The global community needs to do more to battle the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, especially for women in the region, the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) says in a new report.
“Women in sub-Saharan Africa have enormous obstacles in their path and we have no choice but to assist,” NCNW chairman Dr. Dorothy I. Height said in a statement.
Among the findings contained in the report, entitled “A Devastating Tragedy: AIDS in Africa,” is that about 40% of HIV positive mothers in sub-Saharan Africa pass the virus to their neonates during birth. In addition, females who are not infected with HIV at birth are five times as likely to contract the virus in their teens than males.
“If governments, corporations and nongovernmental organizations coordinate strengths, we can begin to address the many challenges facing those with HIV/AIDS,” the NCNW says, noting that “one out of every five people in sub-Saharan Africa is HIV positive, and more than half of those infected are women.”
According to the organization, which is based in Washington, DC, with regional offices throughout Africa, “The initial goals include debt forgiveness–with the assurance that the funds are used on health and education programs, infrastructure improvements, and vigorous leadership from political leaders.”
Lack of access to medical facilities and medicines and ignorance among African women about AIDS are two major factors that need to be overcome to stop the spread of the disease, the NCNW says. Also, a disapproving cultural attitude towards AIDS patients that can lead to rejection from the community makes African women avoid HIV/AIDS testing “and agree to sex without condoms–passing the disease to the next generation.”
“A cooperative effort must focus on education of Africans about AIDS prevention, leading to the empowerment of women,” the women’s group says.
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