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With Women Worldwide: A Compact to End HIV/AIDS
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Sexual and reproductive rights are a pivotal neglected priority in HIV/AIDS policy, programming and resource allocation. Failure to protect the human rights of girls and women, including their right to health and their right to live free of sexual coercion and violence, fuels the pandemic. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and education, and protection of sexual and reproductive rights, are essential to ending it.
It is widely acknowledged that rates of HIV infection are increasing in women in every region in the world, and that these rates are often higher for girls and women than for men. Women, especially young women and girls, are vulnerable because of denial and neglect of their rights, gender inequality, social, cultural and economic factors, pervasive violence, and biology.
Girls' and women's empowerment must be at the center of a multi-sectoral response to the global pandemic. Regarding sexual and reproductive rights and health in particular, we call on HIV/AIDS decision makers at all levels to:
1. Redefine "High Risk": Recognize that women, especially young women and girls, are at serious risk, and that all women have the right to have access to confidential voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), treatment, care and support as part of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services
2. Expand Decision-making: Ensure that women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and women's health and rights advocates, are full participants in decision making, especially at the highest levels, so that decisions reflect the realities and needs of women.
3. Exercise Leadership: Prioritize in words and concrete actions reducing the risk and the burden of HIV/AIDS for women and girls, through protection of their sexual and reproductive rights and health, including the promotion of policies and laws against discrimination and sexual violence.
4. Invest HIV-targeted Funds: Allocate and monitor the use of significant HIV/AIDS resources for health services and education that protect and empower women and girls, including:
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Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services accessible to all women with capacity to deliver HIV/AIDS and other STI prevention, counseling, testing, care, and treatment (or referral) services;
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Universal access to subsidized female condoms as well as male condoms, and development and dissemination of microbicides and other women-initiated, prevention technologies, and vaccines;
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Comprehensive sexuality education that promotes sexual and reproductive rights, gender equality and skills development, as well as full and accurate information, for all children and youth in and out of school.
5. Strengthen HIV/AIDS Programs: Protect all women's health and rights through HIV/AIDS programs:
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Ensure women's access to confidential VCT, including support for the choice not to be tested; provide protection from violence, stigma, and discrimination that may result from disclosure of status.
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Ensure equitable, sustained access to treatment for AIDS and opportunistic infections for all women and girls, appropriate to their age, health and nutritional status, with full protection of their human rights including their sexual and reproductive rights; increase research on and development of appropriate treatment for various ages; and track access to treatment by age, sex, and continuity of care;
Moving forward from the 2006 United Nations High-Level meeting on HIV/AIDS, the international community has a key opportunity to incorporate this action agenda for women and girls as we work to achieve the goal of universal access to prevention, treatment, and care.
Supporting organizations: Aahung (Pakistan); ABIA (Brazil); ACAFEM (Cameroun); ACeS (Argentina); ActionAid International; Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD); Action Health Incorporated (AHI, Nigeria); ACT-UP DRASE HELLAS (Greece); Adolescence Idée Action (AIA, Cameroun); Adolescent Health and Information Project (AHIP, Nigeria); Advocates for Youth; American Institute for Health Research; African Federation for Sexual Health and Rights (AFSHR); African Microbicides Advocacy Group (AMAG); African Services Committee; African Women's Development Fund; African Women's Millennium Initiative on Poverty and Human Rights (AWOMI); Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Center (ARSRC); AHPN (UK); Aid for AIDS; AIDOS (Italy); AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families; AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa; AIDS Bereavement Project of Ontario; AIDS Cell (India); AIDS Foundation of Chicago; AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (USA); AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC); Ain O Salish Kendra (Bangladesh); AITANA (Russia); Alaturi de Voi (Close to You) Foundation (Romania); Alliance for Microbicide Development; Alliance Rights, Nigeria; ALUD Tucumán (Argentina); Amanitare; American Institute for Health Research; amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research; Amnesty International (global); Area de Estudios de Género de FLACSO (Chile); Aseer Foundation (Pakistan); Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW); Asia Pacific Alliance (APA); ASOCIACIÓN ALAS DE CORDOBA (Argentina); Asociación Argentina de Educadoras es Sexuales; Asociación Argentina de Sexualidad Humana (AASH); Asociación de Lucha Por una Mejor Calidad de Vida (A.Lu.Vi, Argentina); Asociación Mujeres Meretrices de la Republica Argentina (AMMAR); Association de Lutte Contre les Violences Faites aux Femmes (ALVF, Cameroun); Association des Amis Solidaires MERO (AASM); Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID); Association Tunisenne des Femmes Democrats (ATFD, Tunisia); ASTRA—Central and Eastern European Women's Network for Sexual and Reroductive Health and Rights; ATHENA; BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights (Nigeria); Blueprint for Action on Women and HIV/AIDS; Breakthrough: Building Human Rights Culture; British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society (BCPWA); Business Women's Initiative Against HIV/AIDS (USA); Cairde (Ireland); Calabar International Institute for Research, Information and Documentation/Conscientizing Male Adolescents (CIINSTRID/CMA, Nigeria); The Campaign Against Unwanted Pregnancy (CAUP, Nigeria); Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network; Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC); CARE (international); CARE Canada; Cátedra Sociología de la Salud, FCS, UBA (Argentina); Catholics for a Free Choice; Center for Women's Global Leadership; Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE); Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA); Center for Reproductive Rights; Center for Research on Reproductive Health of Campinas (CEMICAMP, Brazil); Central and Eastern European Women's Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASTRA); Centre for Environment, Preventive Health Care and Counselling (CEPHAC, Zimbabwe); Centre for Health Education, Prevention and Research (CHEPAR, Cote d'Ivoire); Charities Aid Foundation, Russia Representative Office (CAF, Russia); Choice for Youth and Sexuality (Netherlands); Citizen Action Against AIDS (ACCSI, Venezuela); CLADEM (Regional Network); The Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies; Community Education Group; Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP); Community Life Project (CLP, Nigeria); Concern Worldwide Horn of Africa Region; CREA; Desiree Alliance; Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN); EAWM (Austria); Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights; Encuentro de Ong's con Trabajo en VIH/Sida de Córdoba (Argentina); European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG, Belgium); European Women's Lobby; Family Care International (FCI); Family Planning International Development (FPAID, New Zealand); F.A.P. VIH Positivo (Argentina); Federation for Women and Family Planning (Poland); The Female Health Company (FHC, USA); The Female Health Foundation (FHF, USA); Femmes Devéloppement Santé (FESADE); Fenway Community Health (USA); FHI/IMPACT Cambodia; Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR, USA); Foundation for Study and Investigation on Women FEIM (Argentina); French Movement for Family Planning; Friendly Islands Human Rights and Democracy Movement, Inc.; Fundación Buenos Aires Sida (FBAS); Fundación Crisanto (Argentina); Fundación Descida-Prevención y Asistencia Médico-Psicológica y Legal en VIH/Sida (Argentina); Fundación Habitar (Argentina); Fundación Instituto de la Mujer (Chile); Fundación Zöe Centro (Argentina); GAYa NUSANTARA Foundation (Indonesia); Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC); Gestos (Brazil); Girls' Power Initiative (Nigeria); Global AIDS Alliance; Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC); Global Campaign for Microbicides; Global Harmony (India); Global Health Council; Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+); Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS, India); Grameen Swapna (Bangladesh); Guttmacher Institute; Health for All (Russia); Health Global Access Project (Health GAP, USA); Healthpartners (Kenya); Hesperian Foundation; Homosexual Argentinean Community (CHA); Housing