Reducing Gender Inequality In Hiv Health And Social Care Essay

Globally, there has been a alteration in the tendency of infection among the sexes. Initially at the oncoming of the disease, the prevalence of the disease was higher among the males than the females due to the fact that the disease was concentrated among homophiles and drug users. However as the cuticular continues to turn there has been a progressive displacement to heterosexual transmittal with an addition in the figure of females being infected. The planetary pandemic of HIV/AIDS is now in its 3rd decennary, with adult females now at the epicenter of the pandemic, globally accounting for about 50 % of all HIV instances aged 15 and older, including about 60 % of all grownups populating with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the figure of females populating with the disease in every part of the universe continue to increase. ( UNAIDS, 2009 ) The feminization of the pandemic is precipitated by biological and socio-cultural factors ; However although adult females are more vulnerable to the disease because of their biological makeup, there is grounds that gender norms play an built-in portion in act uponing an person ‘s exposure to the infection, entree to wellness attention services, sexual behavior and attitude, every bit good as entree to intervention and support when infected. ( WHO, 2003 ) The present tendency of the disease transmittal reveals that the epidermic is being aggravated by gender based exposures, stressing the importance of mainstreaming gender into HIV/AIDS programmes as an built-in effort to commanding farther spread of the disease. ( UNFPA, 2008 ) The Importance of Gender on the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: In most communities, gender determines how much information males and females are expected to hold approximately sexual affairs. Females are supposed to be nescient about sexual affairs as a mark of celibacy ; therefore doing them nescient about preventative schemes and doing it hard for them to be proactive in negociating safer sex. Different set of cultural norms apply to the males, they are frequently expected to hold more information and cognition about sexual affairs, be expericienced, and led as determination shapers in sexual issues. These make them vulnerable to being infected, prevents them from seeking information or acknowledging their limited information about sexual affairs. ( Carovano, 1992 ) . Social norms of virginity for single adult females besides increase her exposure ; it besides limits her information about sexual affairs to avoid being thought of as being sexually active. Puting her at a hazard of colza and sexual coercion. Research has besides shown that these immature misss practise other sexual behaviors such as anal sex, therefore increasing their hazard of undertaking the disease. ( Weiss et al.,2000 ) . Besides, because of the social norms of virginity accessing wellness installations for the intervention of sexually transmitted diseases is frequently stigmatising for both immature and big females. ( Weiss et al.,2000 ) . In many societies, maternity, merely like virginity is seen as being ideal, therefore utilizing preventives or barrier methods to guarantee safer sex is seen as a important quandary for adult females. ( Heise and Elias, 1995 ) . Research have shown that economic dependance of adult females increases their likeliness of interchanging sex for money, with no dialogue for safe sex, accompanied with their inability to go forth these dealingss even when they perceive them to be hazardous because of its fiscal additions. ( Heise and Elias,1995 ) . A reappraisal of literature done by Heise et Al ( 1999 ) showed it was more likely for persons who had been sexually abused to hold multiple sex spouses, engage in insecure sex and exchange sex for money or favor. Harmonizing to Societal norms, work forces are supposed to show their male power through force against adult females, lending both straight and indirectly to a adult female ‘s exposure to the disease. ( Heise and Elias, 1995 ) . A survey conducted in a voluntary HIV guidance and proving Centre in Tanzania by Maman et Al ( 2000 ) suggested that adult females who expericienced sexual force were at a hazard of HIV/AIDS. It was noticed that those who were HIV positive were 2.6 times more likely to hold expericienced sexual force in an confidant relationship. Social norms expect a adult male to hold several sexual spouses, for sufficient sexual release, herewith beliing the preventative message that emphasizes fidelity in relationships. ( Heise and Elias, 1995 ) . Social norms of maleness, which affirm males holding sexual laterality over females, as a characteristic of manhood, frequently lead to stigmatisation of work forces who have sex with work forces, thereby taking to secrecy of their sexual behavior, increasing the exposure of their sexual spouses, both males and females. ( UNAIDS, 1999 ) . Overall, the influence of social norms is frequently associated with addition in an person ‘s exposure of undertaking the disease. ( Courteney, 1998 ) Analysis of WHO ‘s Policy on Gender Mainstreaming in HIV/AIDS Programme: The guidelines on gender mainstreaming resulted from a WHO ‘s meeting held in Geneva in 2002 on incorporating Gender into HIV/AIDS. The demand to bring forth guidelines was emphasized as a agency to guaranting realisation of set ends. The present edition was developed by World Health Organization in concurrence with inputs from advisers peer reviewed by external referees, relevant proficient staff in the World Health Organization every bit good as research experience from old programmes that addressed the gender dimensions in HIV/AIDS and other wellness programmes. The intent of the guidelines is to increase consciousness of how gender inequalities affects a adult female ‘s ability to entree HIV/AIDS programmes and services, it besides offers practical ways on how to integrate gender into assorted types of HIV/AIDS programmes and services. Four specific countries were covered HIV proving and reding, Prevention of female parent to child transmittal ( PMTCT ) , HIV intervention and Home based attention for people populating with HIV/AIDS. The guidelines were formulated chiefly for programmes directors, wellness attention suppliers in the public and private sector involved in instituting, implementing or measuring HIIV/AIDS programmes. The guidelines are consistent