March 06, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

On March 5, UNAIDS in Geneva released a report after 40 years into the HIV epidemic whereas AIDS remains the leading cause of death of women of reproductive age. It identifies obstacles including gaps in education, gender discrimination and violence, and lack of economic empowerment and protection of health and rights.

The UNAIDS report warned nowadays women and girls are still vulnerable to HIV. HIV infection by mid-2019 was reportedly more than 24 million people living with HIV on treatment in which there were more than 13 million women aged 15 years old and over. Unfortunately, AIDS remains the leading cause of death for women aged between 15 and 49 years old. It revealed an alarming fact that there are about 6000 young women aged between 15 and 24 years old contracting HIV every week.

The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action has been a historic blueprint for governments worldwide, in general, to adopt gender equality to grant the human rights of women and girls since 1995. The new UNAIDS report simply echoes globally for awareness in advancing women's rights prior to the celebration of the International Women’s Day on March 8.

Photo:Webshot.