Works; Humana People to People India; Human Rights Watch (HRW); Ibis Reproductive Health; ICASO; IDENTIDAD XQ28 (Argentina); IGLHRC; INCRESE; Instituto Centro Americano de la Salud (ICAS, Nicaragua); Interact Worldwide; Intercambios Asociación Civil (Argentina); Interkerkelijke Organisatie voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (ICCO, Netherlands); International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI); International AIDS Women's Caucus (IAWC); International Center for Research on Women; International Community of Women Living with AIDS (ICW); International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA); International Partnership for Microbicides; International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF); International Women's Health Coalition; Intersect Coalitions (India); Intersect Coalitions (South Africa); Intersect Worldwide (USA); Intilla Asociación Civil (Argentina); Ipas; Isis Internacional--Chile; Isis International--Manila; John Mordaunt Trust (UK); JOICP (Japan); KAIPPG International; KAIPPG Kenya; Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO); Kerkinactie (Netherlands); KOINONIA Presença Ecumênica e Serviço (Brazil); LACCASO; Latin America and Caribbean Women's Health Network; Malaysian AIDS Council; Mangrove Support Group (China); Margaret Sanger Center International; Marie Stopes International; Marie Stopes International Pacific; Mujer y Salud en Uruguay; Muleide (Mozambique); Namibia Parliamentarians for Women's Health; Naripokkho (Bangladesh); National Council of Jewish Women; The Naz Foundation (India) Trust; The New Woman Foundation (Egypt); Network of Asia Pacific Youth (NAPY); Network Women in Development Europe (WIDE); Nexo A.C. (Argentina); The Noah's Ark—Red Cross Foundation; ONG Internares (Argentina); Open Society Institute; Organización Familiares Enfrentando al Sida (O.F.E.S., Argentina); OTYO! (A Sigh of Relief, Uganda); pamojahopecare +(FBO) (Kenya); Parivartan (India); Parliamentarians for Women's Health Botswana); Pastoral Ecumenica VIH-SIDA (Argentina); PATH; Pathfinder International; Physicians for Human Rights (PHR); PILIPINA Legal Resources Center (Philippines); Population Action International; Population Institute; Positive Womenh Leaders of Uganda (POWL-U); Positive Women Network (India); Positive Women of Hope Organization (Cambodia); RAINBO; Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative; Red Argentina de Mujeres Viviendo con VIH-sida (Argentina); REDLA+; REDLAC; REDNAC (Argentina); Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing; REPEM (Regional Network); Rutgers Nisso Groep (Netherlands); Rwanda Women's Network; SANSAD (Regional Network); SANGRAM (India); Satavahana Development Society (SDS, India); Senim (Kazakhstan); Servicios Integrales para la Mujer-SI Mujer (Nicaragua); Sexuality and Information Council of the U.S. (SIECUS); Shen Yang Ai Zhi Yuan Zhu Center for Health and Education (China); Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Centre (Pakistan); Sisters in Islam (Malaysia); Society for Women and AIDS in Africa, Cameroun Chapter (SWAAC, Cameroun); S.Se.R.en el Sur (Argentina); Stichting Marieke Bevelanderhuis; Student Campaign for Child Survival; The Swedish Association for Sex Education (RFSU); Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues (TARSHI, India); Tanzania Network of Women Living with HIV and AIDS; TAPWAK (Kenya); Thai Women & HIV/AIDS Task Force; Title II Community AIDS National Network (TII CANN); Treatment Action Campaign (TAC, South Africa); Trinidad and Tobago HIV/AIDS Alliance; Tshwane University of Technology, HIV-Institutional Programme (South Africa); Turning Point Foundation (India); Uganda Treatment Access Movement; Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations; The United Church of Canada; United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society; United Nations Foundation; Usana Research and Development; Venezuelan Network of Positive People (RVG+); Vision (Pakistan); VSO (International); The Well Project; WISH (Women's Initiative to Stop HIV)-NY of the Legal Action Center; Women for Women's Human Rights - New Ways (Turkey); Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya; Women Organization for Rural Development Networking (WORDNET); Women's Edge Coalition; Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO); Women's Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP); Women's Health Foundation (Indonesia); Women's Initiatives (WINS, India); Women's Support Group (Sri Lanka); Woodhull Freedom Foundation; World AIDS Campaign; World Population Foundation; World Student Christian Federation (WSCF); World YWCA; YKP (Indonesia); Young Activists Against AIDS (YA3) Organization (Ghana); Young Women's Leadership Institute (Kenya); Youth Coalition (global).
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