15th International AIDS Conference Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. D10371)

Kia KM
Lidnet+CBO, Lira, Uganda

ISSUES: For the last 17years, northern Uganda has suffered a lot due to the war that is being waged by the lord's resistance army under the command of joseph kony, this war has had a devastating effects on the lives of the people of northern Uganda. Many people have been displaced and forced to live in camps under miserable life with inadequate food, medical attention, shelter etc. It has greatly affected the children in that it has now led to high rate of early sex, marriages, high rate of defilement, rape, sexual harassment and above all the young abducted girls and women are forcefully turned to be wives of the rebels hence infected with HIV/AIDS. Just like young girls and women who are rescued from the rebels, life in camps has become so difficult thereby forcing many young girls to resort to prostitution as away of earning a living. This has resulted into high increase of HIV/AIDS infection and northern uganda has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate due to this war.

DESCRIPTION: Uganda is now hailed as a global model and it's success story dates back to the openness in the fight against HIV/AIDS since it was realized in 1982. This therefore prompted the government of uganda to mount a vigorous broad based effort against the pandemic adopted a policy of openness about HIV/AIDS so as to stop it's silent spread. Lesson learned: The approach for creating awareness aimed at enlightening people about how the virus is acquired and how to protect them from the same has yielded a lot of good things. Recommendation: Emergency issues be addressed inorder to save people of northern uganda from the continued contraction of HIV/AIDS due to lord's resistance army war.

040711
D10371

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