Choices for women and girls for HIV prevention: So near and yet so far
SHOBHA SHUKLA - CNS
Women and girls need options they can use to protect themselves from HIV or unplanned pregnancies
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Longstanding gender inequalities, discrimination and poverty deny many women and girls bodily and economic autonomy - which deprives them of control over their sexual health, and increase the risk of preventable infections like HIV. Women and girls are still disproportionately affected with HIV.
4000 missed opportunities to prevent HIV among young women and girls every week
In 2023, an estimated 1.9 million adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years were living with HIV, compared with 1.2 million adolescent boys and young men of the same age group. The estimated number of adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years who acquired HIV in 2023 was 210,000 --four times higher than the 2025 target of 50,000. This is equivalent to an estimated 4000 new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women every week. Of these, 3100 infections were in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
In this dismal scenario it is somewhat heartening to see that the HIV prevention field is focussing on funding long-acting prevention technologies for women.
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, women must be able to choose among a range of HIV prevention options that address their different needs and preferences, at different stages of their lives and lived realities.
Her body, her choice
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