Accountability to Women and Girls in the AIDS Response - World YWCA Statement to the United Nations High Level Meeting

[Guest guest]

Accountability to Women

and Girls in the AIDS Response

World YWCA Statement to the United

Nations High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS New York, June 2008

Women and

girls urgently need strong leadership and accountability by governments for

effective and sustainable solutions to the AIDS pandemic that meet their needs.

Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, must be

achieved by 2010. The United Nations High Level Meeting is held at a critical

moment when all governments must show commitment and apply concrete resources

and action that will achieve Universal Access by 2010.

Globally women make up 46% of all people living with HIV, and the proportion of

women infected with HIV is increasing in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region most

affected by AIDS, 61% of all adults and three out of four young people living

with the virus are female (HIV Epidemiology update, UNAIDS 2007). As HIV

increasingly affects women and girls, a gender-balanced approach to the

pandemic will ensure reduction in HIV prevalence, better access to treatment

and care for all those who need it.

In 2001

governments committed that by 2005, 90% of young people would be able to

correctly identify modes of HIV transmission and prevention. Yet as of 2007, only 40% of young males and only 36% of

young females had accurate HIV knowledge. The Universal

Access target for HIV knowledge among youth is 95% by 2010 (WHO/UNAIDS/UNICEF,

Towards Universal Access, Scaling Up Priority HIV/AIDS Interventions in the

Health Sector, Progress Report, 2007).

Policies,

implemented by governments, in the absence of in-depth analysis on how HIV

affects women and girls and based on human rights, are unconscionable.

Violence, socio-economic and legal challenges experienced by many HIV-positive

women and girls with regard to treatment, care and support require strong

scrutiny.

Universal

Access will not be realised without strategic plans bound by human rights,

science, gender responsive budgets that are gender transformative, created in

partnership with civil society and PLHIV and above all – are accountable

to the people. As civil society and the convener of the International

Women’s Summit on Women’s Leadership

on HIV and AIDS, (Nairobi,

July 2007), we draw the attention of Member States to three areas that need

proactive leadership to ensure that:

1.

Adequate resources are made available

to support the capacity of women and girls to lead change on HIV and AIDS.

As the AIDS pandemic becomes increasingly feminised, the World YWCA calls for

increased funding to include building the capacity of women and girls to be

visible and effective in making decisions, designing solutions and implementing

strategies that will reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in the community.

The World

YWCA welcomes the increased global financing of HIV and AIDS programmes,

however, if holistic solutions are to be achieved, funding must increase

significantly and should go beyond financing traditional HIV and AIDS

programmes. Funding should include programmes and actions that empower women

and girls as a strategic solution to reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS.

2.

Women and girls are free from physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

Studies indicate that women are more likely to be victims of sexual violence

than men and are thus more vulnerable to HIV. In order to reduce the prevalence

of HIV infection governments and civil society must take action against gender

inequality and gender based violence, which rob too many women of control over their

bodies and lives.

Figures

demonstrate the great personal security threat that women and girls face. Men

and women must take leadership to ensure violence against women is eradicated

and women’s security is guaranteed through appropriate legislation and

programmes that support survivors of violence.

3.

Stigma and discrimination is

eradicated, offering solidarity and support to all women and girls,

particularly those infected and affected by HIV. After 25

years of HIV, stigma and discrimination continue to drive this pandemic.

Following promises made, we still wait for change on many different levels as

the human rights of people living with HIV continue to be violated.

Today, over 70 countries still impose some form of HIV-specific restrictions on

the entry and residence of PLHIV. HIV related travel restrictions are a

violation of human rights and have negative public health effects (Action for

Universal Access by 2010: Civil Society Task Force 2008).

Laws that criminalise HIV transmission further fuel stigma. This is

another violation of human rights commitments and these laws must be

eliminated.

The

World YWCA demands that governments fulfil their promises and remove barriers

that prevent women and girls from accessing services that ensure their health

and wellbeing.

For more information contact:

Kaburo Kobia

Communications Director

World YWCA 16 Ancienne Route CH-1218 Grand Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland

Telephone (+41) 22 929 60 30 | Telefax (+41) 22 929 6044

Website: www.worldywca.org

| Email: communication@...

The World YWCA is a global movement that reaches 25

million women and girls in 125 countries, providing them with the space and

skills to develop leadership to achieve justice, peace, security, health, human

dignity, freedom and care for the environment for the entire community.

Forwarded

by:

---------------------------

Yours in Global Concern

A.SANKAR

Executive Director

EMPOWER.

107J / 133E, puram

TUTICORIN-628 008

INDIA

Telefax: 91 461 2310151

Mobile: 91 94431 48599

www.empowerindia.org

EMPOWER

is a Non-profit, Non-Political, Voluntary and Professional Civil

Society Organisation.

- Registered in the year 1991-

Engaged in developmental work for the past 16 years in Southern Tamil Nadu.