ACTIVISTS on HIV have strongly advised African countries to invest in policies and programmes that empower women and girls to take action to prevent HIV infection as they are the most vulnerable groups.
One of the Activist Anna Sango from Zimbabwe told the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Africa (ICASA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that without focusing on women and girls HIV will continue to be a threat to Africa.
Presenting a paper “Addressing HIV Vulnerability: Women, Youth and Gender Perspective” Sango said if the African countries Tanzania included are committed to reduce HIV by 50 percent by 2015 they must implement women and girls centered programmes.
The Activist mentioned such programmed to include to include those which empower women economically, enhance girls education and life skills meant to provide young girls with tips on how to sexual relations which plunge them into the risks of HIV infection.
She said some young women who lack life skills are easily lured into drug abuse and alcoholism; a factor which subject them into risks of HIV contraction. “Women and girls who use drugs and/or alcohol are at more risk 7to10 times of contracting HIV that those who do not use those substances”, she noted.
TAMWA reporter quoted Sango as saying prevention of HIV from mother to child and campaigns against Gender Based Violence in all forms are other important women and girls centered programmes which all African countries need to engage with strategically if they really want to make an impact in AIDS battle.
She said pilot projects that have been undertaken in Africa focusing on women and girls centered policies and programmes have proved to be very effective in cutting down new infections not only among women and girls but in community as a whole.
Another Activist Professor David Serwadda from the Marerere University in Uganda speaking on treatment as a prevention of HIV said African countries need to ensure that women and girls access AIDS treatments through friendly environments as a means to reduce new infections.
He said without designing HIV and AIDS health facilities that are friendly to women and girls, the groups will continue to be marginalized in treatments and as such accelerate new infections.