| 
| 
| |
| Roosevelt Review Article Responds to International Call to ActionWASHINGTON - Aug. 20, 2005 - Jenny Tolan, author of the Roosevelt Review article, “Voices From Rural South Africa - Married Women and AIDS Vulnerability: Moving Toward Female-Controlled Prevention,” is on the cutting edge of tackling the world AIDS problem. Her work on female-controlled prevention speaks to an aspect of the issue that has recently been rising in importance and visibility. Just this week, Babatunde Osotimehin, chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS in Nigeria was featured on the New York Times editorial page. His op-ed, “The Other Half,” outlined the unique problem of HIV infection that African women face due to cultural practices and economic circumstances: “In Nigeria, we are painfully aware that girls and women typically cannot negotiate when, where or with whom they have sex; that far too few have access to affordable health services; and that sex education is not available or accessible to many girls.” Tolan’s research explored in South Africa explored similar points, focusing mainly on the plight of married women, “Research has found that married women and women in long-term monogamous relationships run a greater risk of contracting HIV than non-married women,” says Tolan. Interviews with married women working in an AIDS clinic revealed the shortcomings of current strategies for preventing the spread of HIV, “Though the women I interviewed had a great knowledge of AIDS from their work in home-based care, they were unable to change the risk behaviors in their marriages.” In response to this situation, Tolan suggests the use of microbicides as an effective female-controlled means of AIDS prevention. By granting agency in their fight against infection, these products are perfectly suited for use by married women. Osotimehin also mentions microbicides in his op-ed, noting that his National Action Committee is investigating the possibility of their use in Nigeria. At the end of his piece, Osotimehin remind us that, “protecting women and girls from AIDS requires true and effective partnership with international donors who are willing to undertake honest, open dialogue about what works in each of our countries.” Jenny Tolan and the Roosevelt Institution are answering that call. The Roosevelt Institution is a think tank devoted to bringing the policy research of college students to the attention of academia, media, and government.
|
The Roosevelt Institution is a nonpartisan, nonprofit national think tank devoted to bringing students' policy ideas to the policy process. The opinions expressed on this site are exclusively those of its members. DC Headquarters: Roosevelt Institution / 2100 M St NW Suite 610 / Washington, DC 20037 || (202) 833-1359 |