Summary of E-discussion; Progress on MDG 3 and 6 Women and girls living with HIV in Asia and the Pacific

The numbers of new HIV infections annually in the Asia-Pacific have stabilized, yet HIV infections among women are on the increase. Of all HIV-positive people in the region, the proportion of women living with HIV rose from 19 percent in 2000 to 35 percent in 2008. Similarly, prenatal transmission continues to rise, accounting for 5.1 percent of new infections in the Pacific in 2005.

The impact of HIV on women and girls is experienced more severely compared to male counterparts. Structural gender inequalities work to the detriment of women and girls, increasing their vulnerability to both the causes and consequences of HIV. A number of reinforcing factors place women in “double jeopardy” regarding their higher infection rates and greater impact of living with HIV. These include:

• Harmful norms and practices affecting women and girls, including stigma and
• discrimination
• Violence against women
• Barriers in achieving economic security
• Barriers in receiving education
• Barriers in access to services and information
• The great burden of social care carried by women