EULALEE THOMPSON
WADING THROUGH heaps and heaps of information on HIV/AIDS, this time with the theme of this afternoon's Gleaner Public Editors' Forum (Passive Women, Active Men: Sex, Gender & HIV/AIDS) on my mind, some important bits of information on the Health Ministry's website attracted my attention on the pandemic in Jamaica:
The rate of new HIV infection in women in the age group 20-24 is increasing steadily more than men in the same age group.
Adolescent females in the age group 10-19 years had three times higher risk of HIV infection than boys of the same age group. This is as a result of social factors whereby young girls are having sexual relations with HIV-infected older men. On average, 50 per cent of young women reported their sexual partners to be five to 10 years older than them.
Women in the urban areas have twice the risk of HIV infection compared to women residing in rural areas.
For every 1,000 pregnant women, 13 are infected with HIV.
Looking at the chart on AIDS cases by sexual practice, the majority of cases, 71.1 per cent or 6,059 cases of the total 9,209 cases reported since this country started tracking the disease in 1982, arose in heterosexual relationships (that is relations between men and women). Of the 6,059 cases, 3,455 were women and 2,604 were men; so considerably more women in heterosexual relationships are being infected.
REPORTED RISK BEHAVIOUR
Another interesting bit of information, again with the theme in mind, relates to reported risk behaviour and the risk profile of 44.2 per cent of persons reporting HIV/AIDS; by far the largest chunk of those persons were engaging in multiple sexual partners, relations or contacts.
'Setting the Research Agenda on Violence against Women and HIV/AIDS' (World Health Organisation, 2000) notes that violence against women increases their vulnerability to HIV infection and that the sex ratios of new infections are highly skewed; for example, in Zambia, 16 per cent of girls versus one per cent of boys. Women vulnerability relates both to biological (exposure to vaginal secretions or blood, degree to trauma during intercourse ....) and socio-cultural factors.
MARRIED WOMEN
The report also points to the reality of a range of sexually-coercive behaviours which are not openly discussed in societies and that coercive sex is common within intimate relationships, including marriage. There is a strong link between physical and sexual abuse with women often being beaten and forced to have sex.
"Both the fear of and actual violence affects women's expectations in relationships, ability to negotiate terms and conditions of sexual intercourse, and whether condom is used," the report highlighted.
It goes on to give an example from the United States, where research suggests that women in abusive relationships are less likely to use condoms and attempts by women experiencing violence to adopt condom use or access sexually-transmitted infection treatment services are likely to lead to abuse.
'Integrating Gender into HIV/AIDS Programmes' (World Health Organisation, 2003) -- Gender norms often dictate that women and girls should be ignorant and passive about sex and this greatly constrains their ability to negotiate safer sex or access appropriate services. At play are the manipulation of emotions and the shading of perceptions.
For men and boys, gender norms create social pressure for them to take risks, be self-reliant and prove their manhood by having sex with multiple partners, exposing them to the risk and infection and creating barriers to their use of HIV/AIDS prevention, care or support services.
With just this synopsis of the massive amount of information on sex, gender and HIV/AIDS, is it really only a feminist (oops that scary "F" word) perspective to say that gender (the array of societal beliefs, norms, customs and practices defining masculine and feminine attributes) plays an integral role in assessing individual vulnerability to HIV infection? I've never seriously considered the question before now, so we are thinking together about the topic.
See you later at the forum - Main Medical Lecture Theatre, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies; at 6 p.m.
You can send your comments to eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.
