http://archive.blackvoices.com/newswire/blackworld_article.asp?ID=866 In Southern Africa 75% of HIV Positive Youth Are Female
NewsRx.com
July 22, 2004
The laws guaranteeing equality are in place, the anti-AIDS information is out there, the girls are going to school in ever greater numbers, and yet young women in Southern Africa are becoming infected with HIV at an alarming rate.
In South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, more than 75% of HIV positive youth aged 15 to 24 are female. HIV prevalence among pregnant women average 25% in the region, but remain below 15% in East Africa and under 10% in West Africa.
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In the context of men growing up believing masculinity means having plenty of sexual partners, being faithful to your husband does not prevent infection. Using a condom requires a willing partner, and in a region where one in five women has been physically abused, fear can undermine an insistence on protection, the task force noted.
Poverty drives girls and women into exchanging sex for goods, gifts, food, bus fare, or school fees. As a result, young women tend to have sexual partners who are 5 to 10 years older, and more likely to be infected with HIV. A study in Zambia found that 18% of girls tested HIV positive within a year of losing their virginity, said the report.
Keeping girls in schools helps them delay sex, but only if they are not having forced sex with teachers and students. Governments, schools, communities, and parents need to work together to make schools a safe place for girls, with zero tolerance for teachers who sexually harass students, urged the report.
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