There are now over 40 million people living with HIV and about 95 percent of them are in developing countries. Globally, 24.8 million people have died of AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic out of the estimated 40 million people living with the virus, women make up nearly half of the infected adults worldwide. The number of women infected with HIV has risen in every region of the world over the last year.
In Africa AIDS has already claimed more than 18 million lives. Despite promising developments in the past year, it has been observed that more than 9,000 Africans are newly infected each day. African has a total number of 28.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS showing an increase of 30 percent over five years according to UNAIDS report.
Women make up 58 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in sub-sahara Africa as reported by UNAIDS.
Benin is among the few African countries where HIV prevalence rates have remain relatively low. In 1996 an estimated 108.000 adults of 15-49 years were living with HIV/AIDS and over 24,127 cases of full blown AIDS have occurred in adults and children since the beginning of the epidemic.
Over 21,500 of these cases have resulted in death. In 2003, people living with HIV/AIDS in Benin was estimated at 68,000 and 5,800 deaths were recorded. And there has been a great increase in the number of AIDS patient. As at the first quarter of year 2004 the number is estimated to rise up to 183,000 people including women, men and children.
It is estimated that about half of the HIV/AIDS cases are women. The prevalence rate among women in 1996 was 3.15 percent including pregnant women. And there has been an increase in the rate of infection among women over the years.
Women are reported to be at a greater risk of contacting HIV/AIDS than their men counterparts. Biologically, women are found to be more vulnerable than men to sexually transmitted diseases and other infections like HIV. Women are often sexually abused by men. There are numerous cases of rape and sexual abuse melted out to women exposing them to risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Pregnant women who are HIV-positive have a very high probability of transmitting HIV to their children during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. They also face the stigma and rejection from the families when it becomes known that they have HIV/AIDS.
The African women have been on the receiving end. Certain cultural factors make the situation especially dangerous for them. They are often ostracized abused and disregarded. Women in the contemporary African society are not given equal rights, opportunities and treatment as men often societal restrictions and taboos are put in place to limit them. In some areas in Benin women are not allowed to discuss sexuality and they risk abuse if they refuse sex.
Men commonly have many sexual partners increasing the risk of HIV/AIDS infections. In a polygamous society like Benin men marry more than one wife putting women at a greater risk of infection. Some religions advocate polygamy whereby a man is entitled to marry many wives, his numerous concubines not inclusive in this case.
There is a common parlance here “deuxieme bureau” which means second home. In this case a man lives with his first wife and hires another house for his second, third wife or mistress as the case maybe. Often he goes there to visit or sleep with her. The woman may have other men lovers whom she dates in the absence of her main husband or lover. This situation increases the risk of HIV/AIDS infection.
Culturally, a woman may marry and live with her parents. She and her husband exchanges visits and the regularity of her visits to the husband is often dictated by him. This set up gives the man the opportunity of keeping other relationships which may equally be applicable to the woman. This increases the risk of HIV/AIDS infection.
Men normally have sexual relationship with young girls. Some of them like to have sex with young girls whom they feel are not yet spoilt. And they often entice them into sexual relationship with money or other material gifts. Such relationships expose the girls to risks of HIV/AIDS infection.
Young Beninoises are picking up the modern flare in fashion and clubbing. These cross-cultural infusions are not without their attendant risks and consequences. They have become more attractive, noticeable and easily enticed by men. A lot of them, even the inexperienced ones after wild parties are not protected and risk being infected. Early marriages for girls and unfaithfulness or infidelity on the part of some husbands also contribute to high infection rate.
There is the case of a young girl who contracted HIV/AIDS from her husband who later left her. The girl was pregnant and went to stay with her husband’s family. When she gave birth to the baby, the baby died of HIV/AIDS complications. The young girl was thrown out by her husband’s relations when it was found out that she has HIV/AIDS. She had no other alternatives but to live alone and find means of survival. She started sleeping with other men and became pregnant. The question now is how many people have been infected through this woman? How could this vicious cycle be stopped? Some infected persons are known to have sworn to distribute the virus as many as come their way. How could this wickedness be stopped?
Chauvinistic male behaviour does not help matters either. Women in Benin cannot protect themselves because they rely mainly on their male partners who may decide whether or not to use condom. Some men complain not being able to enjoy sex with condom. Some don’t even want to use it at all.
Social vices are on the increase daily. Alcoholism and sex they say go together. And in a state of alcoholic stupor there is an increasing risk of irrational behaviour, which may lead to unprotected sex and infections. In this case the numerous drinking joints or buvettes littered everywhere in the cities and villages are not helping matters.
High rate of promiscuity and prostitution among girls and women increases the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. There are numerous joints where men patronize prostitutes. Men who patronize these prostitutes may be infected by the virus and subsequently pass them on to their wives. There is an increase in moral decadence. Young girls and boys flagrantly engage in sexual relationship unmindful of the consequences.
The government should formulate polices that include public enlightenment information and proper health programme tailored to the needs of women and girls. The enlightenment and HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns should not end after commemorating the world AIDS day but should be a continuous process. These campaigns should be a regular feature in the print and electronic media and there should be outreach to the villages and remote rural areas.
Improvement of Women’s position in the society and taking adequate measures in empowering and strengthening their economic independence. For instance, creation of more employment opportunities or provision of adequate training that will enable more women to be gainful employed will help in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Marketing and effective distribution of condoms. Condoms are believed to be effected tool in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. But people need to be assisted to develop the culture of using them. Often times men detest the use of condoms on the flimsy excuse of not being able to enjoy sex with them. This attitude needs to be corrected through proper information and education. In this regards also, women should be empowered to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality in order to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infection including HIV/AIDS. The uneducated and rural women should also be educated on how to use these condoms, which they may impress upon their partners.
Commercial sex workers in some of the notorious joints like JONQUET and ZONGO should be mobilized enlightened and educated on the risk of HIV/AIDS infection.
Some of the obnoxious cultural practices should be stopped. lt is time for everyone to come to grasp with the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS pandermic to the entire community and the world.
Abstinence is believed to be the most effective tool of HIV/AIDS prevention. Religious bodies, groups and organizations should advocate this instead of advocating the use of condoms, which are found not be 100 percent effective in HIV/AIDS prevention and also contradictory to religious injunctions and beliefs.
Government agencies, religious groups and bodies should advocate one man one wife. And early marriages among girls should be proscribed.
Antiretroviral drugs are used to check the replication of the virus in sero-positve patients to stop the virus from destroying the entire immune system, development of full blown AIDS and other opportunistic infections.
The costs of treatment with these drugs are high and not all the patients can afford them and keep to the regime of treatment.
However, the government has greatly subsidized the cost of these drugs making them to be much more affordable to some of the patients.
The social stigma attached to HIV/AIDS does not allow the patients to come out publicly in order to avail themselves of the opportunity of being treated. Some after being diagnosed HIV-positive disappear never to surface again. No one wants to be associated with HIV/AIDS or with the patients.
These antiretroviral drugs are not readily available all the time. Some patients complain about the unavailability of these drugs at times leading to the stoppage in the regime of administration and the subsequent development of resistance to these drugs by the virus when the treatment starts again.
The government should make sure that these drugs are available all the time and are readily affordable even to the poorest patients in the rural communities.
Proper enlightenment and education of the patients on the benefits of treatment with these drugs should also be emphasized.
The entire populace should be adequately informed on the issue of HIV/AIDS and the need to help, assist and accommodate the patients. They should be properly informed of the means of transmission of the disease so that the stigma placed on the patients could be removed.
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