Anti-Aids Measures 'fail Women'

Efforts to fight the HIV/Aids epidemic are failing because they are not reaching women and girls, who are most affected in the poorest countries, according to Peter Piot, executive director of the United Nations Aids programme.

"Half of all people affected by HIV are women. In Africa, it...

Efforts to fight the HIV/Aids epidemic are failing because they are not reaching women and girls, who are most affected in the poorest countries, according to Peter Piot, executive director of the United Nations Aids programme.

"Half of all people affected by HIV are women. In Africa, it is up to 60%," said Dr Piot yesterday.

"Girls are two and a half times more likely to be infected than boys of their age." The prevention slogan of abstinence, fidelity and condoms, which is heavily promoted, was pretty irrelevant to many women, he said.

"They are infected by their only sexual partner, their husband or their regular boyfriend. Marriage doesn't protect against HIV."

Dr Piot was speaking at the launch of a new body called the Global Coalition on Women and Aids, which aims to take up the cause of women in Africa and Asia who do not have status or economic power, and are so subordinate to their man that they cannot negotiate even the use of a condom within marriage.

The coalition, whose members include the former Irish president Mary Robinson and the actor Emma Thompson, aims to raise awareness of the problem, document impact of the disease on women, and catalyse action.

It wants to champion the cause of primary and secondary education for girls and campaign against violence against women.

The coalition will take up the issues of property and inheritance rights, work on preventing girls from becoming infected, and try to ensure that women get equal access to drug treatment.