Minister Lehtomäki: Prevention and improvement of girls’ and women’s status central in tackling HIV/AIDS
Press release 501/2006
1 December, 2006
Improving the status of women and girls and preventing infections have received too little attention in work to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic, stated Paula Lehtomäki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development today at the International World AIDS Day Seminar in Helsinki. At the seminar the Minister launched the EU Statement on Tackling HIV/AIDS: Making Further Progress, which emphasises the need for pregnant women, children, young people and vulnerable groups to have access to prevention, medication, care and support. This can also reduce the orphaning of children, which is one of the most destructive consequences of the AIDS epidemic.
According to the UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic released last week, women now represent half of people living with HIV and about half of those contracting HIV are younger than 25 years old. Young women have a manifold risk of contracting HIV compared to men of the same age. The virus spreads mainly though heterosexual transmission. The EU Statement stresses, in fact, that the epidemic can be curbed only by assuring girls’ and women’s access to sexual and reproductive health and rights without pressure, compulsion or violence.
According to the UNAIDS report, some 39.5 million people are now living with HIV/AIDS. An estimated 4.3 million people have contracted the virus and 2.9 people have died of HIV/AIDS.
The EU encourages the international community to work to prevent contraction of the virus, in particular. Work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS should be intensified and access to medication should be improved in a way that takes account of human rights issues, especially gender inequality and the stigma and discrimination associated with infection. Estimates suggest that 9 million infections can be prevented by medication, while simultaneous expansion of preventive efforts and access to medication could prevent 29 million infections by the year 2020. The World Bank estimates that each euro spent for prevention can save up to as much as 33 euros in the cost of medications.
The EU Statement highlights the right to information and services also because it is known that young people generally behave responsibly when they have the necessary information and equipment at their disposal. Improving the social and economic status of women and children can also decrease the risk of HIV infection. Development of reproductive health and maternity services as part of health care, in turn, helps reduce HIV infections in general, including mother-child infections.
In work to tackle the epidemic, it is important to consider the phases of the epidemic and all population groups. Many nations are unwilling to provide services for vulnerable groups including, for instance , sex workers, injection drug users, prison populations and men who have sex with men. This is disturbing, because in many countries, injection drug users and paid sex services are the main reasons for the spread of the epidemic. In addition, fear of discrimination can prevent people in risk groups and other virus carriers from using health services for preventing infection and for treatment even when these services exist.
Although the epidemic is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, it is increasing the fastest in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Because HIV knows no borders, the epidemic is a serious challenges also within the EU. The recent increase in new infections in several EU Member States as well as the 2005 Eurobarometer findings indicate the need for rapidly increasing HIV information and prevention also in Europe.
Finalnd takes part in work to tackle HIV/AIDS not only as part of the EU but also by granting development cooperation funds of some 10 million euros a year, among others, in support to UNAIDS and the Global Fund. HIV/AIDS work is also funded through civic society organisations and through neighbouring cooperation funds administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The theme of the World AIDS Day Seminar was “How to keep the promise? HIV and Young Women” and it was organised by the Finnish HIV Network in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Additional information: HIV/AIDS Counsellor Heli Mikkola, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 6065
EU Statement on World AIDS Day by Minister Lehtomäki