and reinforced through assorted international understandings and declarations such as Beijing declaration and platform for action of the 1995 Fourth World conference on adult females ( FWCW ) and 1994 International conference on population and development. The United Nations General Assembly declarations of the committedness on HIV/AIDS besides emphasized the importance of turn toing gender equality as a agency to commanding the epidermic. This policy compliments old attempts done on incorporating gender into HIV/AIDS programmes with the purpose of bettering entree, informing and authorising clients, and besides taking to wellness equity and societal justness. However the guidelines focused chiefly on adult females.it did non offer equal chances to work forces, although the Beijing platform for action besides considered work forces ‘s concerns, guaranting that adult females and work forces benefit every bit from the ultimate end of accomplishing gender equality. The guidelines did non besides see the multi-sectoral attack ; it focused chiefly on the wellness sector attack to cut downing gender inequality. ( Beginning: World Health Organization ‘s guidelines on intergrating gender into HIV/AIDS Programmes within the wellness sector, 2007 ) Measuring the execution of this policy at the international and national degree. Following the 1995 United Nations conference on adult females, assorted developmental establishments, international organisations and states adopted the thought of gender mainstreaming. These International Organizations and development Institutions developed and endorsed gender mainstreaming Policies in HIV/AIDS ; nevertheless rating show restraints in execution, these policies have been slow in interpreting from policy into action. ( Moser, 2005 ) . This can be attributed to the fact that some development practicians in NGO ‘s continue to see gender issues as a distraction to the developmental issues they have to turn to, accordingly those involved in gender cyclosis are non in places to do determinations and alterations to these programmes. Since the Congress, gender mainstreaming in HIV/AIDS have been adopted and endorsed by assorted authoritiess, gender advocators in these states have successed in integrating gender issues into their national strategic programs for HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS programmes. The challenges in these states have been the execution of these policies and strategic programs at the territory degree. In a survey done in Botswana, it was observed that although gender had been incorporated into its national response to HIV/AIDS, with purposes to authorising the adult females, therefore cut downing the exposure of females in undertaking the disease, the intercessions focused on adult females, pretermiting the work forces, therefore gestating gender as a adult female ‘s issue. In Malawi, important efforts have been made, assorted programmes have been formed, and the National HIV/AIDS policy recognized that gender issues had to be considered, to guarantee effectual response to HIV/AIDS intercessions. However on rating it was noticed that bulk of the staffs in the NGO ‘s understood the construct in the European context, which was non applicable to their ain cultural norms and values, furthermore, the exposure of work forces was non considered sabotaging the proportion of drug users and homophiles in the population. The Zimbabwe ‘s national Aids Policy, showed committedness to gender inequality, acknowledging that adult females were more vulnerable, and prosecuting authorization of adult females as a agency to undertaking gender inequality, it besides developed schemes to guarantee the engagement of work forces in gender affairs. However rating showed that despite these schemes nidation of these policies at the grass-root degree have been impossible. ( Boom et al. , 2000 ) The national strategic program of South-Africa accepted adult females, and work forces who have sex with work forces, as portion of those who were vulnerable to the disease, and provided assorted intercessions to turn to gender related causes of exposure. It emphasized the difference in the prevalence of the disease in the age groups ( 20-29 ) , saying that adult females were more vulnerable due to social norms. Acknowledging that really small attending had been given to work forces who have sex with work forces, and drug users. It emphasized that the execution of these schemes were to suit both the demands of adult females and work forces. Evaluation nevertheless noted that commercial sex workers were discriminated and that gender force played an built-in portion in adult females ‘s exposure in South-Africa was non addressed therefore haltering the execution of these schemes. The Multi-sectoral HIV/AIDS strategic program of Switzerland recognized that harmful gender norms played a function in fuelling the cuticular, and that to guarantee long -term effects in schemes aimed at commanding the disease gender inequality had to be considered. This led to the National Emergency Response Council, developing schemes to steer the execution of these HIV/AIDS programmes. However it was noticed that gender was conceptualized as biological sex instead than gender, and its programmes were targeted at adult females, pretermiting work forces who had sex with work forces and other vulnerable groups such as drug users. On rating an addition in the incidence of mew infections was noticed among homophiles, showing that these groups played an of import function in commanding the disease. Discussion: Assorted International Organizations and Countries have integrated gender into their assorted policies, schemes and HIV/AIDS Programmes. The inquiry arising is why are these policies, schemes and plans non being implemented at the grass root degree? Decision: Gender norms influence an person ‘s exposure to undertaking the disease, therefore stressing the importance of Gender mainstreaming and adult females authorization in commanding the spread of the disease. Gender mainstreaming intercessions in assorted degree should acknowledge the functions work forces play in adult females ‘s expericiences, therefore gender related restraints of both males and females should be considered in HIV/AIDS Programmes. Training and support should be offered to HIV/AIDS programme directors and their staffs about gender issues to enable them implement policies turn toing gender inequality and HIV/AIDS.