United Press International - June 23, 2005
Katherine Torres

As the global ambassador for YouthAIDS -- a global initiative designed to educate and protect young adults from HIV/AIDS -- Judd recently traveled to Thailand and Cambodia to observe HIV/AIDS prevention programs and to increase awareness of the disease in Asia. She also traveled to Africa, where she joined singer India.Arie, the Global Fund and cable music-video channel VH1 to experience YouthAIDS prevention and education initiatives firsthand.

VH1 will televise her journey in August.

During the trips, Judd said, she noticed how gender inequalities in developing countries were leaving women and girls increasingly vulnerable to the pandemic.

"Lack of gender equality combined with low self-esteem leave women with few options, leaving them exposed to a lethal situation," she told the audience at the National Press Club. "A woman's biology makes (her) more susceptible (to) AIDS."

According to a report by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS -- better known as UNAIDS -- nearly 50 percent of adults living with HIV globally are women -- nearly 60 percent in sub-Saharan Africa. Factors such as male-to-female transmission during sex, "transactional" sex, violence and infidelity contribute to increasing a women's chance in getting HIV/AIDS.

"Marriage -- give me a break! -- is not a guarantee of being HIV infection free," she said.

HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is the organism that causes AIDS.

Social stigmas also present a challenge to efforts to combat the pandemic. In some developing countries it is a social taboo to take an HIV test, Judd said.

"Ignorance is the enemy," she said, "but when people start talking, things change. It's amazing what happens when people communicate."

Most of the nearly 38 million people currently living with HIV/AIDS are adults, but the pandemic also is causing devastating effects on children. More than 2 million children under age 15 already are infected with HIV, according to a United Nations Children's Fund report. Fifty percent of HIV-positive infants die before they reach the age of 2, the report said.

UNICEF spokesman Gerrit Beger said the young people infected with HIV are not the only ones suffering the consequences of the pandemic. Those not infected also bear the brunt of the disease.

"You have to take into consideration that this is just a fraction of the number of children whose life will be altered by HIV/AIDS," Beger told United Press International. "It's a never-ending vicious cycle."

The global number of orphans increased from 11.5 million to 15 million between 2001 and 2003, he said.

The rise in infection rates among women in the region means a growing proportion of the children orphaned because of HIV/AIDS have lost their mothers, Beger explained. Many children have become caregivers themselves, increasing the likelihood that they will not receive an education, have access to healthcare or be safeguarded from exploitation and abuse, he said.

Marshall Stowell, deputy director for YouthAIDS, said Judd's role as global ambassador has been very beneficial as she has helped raise awareness across the board.

"She has gotten everyone involved in the campaign, from local government leaders in developing nations to renowned celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, among others," he said.

Judd also recruited her sister, country music singer Wynonna Judd, to YouthAIDS as U.S. Music Ambassador in 2003.

Ashley Judd said she plans to speak to members of Congress on the global AIDS issue. She will testify before Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and the rest of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday about her recent trip to work with children in Africa.

"Celebrities have an enormous power when it comes to getting a message across," Beger said.

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Katherine Torres is an intern for UPI Science News. E-mail: sciencemail@upi.com
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