December 1, 2011 – Today is World AIDS Day. The face of AIDS is changing. In Ontario, HIV among women, aboriginals and new Canadians is on the rise. Biologically women are twice as likely to become infected through unprotected sex. Women are also less able to negotiate condom use, are more likely to be subjected to forced sex, and have higher rates of poverty increasing their risk to HIV infection. In Canada we have pockets of third world conditions – one reason why Aboriginal women are vastly over represented by this epidemic. Globally, AIDs is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. HIV/AIDs programming needs to address underlying gender inequalities if we are reverse this alarming trend.
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