Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
UNAIDS - 11 August 2009
A new report by UNAIDS, its Cosponsors and civil society partners, being released today at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Bali, HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia, examines the issue of married or in long-term relationships women who are at risk of HIV infection due to their partners' high-risk behaviours.
The evidence from almost all the countries in Asia indicates that women are acquiring HIV not because of their own sexual behaviours but because of the unsafe behaviours that their partners engage in. The intimate partners of men who have sex with men, injecting drug users or clients of sex workers constitute the largest vulnerable population in Asia.
HIV prevention programmes targeting the female partners of men with high-risk behaviours have yet to be developed in Asia, but are clearly essential.
Dr Prasada Rao, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team Asia and the Pacific
At least 75 million men regularly buy sex from sex workers in Asia, and a further 20 million men have sex with other men or are injecting drug users. Many of these men are in steady relationships: it is estimated that 50 million women in the region are of risk of acquiring HIV from their partners.
The report notes that men who buy sex constitute the largest infected population group - and most of them are either married or will get married. This puts a significant number of women, often perceived as 'low-risk' because they only have sex with their husbands, at risk of HIV infection.
The myriad issues that are at the root of the problem are discussed. The strong patriarchal culture in the countries of Asia, intimate partner violence, including sexual violence, the large-scale migration and mobility of populations in Asia and HIV-related stigma and discrimination all play a role in the vulnerability of women to HIV.
"HIV prevention programmes targeting the female partners of men with high-risk behaviours have yet to be developed in Asia, but are clearly essential," said Dr Prasada Rao, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team Asia and the Pacific, speaking at the launch of the report. "Investing in such programmes is key to reversing the AIDS epidemic in Asia once and for all."
The report recommends four main strategies that should be implemented in addition to increased services for key populations:
1. HIV prevention interventions must be scaled-up for men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and clients of female sex workers and should emphasize the importance of protecting their regular female partners.
2. Structural interventions should be initiated to address the needs of vulnerable women and their male sexual partners. This includes expanding reproductive health programmes to include services for male sexual health.
3. HIV prevention interventions among mobile populations and migrants must be scaled-up and include components to protect intimate partners.
4. Priority should be given to operations research to develop a better understanding of the dynamics of HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships.
It is hoped that the report will be a wake-up call that highlights the effects of the HIV epidemic on this hitherto most-neglected population.
Resources:
Related links:
More on ICAAP 09 - http://www.unaids.org/en/Conferences/2009/9_ICAAP.asp
Asia - http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Regions/Asia.asp
Oceania - http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Regions/Oceania.asp
Press centre:
50 million women in Asia at risk of HIV from their intimate partners - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PressCentre/Pr essReleases/2009/20090811_PR_IntimatePartners.asp
Speeches:
Read ICAAP's plenary speech by Dr JVR Prasada Rao, Director Regional Support Team, Asia and the Pacific, UNAIDS (10 August 2009) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Speech/2009/20090810_plenaryspeech_mrr ao_icaap_en.pdf
Read opening speech delivered by Dr JVR Prasada Rao, Director Regional Support Team, Asia and the Pacific, UNAIDS on behalf of UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibe (09 August 2009) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/SpeechEXD/2009/20090809_icaap09_openni ng_speech_en.pdf
External links:
ICAAP 2009 Official web site - http://www.icaap9.org/
Publications:
HIV Transmission in intimate partners relationships in Asia (pdf, 771 Kb.) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/intimate_partners_report_e n.pdf
2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/200 8/2008_Global_report.asp
Joint action for results: UNAIDS outcome framework, 2009 - 2011 (pdf, 396 Kb.). - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/jc1713_joint_action_en.pdf
Report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia: Redefining AIDS in Asia: Crafting an effective response (pdf, 1.6 Mb) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/20080326_report_commission _aids_en.pdf
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