Samantha Keller
WLH - Tompkins
March 9, 2015
Period 1
A Sickness of the People
Research pertaining to HIV and AIDS has come a long way since the disease was first recognized in the early 1980s. Medical advancements have led us to the creation of prevention methods and treatments for infected populations everywhere. Unfortunately, medicine cannot cure the social illness that lies beneath the surface of South Africa, contributing to the epidemic. South Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS compared to any other country in the world. An estimated 18 percent of the population is infected, with a ratio of three infected women for every infected man (AIDS Foundation of South Africa). The most prevalent cause of this imbalance is gender based violence and discrimination.
Like many other places in the world, South Africa is still overrun with misogynistic mindsets in both men and women. Young girls are raised to believe that they are inferior, that they must submit to a man’s will. A study in Zambia found that less than 25 percent of married women believed that they had the right to refuse sex with their husbands and a mere 11 percent felt that they had the right to ask their husband to use a condom (Kata Fustos). This exacerbates female HIV rates due to women’s biological susceptibility to infection, as well as the fact that most men are far more sexually experienced than their partners. However, unlike women, men are able to openly seek treatment without fear of repercussion.
Women facing a diagnosis of being HIV positive face more challenges than the disease itself. They must also endure harsh rejection and discrimination from the people around them. “Stigma and denial related to suspected infection cause many people to delay or refuse testing; fear and despair often follow diagnosis, due to poor quality counselling and lack of support” (AIDS Foundations of South Africa). The lack of testing means that many women will not seek treatment or have enough knowledge to warn their future partners of this risks. For those brave enough to own their status, the consequences can be intense. One South African woman diagnosed with AIDS says how most of her family refuses to recognize her as a human being. She recalls an argument where her sister shouts, “Do you think you are a human being? You've got AIDS! You are going to die!” (Gloria Raletsemo) While this woman is able to rise up against others’ harsh actions in favor of her own health, many are not so strong, and succumb to the social pressures placed on them.
While there are many organizations dedicated to helping the South African people in their fight against HIV and AIDS, the only people that can change communities are the people within them. Medical advances may help combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, but as long as gender based discrimination against the nations women run rampant in South Africa, so too will the disease.
Works Cited
Fustos, Kata. "Gender-Based Violence Increases Risk of HIV/AIDS for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa." Gender-Based Violence Increases Risk of HIV/AIDS for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Population Reference Bureau, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
"HIV/AIDS in South Africa." AIDS Foundation of South Africa. AIDS Foundation of South Africa, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Raletsemo, Gloria. "Living in South Africa With AIDS A Personal Story." TheBody.com. The Body, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
I loved this line "Unfortunately, medicine cannot cure the social illness that lies beneath the surface of South Africa, contributing to the epidemic." It was really gripping and completely hooked my attention! The fact that there is a stigma for women with aids more than men in Africa is shocking. The overall idea of a stigma towards people with AIDS is very similar to the stigma that many people have in the US. A question I have is why are men looked down upon less than women even when they have the same disease?
ReplyDeleteGood job Sam! I really enjoyed reading about the argument between the woman with HIV and her sister.It really shows how harsh people could be to one another regardless if their family. In the united states HIV/Aids are more controlled because we have the money but as you proved to us in the article that in South Africa it is different.
ReplyDeleteWOW your introduction was really good and just smoothly led into your topic. The statistic "less than 25 percent of married women believed that they had the right to refuse sex with their husbands," as well as the rest of the paragraph, really shocked me because I had no idea that the social mindset was that bad. I really liked how you went deeper than just informing us about HIV/AIDS, but talked about how gender discrimination was the root cause of it. I wonder why women are biologically more susceptible to infection?
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