Joint statement on occasion of the International Women´s Day
UN Women Regional Office, Americas & Caribbean and UNAIDS Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Panama City, 8March 2016 - International Women´s Day commemorates the women’s fight for participation and equality and to eradicate gender inequities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, this important day is propitious to call the attention to women´s vulnerability to HIV. Empowering women and girls and closing the gap of gender inequities are central components of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goal to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
At a global level, women account for 51% of adults living with HIV. Adolescent girls and young women are particularly vulnerable: in 2014, 3.9 million young people were living with HIV, and 58% of them were young women. Though Latin America and the Caribbean are characterized by HIV epidemics concentrated in key populations, during the last decade the proportion of women living with HIV has grown constantly. In 2014, 540,000 women over 15 years were living with HIV in Latin America, (i.e. 31% of all people with HIV in the region, whilst in 2001 they accounted for 28%). In the Caribbean, 130,000 women were living with HIV in 2014, representing 50% of the entire adult population with HIV.
Women and girls’ vulnerability to HIV is closely linked to gender inequities in politics, economics and society, as well as to gender violence and abuse. Several studies show a correlation between experiences of violence and HIV infection. In all countries and environments, women who suffered violence from their partners were twice as likely to become infected with HIV, compared to those who had not intimate partner violence.
Moreover, early sexual debut, a reality in Latin America and the Caribbean, exposes girls and adolescents to a higher risk of HIV infection, particularly when it occurs within violent relationships, as it is often impossible for them to negotiate condom use. Limited access to friendly comprehensive services, information and education on sexual and reproductive health increase the vulnerability of girls and young women.
Child marriage is another deplorable phenomenon, which limits the development opportunities of girls and young women and increases the likelihood of teenage pregnancy, along with the risk of complications and HIV infection.
On the occasion of this 8th of March, UN Women and UNAIDS recognize the indomitable work of women and the organizations that fight by their side to highlight the link between violence and gender inequities as drivers of HIV infection. We therefore call upon States and their governments, civil society and international cooperation to join efforts to:
Contacts
UN Women Regional Office, Americas & Caribbean| Edgar Carrasco | HIV and Gender Equality Specialist
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UNAIDS Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Michela Polesana |Communication|Latin America| Phone: +507 301 4626 |Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. | www.onusida-latina.org|
Cedriann Martin |Communication| Caribbean | Phone: +1 876 960 6536 |Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero aids related deaths. UNAIDS brings together efforts of 11 United Nations organizations (UNICEF,WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, UNHCR, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank) and works closely with global and national partners to maximize the response results.
UN Women
UN Women is the UN agency for gender equality & women's empowerment. It was established to accelerate progress on meeting the needs of women & girls worldwide.
Panama City, 8March 2016 - International Women´s Day commemorates the women’s fight for participation and equality and to eradicate gender inequities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, this important day is propitious to call the attention to women´s vulnerability to HIV. Empowering women and girls and closing the gap of gender inequities are central components of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goal to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
At a global level, women account for 51% of adults living with HIV. Adolescent girls and young women are particularly vulnerable: in 2014, 3.9 million young people were living with HIV, and 58% of them were young women. Though Latin America and the Caribbean are characterized by HIV epidemics concentrated in key populations, during the last decade the proportion of women living with HIV has grown constantly. In 2014, 540,000 women over 15 years were living with HIV in Latin America, (i.e. 31% of all people with HIV in the region, whilst in 2001 they accounted for 28%). In the Caribbean, 130,000 women were living with HIV in 2014, representing 50% of the entire adult population with HIV.
Women and girls’ vulnerability to HIV is closely linked to gender inequities in politics, economics and society, as well as to gender violence and abuse. Several studies show a correlation between experiences of violence and HIV infection. In all countries and environments, women who suffered violence from their partners were twice as likely to become infected with HIV, compared to those who had not intimate partner violence.
Moreover, early sexual debut, a reality in Latin America and the Caribbean, exposes girls and adolescents to a higher risk of HIV infection, particularly when it occurs within violent relationships, as it is often impossible for them to negotiate condom use. Limited access to friendly comprehensive services, information and education on sexual and reproductive health increase the vulnerability of girls and young women.
Child marriage is another deplorable phenomenon, which limits the development opportunities of girls and young women and increases the likelihood of teenage pregnancy, along with the risk of complications and HIV infection.
On the occasion of this 8th of March, UN Women and UNAIDS recognize the indomitable work of women and the organizations that fight by their side to highlight the link between violence and gender inequities as drivers of HIV infection. We therefore call upon States and their governments, civil society and international cooperation to join efforts to:
- Strengthen leadership of women and girls to have access to services, knowledge and claim their rights, including sexual and reproductive rights.
- Ensure and strengthen a joint response to HIV and gender based violence, eliminating barriers in access to services and eliminating forced sterilization.
- Provide technical support to civil society networks, especially those of women living with HIV, for a sustainable HIV response in the framework of the 90-90-90 targets and Zero Discrimination.
- Eliminate child marriage, a harmful practice which affects adolescents and girls
- Mobilize additional funding to integrate the elimination of gender based violence in the HIV response.
- Strengthen alliances for joint collaboration between women’s organizations, feminists and networks and organizations working in the areas of HIV, gender based violence and gender equity.
Contacts
UN Women Regional Office, Americas & Caribbean| Edgar Carrasco | HIV and Gender Equality Specialist
| Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. |
UNAIDS Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Michela Polesana |Communication|Latin America| Phone: +507 301 4626 |Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. | www.onusida-latina.org|
Cedriann Martin |Communication| Caribbean | Phone: +1 876 960 6536 |Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero aids related deaths. UNAIDS brings together efforts of 11 United Nations organizations (UNICEF,WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, UNHCR, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank) and works closely with global and national partners to maximize the response results.
UN Women
UN Women is the UN agency for gender equality & women's empowerment. It was established to accelerate progress on meeting the needs of women & girls worldwide.