Gender Awareness, Stepping Stone

to HIV Prevention
Anirudha Alam

The spread of HIV and STI is mounting in developing countries through gender
inequality and taboos around sexuality. It results in discrimination and stigma associated
with drastic poverty and marginalization. Leading to empowerment, happiness and well
being, gender awareness can help to promote both rights to be free of violence and
coercion around sexuality. Sexual rights, an inclusive framework, guide to have
knowledge of the links between different sexuality issues thoroughly recognizing that
campaign against sexual violence must continue.

The number of women living with HIV is mushrooming than the number of men through
out the world. In 2004, the number of women (15+) living with HIV was 12.7 million in
Sub-Saharan Africa. But the number was increased to 13.3 million in 2006. HIV
epidemic is disproportionately affecting women of South Africa. Young women (15-24
years) are four times more likely to be infected by HIV than are young men in this region.
Prevalence among young women was 17% compared with 4.4% among young men in
2005.

HIV/AIDS entrenches gender inequality, denial and as well as threats to basic human
rights. The relationship between HIV, gender and sexuality may be intertwined as a
vicious circle. Unfortunately this aftermath limits women’s access to reproductive health
information, STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) prevention technologies and treatment.
There is no doubt that gender inequality makes women experience poverty and
vulnerable to STIs gravely.

According to the findings of BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services), 95% of

the rural adolescent girls in Bangladesh are vulnerable to STIs and ill health due to
gender discrimination, sexual violence and lack of knowledge regarding reproductive
health. They do not know how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Rainbow Nari O
Shishu Kallyan Foundation found that adolescent girls are two times more vulnerable to
HIV and STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) than the adolescent boys in urban areas of
Bangladesh because of sexual harassment. In the name of so called gender equality, their
reckless free mixing subculture is making them vulnerable significantly as well.

To curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, it is necessary to challenge the stigmatization and

discrimination faced by women living with HIV/AIDS. Counting on collective action at
all levels from community to national level, gender equality can strengthen the HIV and
STI prevention through a coordinated action for establishing the right of safe sex. In
2005, half of the new HIV infections occurred due to unprotected sex in China. Moreover
with HIV spreading successively from most-at-risk population to general population, the
number of HIV infections among women is increasing fast.

In the developing countries, most of the women have very little or no knowledge about
HIV transmission as well as risk before they are diagnosed HIV positive. Married women
do not want to think that they may be at risk of infection. In Bangladesh, the women are
induced by their family members to conceive. On the other hand, they feel under presser
from healthcare workers to avoid conception. But in most cases, none of them provides
necessary information clearly to help the vulnerable women conceive safely or to lessen
risk of mother to child transmissions.

Involving women living with HIV, national social welfare organizations, community
based organizations (CBOs), academies and policymakers, there may be a promising plan
to develop advocacy strategies and extend counseling to women diagnosed in antenatal
clinics. It will highlight the necessity to ameliorate the plight as for gendered response to
the needs and desires of vulnerable women. Consequently it will be possible to build their
life skills to enable them to work with field workers, researchers, monitors, evaluators,
policymakers at all levels of program design and implementation, research, monitoring,
evaluation and policymaking. Then it would be possible to keep HIV in bay effectively
stamping out discrimination, stigmatization and sexual violence through gender
awareness as a whole.

Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS
Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206
Bangladesh.
Website: http://www.bees-bd.org
Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank