AIDS-related anti-violence programs failing: advocacy group

By Cameron French

TORONTO (Reuters) – Nearly half of girls in some African
countries are raped, an advocacy group said on Thursday in a
report that sharply criticizes existing programs aimed at
curbing violence to help stop the spread of AIDS.

“Like HIV/AIDS, violence is taking place on an epidemic
scale, and as that occurs, it fuels the HIV/AIDS pandemic,”
said Lisa Schechtman, lead author of the report by the
Washington-based Global AIDS Alliance.

Speaking at the 16th International Conference on AIDS,
Schechtman said global donors needed to stop looking at the
issue of violence as separate from AIDS.

With studies showing rampant levels of violence against
women and children — much of it sexual in nature and
particularly common in several east African countries — the
group urged donors to take a more social approach to funding.

According to studies cited by the group, nearly one in two
girls has been raped in Uganda, and the rate is also extremely
high in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Other surveys show links between violence and the AIDS
epidemic, as women who have experienced violence may be up to
three times more likely to get HIV.

Groups such as the World Bank, the U.N. AIDS agency UNAIDS,
and the U.S. PEPFAR AIDS relief program have promised to
address the issue. But Global AIDS Alliance said the pledges
have been inadequate and little work has been done.

“As African women, we are enraged by the HIV/AIDS policies,
programming and funding, and this is basically because of not
integrating violence against women,” Mary Wandia, women’s
right’s coordinator for the South Africa-based anti-poverty
group Action Aid, told a news conference.

“For African women, we go through violence throughout our
life cycle.”

The Global AIDS Alliance said it wants political leaders
and donor groups to devote at least $2 billion per year to
combating violence against women and children.

Paul Zeitz, the group’s executive director, said what was
needed are more laws to criminalize violence against women and
children, health and education reform, and the establishment of
community task forces to speak out against violence in their
communities.

The AIDS virus currently infects about 39 million people
worldwide and has killed 25 million people since it was
identified 25 years ago.