World Population Day and women living with HIV

[Guest guest]

WORLD POPULATION DAY

Fiona Pettitt, ICW

***

11th July 2003

As the world marks World Population Day, the International Community

of Women living with HIV/AIDS commemorates the loss of over 1 million

women around the world, who died with AIDS during this last year.These

women were teachers, accountants, farmers, lawyers, theologians, sex

workers, doctors, students, street sweepers, librarians, nurses, IT

experts, community workers - and volunteers. They were mothers,

grand-mothers, sisters, lovers, wives, daughters, aunts - and volunteers.

They used to laugh, cry, comfort, support, sing, dance, cook, weed, clean,

nurture - and volunteer. They volunteered their time and energy, despite

so many other commitments, to reduce the impact of HIV in their

communities. Yet despite their immense efforts, they were often treated

with scorn, rejected and isolated by their families, their colleagues and

their communities.

These women are now dead and gone forever.Their children have no mother.

Their husbands have no wives. Their parents have no daughter. Their

siblings have no sister. Their colleagues have no work-mate. Their

dependants have no carer. Their countries are without their workers. Their

communities have no volunteers. Their lives are finished.There are

currently over 19 million women in the world who are living with the HIV

virus in their bodies.Most of these women do not need to fall sick and die.

If they had access

to love and respect from their communities, to the care and treatment for

the opportunistic infections which drain their energy, and to the

anti-retroviral drugs which can keep the HIV virus at bay, they would still

be contributing fully to the world in which they lived, as do their sisters

who are still alive.How many more years will it take until there is global

access to care and treatment for HIV positive women and an end to these

needless illnesses and deaths?

The International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) is the only

international network run by and for HIV positive women. ICW's vision is a

world where all HIV positive women:. Have a respected and meaningful

involvement at all political levels, local, national, regional, and

international, where decisions that affect our lives are being made;. Have

full access to care and treatment; and . Enjoy full rights, particularly

sexual, reproductive, legal, financial and general health

rights;irrespective of our culture, age, religion, sexuality, social or

economic status/class and race.If you would like to find out more about us

and the work we do, please visit our website at www.icw.org The

International Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS.

Fiona Pettitt

E-mail: fiona.pettitt@...

http://www.icw.org/tiki-view_articles.php