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Gender Equality, Beacon of Hope for
AIDS PreventionAnirudha Alam
Gender equality, a well-defined by-product of human development,
always entrenches
inclination on how to focus attention on women empowerment.
Simultaneously women
empowerment confronts challenges consecutively in translating
the responsibilities to gender
equality into action. Gender discrimination is the prime source
of endemic poverty leading to
skyrocketing HIV prevalence. With a view to making gender
equality a reality as a core
commitment, women empowerment has to be the stepping stone to
sustainable development.
HIV/AIDS epidemic is raging in Africa and mounting all over the
world mostly due togender discrimination, stigmatization and unsafe
sex practice. To make the spread of
epidemic flagged, widening gender gaps must be combated.
Nowadays young women and
girls are at a much higher risk than men. As per the findings of
surveys and case studies
conducted in Africa, adolescent girls are 5-6 times more likely
to be infected by HIV virus
than boys.
Taking an inclusive approach to gender awareness, people should
be stimulated to move
towards a common interest for sexual rights. Sexuality
comprising sex, gender identities,
amusement, sensualism as well as reproduction is considered as
the cornerstone of being
human all over the life through experiencing and sharing
thoughts, beliefs, perception, values,
fantasies, excitement, desire, interest, attitudes, praxis,
behavior, relationships and so on. Inthe name of gender equality,
sexuality may be guided positively and creatively by social,
economical, biological, legal, ethical, racial, political,
historical, religious, psychological and
cultural factors interwoven inextricably. As a result, it would
be easy to take any kind of
promotional activities fruitfully for reducing vulnerabilities
to STDs (sexually transmitted
diseases) and HIV/AIDS.
Sexual and reproductive ill-health results in dire poverty led
to widespread vulnerabilities to
HIV/AIDS. Sexual and reproductive health problems account for
about 20% of ill-health of
women globally and 14% of men occurred owing to lack of
appropriate sexual and
reproductive health. In Saudi Arabia, approximately half (46 per
cent) of HIV infection was
eventuated due to unprotected sex in 2005. All are mostly the
consequences of genderdiscrimination attributed by religious
dogmas, social ill-beliefs and monopolistic male
hegemony intertwined with unsafe sex practices.
According to the social development specialist Saiful Islam
Robin, It should be realized that
there is no alternative to develop and enhance life skills of
vulnerable girls and women to
cope with epidemic. They may be assisted on the various levels
to become engaged in
grooming their confidence and organized. At the same time, their
voices should be allowed to
be heard loud and clear. Thus the collective effort of women is
born with the sense or purpose
that they will be stirred up to share perceptions improving
their access to reproductive health
related information and services.
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Gender equality helps vulnerable women to be benefited from
poverty reduction, activities
for sustainable development, access to information &
communication technology as well as
HIV prevention. As a cross-cutting dimension of human
development, campaigning for
gender equality underpins human rights protected in law and
practice. It supports fruitfully
capacity development of women enhancing womens participation in
development activities.
As per the findings of a recent research entitled Role of
Poverty Reduction to Reduce
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh initiated by Rainbow
Nari O Shishu Kallayan
Foundation, To track how epidemic often widens when
vulnerability deepens, gender
mainstreaming in poverty reduction strategies has to integrate
multi-disciplinary approach
specially focusing on good governance and gender equality
through promoting participatory
resource planning and internalizing HIV/AIDS prevention into
overall development
initiatives. Poverty is closely associated with illiteracy and
womens so called participation in
development programs. As a result, vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is
fueled promoted by gender
discrimination and power imbalances between male and female.
An essential fact is that everybody should be committed to
gender mainstreaming. Gendermainstreaming is the keystone in human
development. So every development program like
HIV/AIDS prevention should be deliberate in providing support to
establish human rights
that women may be benefited equally from gender neutral
development strategies.
Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication)
& Trainer
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS
Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206
Bangladesh.
Website: http://anirudhaalam.onsugar.com/
Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514
(res.)
E-mail:[email protected]
Ref: UNDP, WHO, UNAIDS, Family Care International
http://anirudhaalam.onsugar.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://anirudhaalam.onsugar.com/mailto:[email protected]
