Half of all people living with HIV globally are now women and this figure rises to over 60 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, where young women aged 15-24 can be several times more likely to be HIV-positive than their male counterparts. In order to offer women greater protection against the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designed a hands-on tool to integrate gender into AIDS programmes in the health sector.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
The impact of the epidemic on women is exacerbated by a number of factors women can face, including economic dependence on men which may limit their ability to refuse sex or negotiate condom use; their relatively low status, their vulnerability to violence, and lack of access to information and education about HIV. home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Such inequalities affect women’s experience of HIV, limiting their ability to cope once infected. In 2001 and 2006, the UN General Assembly Declarations of Commitment on AIDS spelled out the need for member states to address gender inequality as a major driver of the epidemic.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Field-tested in five countries (Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Sudan and Tanzania), the new tool helps those planning and implementing AIDS programmes in the health sector to better understand the links between gender inequalities and the virus. It raises awareness of how these inequalities influence women’s access to, uptake of, and experience with such programmes and services in the health sector.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit