Teenage girls are unfairly bearing the brunt of the AIDS crisis, a UNICEF report has found. A lack of information, campaign fatigue, and sexual violence are partly to blame.
One girl between the ages of 15 and 19 becomes infected with HIV every three minutes, according to a UNICEF report published on Wednesday. The organization warned that gender inequality was causing a “crisis of health” for young women.
The data unveiled at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam showed that teen girls are bearing the brunt of the AIDS epidemic.
“The epidemic’s spread among adolescent girls is being fueled by early sex, including with older males, forced sex, powerlessness in negotiating about sex, poverty, and lack of access to confidential counselling and testing services,” said the report.
UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore elaborated: “In most countries, women and girls lack access to information, to services, or even just the power to say no to unsafe sex.HIV thrives among the most vulnerable and marginalized, leaving teenage girls at the center of the crisis.” Tiếp tục đọc “HIV infects 1 teen girl every 3 minutes: UN”