African task force to tackle gender inequality in HIV/AIDS response

Summary of story from Key Correspondents, December 8, 2011

A new high-level task force of African leaders is to tackle the issue of women bearing the burden of responding to the continent’s HIV and AIDS epidemic.

The task force, which was launched at the 16th International Conference on AIDS in Africa (ICASA) in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, is set to call for concerted action to end the entrenched combination of biological, behavioural and structural issues that place the responsibility of responding to the epidemic on girls and women.

Established in Windhoek, Namibia, in April this year, it consists of 16 senior government officials, civil society representatives and United Nations regional directors.

The task force will focus on high-level political advocacy, reducing new HIV infections by half, eliminating mother-to-child transmission, and promoting sexual and reproductive health rights for women living with HIV.

Dr Fatma Mrisho, chair of the task force and executive chairperson of the Tanzania AIDS Commission, said that gender inequality remained an obstacle to combating HIV infection among women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa.

“To reach the vision of universal access and gender equality we need to move as quickly as HIV does. This is essential for protecting individuals, families and societies from the impact of the epidemic and for advancing gender equality, human rights and dignity for all,” Dr Mrisho said.

The region has 60 per cent of the world’s HIV burden yet just 10 per cent of global expenditure on HIV/AIDS, making the need to prevent new infections vital.

She also stressed the urgent need to address gender-based violence against women.