Focus On Women's AIDS Vulnerability

The Financial Times, May 20, 2003

Letter to the Editor

Sir, As the US Congress moves to approve President Bush's Dollars 15bn international Aids initiative, it is critical to acknowledge what works in the fight against the epidemic ("Global spending on Aids prevention 'falling short'", May 14).

In addition to adequate funding, prevention programmes must address the fact that women now account for more than half of all Aids cases. Accordingly, Aids dollars must go to ending sexual violence, child marriage, and other practices that make women even more vulnerable than men to HIV. They should also include behaviour modification programmes that encourage people to be responsible in their sexual activity, and promotion of condom use.

The US government should emphasise the value of such programmes in the face of a disease that will otherwise kill 70m people in the next 20 years.

ADRIENNE GERMAIN
President, International Women's Health Coalition
New York, NY

Originally published in The Financial Times, May 20, 2003. Reprinted with permission.

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