Africa-Press – Kenya. A lobby has called for concerted efforts to address gender inequality as a root cause of the HIV epidemic in the country.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has noted that gender inequality increases women’s risk of HIV infection by limiting their ability to negotiate safer sex, access HIV testing and treatment and protect themselves from sexual violence.
The AHF country director Samuel Kinyanjui said that sexual-based violence, a product of gender inequality, is one of the key drivers to increased HIV infections and teenage pregnancies.
“Women who experience gender-based violence feel disempowered and lack the confidence to negotiate safe sex practices or access sexual health services,” he said.
“Neglected children from abusive homes are often raped and defiled by relatives and often engage in transactional sex. This increases their risk of contracting HIV and experiencing unintended pregnancies.”
Kinyanjui also noted that gender inequality remains a significant factor in the rise of HIV infections among women and girls in Kenya, as they are disproportionately affected by poverty, violence and cultural practices that limit their access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
This vulnerability increases their risk of HIV infection.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), women accounted for 59 per cent of new HIV infections in the country in 2020.
Adolescent girls and young women in Kenya are two times more likely to acquire HIV than their male counterparts.
Last year, the Center for Rights Education and Awareness received over 3,762 cases of GBV with most cases of rape, incest and defilement occurring in dysfunctional families.
The government has promised bold action to address the social and structural factors that increase women’s vulnerability to HIV.
During last month’s meeting of the global alliance to end AIDS in children held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Health CS Susan Wafula, stated that the government is committed to using digital technology to ensure access to treatment and care for all pregnant and breastfeeding women.
AHF is calling for structural reforms beyond the health sector, policy changes to combat violence against women and girls, and major investments in initiatives to change harmful gender norms.
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