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By Mina Yirga - Capital
22 May, 2007
Under an initiative taken by the National Association of Positive Women Ethiopians, (NAPWE), a network of HIV positive women’s associations is to be launched at national level.
Presently, NAPWE has project locations in six regions (SNNPR, Oromia, Somali, Diredawa, Tigray and Amhara) with 15 potential network member associations among these regions.
According to W/o Berhane Kelkay, NAPWE National Coordinator, the main motive of establishing the network is to reduce and mitigate the all rounded impact of HIV/AIDS in the community, and especially on women through strengthening, creating networks and HIV building the capacity of positive women’s associations in Ethiopia.
“Any kind of help for HIV positive women can not be effective while their aren’t polices of affirmative and action for them. We need to promote an affirmative action program for HIV positive women in Ethiopia.” She stated
Results form the 2007-2015 National Adolescents and Youth Reproductive Health Strategy indicated that the HIV problem in Ethiopia has become a ‘femine epidemic’. Girls aged 15-19 years are seven times more likely to be HIV positive than boys at the same age. Moreover, women 20-24 years old are four times more likely to be infected than men at the same age. In addition to biological factors, young women are at increased risk of HIV transmission as they have earlier sexual debut than their male peer and marry in early age.