Gendering AIDS: Women, Men, Empowerment, Mobilisation

"Nearly 1 in 100 people worldwide is living with HIV and AIDS, rising to 1 in 3 in some parts of Southern Africa. The number of women contracting HIV is surpassing that of men in some areas, and the impact that HIV and AIDS is having on women and girls is equal to or greater than that of men. Inequalities between women and men both directly contribute to the spread of HIV and AIDS, and are exacerbated by the epidemic.

Strategically women must be at the centre of the response to HIV and AIDS - tactically men have to be involved to address both HIV & AIDS and gender inequalities."

This October 2003 publication marks the beginning of VSO's new campaign, "AIDS Agenda", which aims to focus attention on the need for more equality between women and men as part of an effective response to HIV and AIDS.

Research for "Gendering AIDS" was carried out in South Africa, India, Namibia and Cambodia, and reflects the priorities of the organisations VSO works with in those countries. In particular, this 53-page report examines how national and international policies designed to protect women's rights can be put into practice, and how men can be more constructively involved in HIV and AIDS work at the grassroots.

According to their research, VSO identified three main challenges to improving gender equality:

• the need to involve men constructively in tackling HIV/AIDS and gender inequality;
• the shortfall between often excellent international and national policies designed to address women's rights and their implementation on the ground;
• the importance of meeting women's immediate needs.

To overcome these challenges, VSO has developed a series of recommendations requiring action from a broad range of actors at national and international levels. Some actions are specific and can be applied to the design and implementation of HIV and AIDS programmes in developing countries. Advocacy work is necessary to secure the political will, funding and prioritisation of these issues against other needs. Influence, according to VSO, must also be exerted on policy and policy discourse to ensure a gender-sensitive approach.

Recommendations target all stakeholders and specifically multilateral, bilateral, non-governmental donors, civil society and national governments. Some of the recommendations include:

• Recognise that HIV and AIDS work will only be effective if the inequalities between women and men are taken into account;
• Consider the needs of men who have sex with men in HIV and AIDS programmes, and include these groups in project design, implementation and monitoring;
• Consider as part of further HIV and AIDS programme research, analysis and planning key manifestations of gender inequality: gender violence, unequal rights to property, the burden of care, unequal access to treatment and unequal access to appropriate prevention information;
• NGO's should support national governments and civil society organisations in focusing on the specific recommendations to all stakeholders raised in this paper inequalities;
• NGO's should include groups of women and men living with HIV and AIDS in their consultation processes. Increase the focus on men to tackle gender inequalities;
• Demonstrate leadership at all levels on the need to address gender inequalities and HIV & AIDS;
• Meet domestic and international commitments, and work towards effective HIV and AIDS policy implementation, with a priority on policies impacting on gender inequality.

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers.