Young women need to be given priority in fight against HIV/AIDS, urges KZN doctor
A local doctor providing HIV community services in Durban says young women need to be prioritised in the fight against HIV/ AIDS.
Dr Veni Naidu says girls and young women make up a vulnerable group facing a high risk of infection.
South Africa joined the globe in commemorating World AIDS Day on Thursday.
UNAIDS says this year's theme focuses on addressing the inequalities holding back progress in ending the disease.
Naidu, who oversees the DREAMS programme for BroadReach Health Development, says they are offering help to many young women in the province.
"We are assisting young girls who seek help by providing them with counselling, we offer the correct product and information so that they can also make a choice to pursue a long and health lifestyle."
She says adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately vulnerable to HIV due to their socio-economic circumstances.
"Teenage girls are a greater risk because of peer pressure, they want to feel inclusive and accepted and they are engaging in sex at a very young age. Or they also have multiple sexual partners.
"The patriarchal culture lends itself to submissive behaviour, which leads to a lack of voice to protect oneself and the power to negotiate condemn use. We also have the age-sex disparity which sometime leads to transactional relationships due to economic dependence of younger girls to older men."
