International Women's Day

Childreach
Thursday, 8 March 2001

HIV/AIDS: PLAN International Warns That Girls Orphaned By Aids Are A High Risk Group For Sexual Abuse And Exploitation

One of the most devastating effects of the AIDS epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where up to 70% of the world's HIV positive people live, is the rise of child-headed households and the breakup of traditional family structures. In a cultural context where women are still struggling to assert their most fundamental rights, the girl-child is in a particularly vulnerable position when it comes to saying NO to engaging in sexual intercourse and postponing marriage until completion of education.

Studies carried out in countries hard hit by HIV/AIDS indicate that girls orphaned by AIDS are more likely to be married off by their adoptive family sooner rather than later. This trend represents a significant setback of development gains achieved in the field of education in the past decade. Economic hardship and lack of alternatives often force many young women into sexual relationships before they are psychologically and emotionally ready for them.

"The sugar daddy phenomenon in sub Saharan Africa is a result of economic pressures and lack of other means to meet basic needs", explains Abiola Tilley Gyado, Senior Health Advisor for PLAN International. Sugar daddies are typically older men who exchange material or financial favors for sex with young girls. Because male-to-female HIV transmission is eight times more likely to occur than female-to-male transmission, women are more vulnerable to HIV infection than men. "In a situation where an increasing number of women are HIV positive, men turn to younger women as a protection against AIDS", says Tilley Gyado. In general, gender, social, and economic inequalities result in women being less able to negotiate for safer sex or to choose their sexual partners.

Young women whose parents are sick with HIV related illnesses are also likely to become the primary caretakers of their dying parents. This role makes them especially vulnerable to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, not to mention the heavy emotional and psychological pressures they experience as a result of this burden. Despite the tragic statistics on young women and AIDS that are periodically released by international organizations, there are ways to decrease HIV transmission rates and further empower young women and men in their fight against AIDS.

School based prevention programs have become a critical component of awareness raising campaigns throughout Africa. In Domboramwari Secondary School, in a sub-district of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, a group of 43 peer educators is breaking the silence on HIV/AIDS by discussing sensitive issues related to sexuality through role play and poster competitions. PLAN International believes that access to information is critical in preventing HIV/AIDS, removing the stigma from HIV and increasing the negotiating skills of young women. In Uganda the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA), a local organization supported by PLAN International, implements strategies for "succession planning". This approach addresses the economic, legal, emotional and practical aspects of parents dying and leaving behind children orphaned by AIDS. Activities include setting up income generating projects for women who are HIV positive and their families, writing wills, providing vocational training for young women orphaned by AIDS, sensitizing the community and creating spaces where children affected by AIDS can openly talk about their concerns.

PLAN International is a private, non-profit and child-focused development organization founded in 1937 and currently operating in 57 countries. The organization has more than twelve years experience implementing HIV/AIDS programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The core principles of PLAN's AIDS program strategy are: involvement of persons living with HIV/AIDS, program integration, community mobilization, child participation, gender awareness, capacity building and commitment to those who are most affected by the epidemic. PLAN International-together with CARE, Save the Children, the Society of Women and AIDS in Africa and the World Conference on Religion and Peace-is currently involved in establishing Hope for African Children, a joint pan-African initiative that aims to address the needs of children directly and indirectly affected by HIV/AIDS.

For more information, or to contact Childreach, see their website at: www.childreach.org