In advance of a high-level international meeting on HIV/AIDs in New York, a group of UN human rights and health experts have called attention to the many links between violations of women’s human rights and infection with HIV/AIDs. Across the world, women and girls are the “most affected by the AIDS epidemic,” with infected women suffering higher rates of social stigma and violence than men. Additionally, according to the UN experts, victims of domestic violence are 50% more likely to get HIV/AIDS than young women without a similar experience. These statistics reinforce the negative effects of inequality and discrimination on women’s health, including their ability to protect themselves from violence and sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDs.
To access the experts’ full statement as well as a link to a March 2016 UN report on human rights and HIV/AIDS, please visit the website of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Compiled from: AIDS epidemic still being driven by human rights violations” – UN experts warn, UN News Release (June 3, 2016).