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“No Simple solution: investing in
HIV Prevention Research for women and girls”
Participants from several countries debated on subjects related to HIV prevention during the satellite session “No simple solution: Investing in HIV prevention research for women and girls”.
Access to education, campaigns to popularize female contraceptives, the AIDS epidemic, prevention and mainly more research in the area of developing new female condoms and vaccines, were the focus of the discussions.
The low use of female condom and the ignorance about its existence – only 20% of women are aware of existence of the female condom – show that the way to prevent HIV is to empower women. Without the active participation of women in this fight, there will be no advances in prevention.
From left to right: Matilda Mogale, Hilda Esquivel, Agnes Binagwaho e Julia Kim;
They composed the table that addressed HIV prevention among women.
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“Betraying women, denying protection”
from left to right: Lennarth Hjelmaker (AIDS Ambassador, Gov of Sweden), Mary Robinson (Oxfam International), Farah Karimi (Oxfam Novib), Gladys Chimone (Women and AIDS support network in Zimbabwe).
Being the only contraceptive method available for women to protect themselves against both STIs/AIDS and unplanned pregnancy, it is sad that after 15 years since it’s introduction the female condom has been so little used worldwide.
In the report “Betraying women, denying protection”, the president of the Oxfam-Novib, Dr. Farah Kaimi, recommended governments and international agencies to take the following important actions:
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To include the female condom as part of STIs and family planning programs;
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To reduce female contraceptives’ costs (a female condom is 18 times more costly than a male condom);
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To increase the procurement and distribution of female condoms;
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To promote the female condom as a preventive and contraceptive method (dual method);
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To include the female condom as part of the UNTAID (low-cost medication purchase center) agenda and to invest in the development of new prototypes.
The report also recommends that civil society and NGOs to consider the female condom as a tool in their STIs and family planning programs.
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"Mexico International AIDS Conference popularizes the female condom"
Female condom had better visibility than previous conferences and was part of many discussions about HIV/AIDS prevention.
Workshops carried out at the Global Village showed the correct use of the female condom to more than 1.000 people per day.
People’s interest and curiosity demonstrated that the female condom is still unknown for most of them.
Demonstrations showed how to remove it from the sachet, how to insert it into the vagina, the importance of guaranteeing the penetration of the penis inside the outer ring, and the correction removal informed many people on the correct use of female condoms.
A lot of the people said it was the first time they had seen the female condom and previously did not know of its existence.
An HIV positive woman stated that the female condom brought peace to her sexual life. “There isn’t any danger to blow like the male one, or that your partner looses erection when you’re putting it on. Besides that, it does not need to be taken out after the ejaculation”.
Another user said it is too noisy, ugly and difficult to use. After the first attempt she gave up, going back to the male condom. Mrs. Maya Gokul, trainer expert on female condom, suggested her to try at least 3 times before she has a final opinion about the female condom as practice makes a difference.
If the efforts to provide universal access can be accomplished, the next International AIDS Conference held in Vienna in 2010, female condoms will certainly be recognized.
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"Women’s March reacting to HIV/Aids"
A march with estimated 3 thousand participants took over the streets of Mexico City.
The slogan: “ALL WOMEN, ALL THE RIGHTS. RESPONDING TO HIV/AIDS”, reveals the participant’s demands.
End of gender inequality, school expansion for women, equal rights, sexual and reproductive rights, respect towards HIV positive women, access to female condoms to all, respect to sex workers and access to antiretroviral medication, were some demands amongst others.
The march ended at the historical center with a strong speech of the singer Anne Lennox’s who demanded more attention from governments to HIV positive women and to orphans of AIDS.
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"Women protesting for access to female condoms"
Persons from all over the world called the media’s attention to the female condom.
The female condom was distributed and had its use demonstrated to the journalists who were participating in the XVII International AIDS Conference. “We want the total female control of the situation, female condoms, a better available tool in the field of prevention. Give the female condom a chance”…
Everybody singed and danced holding a female condom in hands, and asking for universal access to the female condoms. FC2 for everyone!
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"Condoms need to remain at the center of discussions about HIV prevention"
The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS in partnership with other UN Agencies promoted a satellite session to discuss how to promote the female condoms.
When used correctly, the male and female condoms are highly efficient to prevent against STIs/AIDS, and they need to be promoted in a consistent way and based on commitments.
Vaccines, microbicides, prophylaxis, pre exposure, new technologies to refrain the epidemic still need to have their efficiency proved. All tools are important, but the promotion of the female condom is essential.
In several countries, health programs successfully promoted the use of the female condoms.
The CCP initiative (Comprehensive Condom Programming) already has 53 countries engaged in the initiative.
To be successful in the implementation of CCP it is necessary local and international political commitment, removal of national policies of restriction to the use of condoms, consistent education about the use of condoms, and mainly the removal of clauses that disallow the use of donors’ resources to procure condoms.
Another obstacle to the promotion of the female condom is its price: 15 times higher than the male condom.
It is necessary to push local and international leaderships to increase the access to condoms, claimed Mrs. Bidia Deperthes, from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
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Glimpse of FC at IAC
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Susan Molina, a Mexican activist, shows the use Female Condom.
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Female Health Company booth at IAC 2008.
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Journalist: Marina Pecoraro
(marinapecoraro@gmail.com)
Photos: Marina Pecoraro
Design: Alvaro Marinho/albatrozstudio.com
(alvaromarinho@gmail.com) |
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