Women, 15-19, risk infection

YOUNG women aged 15-19 have the highest rate of HIV infection in the country, a public health and development organisation said yesterday.
Elizabeth Gande, a technical officer FHI, said Papua New Guinea was challenged with an HIV epidemic that saw 60% of infections among women.
The startling facts are part of the 2012 Centralised Abstract Review of HIV and AIDS research findings in the country.
Gande is one of the eight local participants who will attend the International AIDS conference in Washington DC, United States.
She will present the report at the global forum that runs from July 22-27.
National AIDS Council Secretariat acting director Philip Tapo said there would be 10,000 reports on HIV/AIDS research findings from around the world that would be presented at the forum.
Gande’s abstract is titled “Empowerment of women in urban poor communities in Papua New Guinea to move beyond HIV and gender-based violence.”
 “This 60% infection rates among women, where girls aged 15-19 have the virus is four times that of boys in their age range,” Gande said.
“The issues affecting women are deeply rooted in cultural practices and unequal power structures where acts of violence against women and girls are common.”
She said in 2010 FHI 360 and the Sirus Naraqi Foundation partnered in a “powerful voices of women” project to address health and development issues and to empower women to communicate these through photography exhibitions as discussion forums.