On World AIDS Day, UN officials say end to epidemic is within reach
In his annual World AIDS day message, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Momentum is on our side. Let us use it to end AIDS — once and for all.” U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to redirect $50 million in already approved funding to fight HIV/AIDS. Writing in the Huffington Post, former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General Susan Blumenthal outlines a plan for achieving an AIDS-free generation.
Resistance to AIDS drugs is shown among Asian children
Years of scientific effort, financial investment and health campaigning have yet to yield a cure for AIDS, but they have combined to provide a basic treatment. Today, World AIDS Day, advocacy groups urged that more attention be given to young HIV patients, especially those in Asia, where children as young as five are becoming resistant to AIDS drugs.
Would-be teen bride is hospitalized in Afghan acid attack
The recent acid-throwing attack on a teenage Afghan girl and her two sisters has again focused attention on the fates of child brides. The 17-year-old girl in the Kunduz province, north of Kabul, was apparently supported by her family in rejecting the match with an older suitor, who is suspected in the incident.
Guatemala battles femicide
Guatemala continues to struggle against gender-based violence, victimization and femicide, the killing of women usually by a spouse or other family member. The number of women killed in Guatemala this year is on track to equal the 2010 rate, which was down slightly from 2009.
Aid agencies warn of Somalia humanitarian disaster
Aid organizations are raising an alarm over an unfolding humanitarian disaster in Somalia after al-Shabab militants ordered 16 major agencies out of the country. The move came as aid agencies were attempting to resettle tens of thousands of famine-affected Somalis who had sought refuge in the capital Mogadishu.
Using biogas for cookstoves
A novel project in rural South Africa is training women to build bio-digesters, devices that produce biogas from cattle dung, to be used in lieu of charcoal and firewood to power cookstoves. The pilot project, to which the United Nations Development Programme is a partner, is intended to serve as an example of how communities cannot only live off the grid, but reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
Are sexual assault trends changing in DR Congo?
Some health care workers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are seeing a change in the cases of sexual assault, with fewer victims naming military forces as perpetrators. The numbers of assaults have yet to post a significant drop and military forces do continue to be accused of widespread abuses including mass rapes.
UN reports on abuses in Syria
Syrian authorities have killed at least 256 children, and sexually tortured male detainees, during the past eight months as they have tried to violently put down anti-government protests, according to the findings of an investigation by an independent commission of the United Nations Human Rights Council. “Children were also tortured, some to death,” concludes the report, released Monday, which chronicles what it calls “gross violations of human rights” during the government’s crackdown.
India’s malnutrition efforts are falling short
India is struggling to improve child malnutrition levels despite agricultural growth and overall economic expansion, and is unlikely to achieve significant gain without a coordinated national policy, development experts warn. India was able to decrease the rate 3% between 2000 and 2006, significantly less than experts would expect in a country experiencing rapid growth.
A crackdown on child marriage in Bangladesh
Communities across Bangladesh are beginning to act decisively against the practice of child marriage in response to coordinated efforts by aid groups and local authorities. Prevention efforts include public awareness campaigns and the creation of local income-generating activities to help keep girls in school.
In Ghana, novel anti-malaria program emphasizes drug access
Mobilize Against Malaria has created a network of more than 1,000 small medicine retailers, so-called licensed chemical sellers, that are instrumental in an innovative campaign in Ghana to promote prevention and early treatment of malaria. The group, started in 2007, targets pregnant women and children under five in areas without access to a pharmacy or hospital in an effort to fight malaria, which accounts for nearly 40% of Ghana’s outpatient illnesses.
Nigeria pursues anti-malaria battle with bed nets
Nigerian authorities and the international aid community have partnered to distribute free insecticide-treated bed nets in a bid to reach universal coverage. Malaria kills 300,000 children under the age of five in Nigeria annually.
Economic growth is not the sole factor in women’s health issues
A country’s economic growth can significantly affect women and girls through greater spending on public health and infrastructure. Countries such as China, India and Indonesia have failed to make major impacts on women’s and girls’ health despite rapid economic growth, while rising food prices, malnutrition and poor sanitation continue to disproportionately affect females.
