Global AIDS - Africa
World Population Day, 11th July 2003
International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW)
As the world marks World Population Day, the International Community
ofWomen living with HIV/AIDS commemorates the loss of over 1 million
women around the world, who died with AIDS during this last year.
These women were teachers, accountants, farmers, lawyers, theologians,
sex workers, doctors, students, street sweepers, librarians, nurses,
IT experts, community workers - and volunteers. They were mothers, grand-mothers,
sisters, lovers, wives, daughters, aunts - and volunteers.
They used to laugh, cry, comfort, support, sing, dance, cook, weed,
clean, nurture - and volunteer. They volunteered their time and energy,
despite so many other commitments, to reduce the impact of HIV in their
communities. Yet despite their immense efforts, they were often treated
with scorn, rejected and isolated by their families, their colleagues
and their communities.
These women are now dead and gone forever.
Their children have no mother. Their husbands have no wives. Their
parents have no daughter. Their siblings have no sister. Their colleagues
have no work-mate. Their dependants have no carer. Their countries are
without their workers. Their communities have no volunteers. Their lives
are finished.
There are currently over 19 million women in the world who are living
withthe HIV virus in their bodies.
Most of these women do not need to fall sick and die. If they had access
to love and respect from their communities, to the care and treatment
for the opportunistic infections which drain their energy, and to the
anti-retroviral drugs which can keep the HIV virus at bay, they would
still be contributing fully to the world in which they lived, as do
theirsisters who are still alive.
How many more years will it take until there is global access to care
and treatment for HIV positive women and an end to these needless illnesses
and deaths?
The International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) is
the only international network run by and for HIV positive women. ICW's
vision is a world where all HIV positive women
- Have a respected and meaningful involvement at all political levels,
local, national, regional, and international, where decisions that
affect our lives are being made;
- Have full access to care and treatment; and enjoy full rights, particularly
sexual, reproductive, legal, financial
and general health rights;
irrespective of our culture, age, religion, sexuality, social or economic
status/class and race.
If you would like to find out more about us and the work we do, please
visit our website at www.icw.org
A posting from GENDER-AIDS (gender-aids@healthdev.net)
Reproduction welcomed provided source is cited as follows:
GENDER-AIDS eForum 2003: gender-aids@healthdev.net
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