and welfare issues, said that integrating anti-AIDS campaigns with campaigns against other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) would be effective.

"People are more familiar with STDs. By integrating AIDS with other STDs, they will realize that AIDS is not so far-fetched as they may have thought," Nafsiah said.

She said that in all provinces in Indonesia, STD cases have significantly shown a sharp increase. She was certain that the actual number of AIDS/HIV cases in the country could well be much closer to the number of STD cases than results of HIV tests.

Nafsiah said that changes in the pattern of infection -- which was once believed to be limited exclusively among homosexuals -- was mainly due to biological conditions, social-cultural discrimination and economic situations of women.

"Biologically, women are more vulnerable to HIV...This makes women two to four times more susceptible to an HIV infection compared to men," Nafsiah said.

She explained that the Consultation in Geneva, which brought together members of parliaments, representatives of people with HIV/AIDS, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and ministries, concluded that top-level political commitment was needed to reduce the social vulnerability of women to HIV infection.

This, she said, could only be achieved by increasing access and utilization of basic education, health services, legal protection from exploitation and other services which will enhance the women's economic independence and security.

The Consultation also recommended that women should be empowered and encouraged in their own efforts at networking, information exchange and advocacy so they could protect themselves and others against HIV infection.

The Consultation saw the importance of the role of the media in supporting and educating the public to stop the spread of infection and minimize stigmatization of those with AIDS.

It considered that research was vital to find ways for men and women to make new and sustained efforts to build effective alliances, based on mutual respect and for the mutual benefit of both.