Dear Editor,
Since 1988, December 1 has been a day of bringing messages of compassion, hope, solidarity and understanding about AIDS to every country in the world. Each year there is a particular theme chosen for Word AIDS Day, and for 2008 it is ‘Leadership,’ promoted with the slogan, ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.’
Don’t forget to wear your red ribbon. The ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round, but particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV/AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment.
Women now represent about the half of the people living with HIV. However, today the majority of persons who become HIV-positive and who die of AIDS in developing countries are women. Several factors which are rooted in social relations and women’s economic realities contribute to the fact that women now are becoming infected at a faster rate than men. Sexual relations between young women and older men are frequent, in particular in arranged marriages. Often, the older husband helped the girl’s family financially. These intergenerational marriages increase the risk for the young women to be infected with HIV, because older men are more likely to be HIV-positive and to infect their young partner. Moreover the risk of infection for young women is greater because the lining of the neck of the womb is not fully developed.
Trade unions have a vital leadership role to play in changing attitudes in the world of work and the community at large. Employment policies and practices should be reviewed to address gender inequality in the context of HIV/AIDS.
Unions should pursue several lines of action, among them:
• Address the low status of women as the main means to combat violence against women and girls
• Support HIV- positive women
• Negotiate with employers to provide financial assistance to HIV- positive workers in order for them and their families to have access to treatment or to encourage workplace medical facilities to diagnose and treat STIs which increase the risk of transmission of HIV
• Provide information and education for men which includes sexual and reproductive health
Women are especially exposed to the consequences of HIV/AIDS. AIDS exacerbates the unequal division of work and responsibilities. The traditional domestic role of women means that girls and women are more likely to provide care for the sick relatives and they will have the double burden of contributing also to household income. This situation reduces the educational opportunities for girls and young women and limits their opportunities to achieve financial independence. As a result the proportion of women working in the informal economy, or lower paid employment is likely to increase. In developing countries, when their partners die of AIDS, women often find themselves without any financial security, economic opportunities or social protection. HIV-positive women face a similar situation. Many of them are stigmatized and abandoned because of their disease. When they are sick and forced to leave their economic activities they lose their precarious livelihood. Women are more likely than men to be stigmatized, ostracized and destitute. HIV/AIDS-related discrimination at work can encompass mandatory testing, quarantine, exclusion and outright job loss.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Clarke
HIV/AIDS Coordinator
CCWU
