Equal opportunities for HIV-positive women urged

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Equal opportunities for HIV-positive women urged

By IANS, Saturday November 4, 04:10 PM

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) A leading economic think tank has urged

policymakers to ensure equal access to treatment and livelihood

opportunities for HIV-positive women to reduce their economic and

social vulnerability.

'It is imperative to see that women who are disproportionately

affected by HIV and AIDS get equal opportunities to access

treatment,' stated the National Council for Applied Economic

Research (NCAER) in a report on 'Gender impact of HIV and AIDS in

India', published in its latest monthly bulletin.

'One of the ways (to do so) is to provide more education to women.

Creating livelihood opportunities for more women will reduce their

dependency and expand their financial freedom,' stated NCAER, which

conducted a household survey during October 2004 to May 2005 with

the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the

National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

The state-run NACO's estimates for 2005 indicate that women in India

account for around two million of the approximately 5.2 million

people afflicted by HIV and AIDS.

According to NACO, of the 111,608 AIDS cases reported in the country

till July 31, 2005, females accounted for nearly 30 percent.

In India, the inferior social status of women, poverty, early

marriage, trafficking, sex work, migration, lack of education and

gender discrimination are some of the factors responsible for

increasing the vulnerability of women and girls to the HIV infection.

Women and girls seem to bear disproportionate brunt of the epidemic

financially, socially and economically.

The survey covered 2,068 HIV households and 6,224 non-HIV households

spread over the rural and urban areas of six high prevalence states

of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur and

Nagaland. Of the 2,386 positive cases nearly 44 percent were women.

The present study reiterates the general perception that women are

disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, with more than 40

percent of the sample HIV positive women admitting to not having any

say in matters relating to if and when to have sex and in making

their husbands use condom.

Access to female controlled prevention options and improving women's

skills through education and awareness in using such options and

negotiating safe sex behaviour with their partners will go a long

way in their attaining control over their body and protecting

themselves from HIV and other infections, states the report.

'These women not only need training in nutrition, hygiene, drug

management, universal precautions and basic nursing skills to handle

their sick relatives, but also counselling, and moral and emotional

support. Home-based care programmes could be promoted to reduce the

burden on women,' said the think tank.

The report also focuses on the need of elderly caregivers of the

orphans, in particular the elderly women, who not only need

psychological and economic support, but also access to medical care

so that they could maintain their own good health.

The survey also brings out the deplorable conditions of the

household headed by HIV-positive widow. As compared to other

households, their income is much lower, said NCAER.

[A pdf copy of the report is available at the following url

http://www.undp.org.in/HIVAIDS/reports/Gender.pdf Moderator]

http://in.news./061104/43/692hr.html