BBC News - Wednesday, 12 December, 2001
Fiona Werge
Women at the conference in Burkino Faso blamed the male-dominated culture in African countries for infecting the highest number of women of any continent with the virus which causes the disease.
They said practices such as a refusal to wear a condom, intimidating young girls into having sex, polygamy, and rape were major problems.
Superstitions such as purification through having sex with a virgin were also endangering women's lives.
Delegates heard that many African women had to run a gauntlet of taboo, male opposition and financial worry just to get access to HIV tests and the simplest drugs.
Women as property
These hurdles simply helped the virus to be transmitted from mother to child, in the womb and through maternal milk.
Women were widely regarded as chattels, mired in poverty and poor education and condemned to a life of child raising.
One delegate claimed that of 20m people on the continent with HIV, more than half were women, a higher percentage than anywhere else in the world.
The conference heard that finding solutions depended on practical work with local communities, rather than agreeing on grandiose declarations.
011212
BB011215
Copyright © 2001 - BBC. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the BBC.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
.