FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2006

Contact: Whitney Welshimer, wwelshimer@iwhc.org, 212-979-8500

Will the U.S. Global AIDS Response Finally Work for Women?

IWHC Leadership Salutes the Introduction of the PATHWAY Act

Washington – Today, Congressional leaders will take a bold step toward making the global HIV/AIDS response work for women and girls.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) and more than 50 other bipartisan Members of Congress will introduce the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act. The PATHWAY Act will ensure that U.S. development assistance addresses the circumstances that make women and girls vulnerable to HIV infection.

"Girls and women are not only at the heart of the HIV/AIDS challenge-they are also where the solution lies," said Beth Fredrick, Executive Vice President of the International Women's Health Coalition. "We are encouraged by this move to attend to the shortcomings of the current U.S. government approach. This bill reflects the kinds of investments our global colleagues tell us they need to make meaningful progress in preventing new HIV infections."

The PATHWAY Act would require that the Bush administration's HIV/AIDS prevention strategy include concrete steps to reduce women's and girls' disproportionate vulnerability, such as:

• increasing access to female condoms;
• confronting gender-based violence, rape and sexual coercion, and child marriage;
• promoting positive male behavior and respect for the rights of women and girls;
• bolstering health care services that women use;
• expanding educational and economic opportunities. 

Fast facts on women and HIV/AIDS:

• Every five minutes, about 25 girls and women are newly infected with HIV/AIDS.
• Globally, 62% of young people ages 15-24 living with HIV/AIDS are female.
• Among young people (15-24) in sub-Saharan Africa, women constitute 77% of new HIV infections.
• In Brazil, the epidemic is growing nine times faster among women than men.
• Nearly 40% of HIV-positive people in India are female, the majority of them housewives.

To arrange an interview with Beth Fredrick, contact Whitney Welshimer at 212-979-8500.
 
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IWHC works to promote and protect the health and rights of women and girls worldwide