AIDS hits young girls particularly hard worldwide

Despite the decline in new HIV infections in recent decades, UNICEF is concerned about the gender gap in HIV prevalence.

HIV epidemic is alarmingly affecting young girls in south Sahara

Despite the significant decline in new HIV infections worldwide, there are alarming data on gender-specific differences, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, girls and young women continue to be disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The number of new HIV infections per week for the age group 15-24 years is 3,100 new infections per week. Almost 80% of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 were in this age group.3 According to UNICEF epidemiological data (for 2022), 1,900 girls (10-19 years old) were infected with HIV every week. It is not only the rate of new infections that is alarming, but also the extremely young age of 10 years. This shows how badly the female sex is still faring in different parts of the world. In 2022, a total of 98,000 young girls were infected with HIV. The increasingly conservative policies of various countries and the associated stigmatisation are not without blame here.1,2

Stigmatisation and a lack of prevention and treatment options in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

In recent years, the number of new infections and the associated AIDS-related mortality among children and adolescents (up to 14 years of age) has decreased significantly: UNICEF reported a decline of over 75% for 2022 (compared to the figures for new infections per year in 2000). Despite this development, the global HIV infection rate is still unevenly distributed, to the disadvantage of females.1,2 In Eastern Europe, young girls – and boys – are also becoming infected (in addition to sexual contacts and perinatal infection) through high-risk behaviour when using drugs. A major problem in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the stigma and lack of access (or access associated with obstacles) to prevention and treatment services.4

Education, economic autonomy, and the guarantee of self-determination as the key to combating AIDS

At the 68th CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) from 11 to 22 March 2024 – the largest annual United Nations event on gender equality and women's empowerment – the accelerated realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls played a central role. Education was identified as a key element in reducing high HIV rates. However, this requires a school environment that is free of violence. Other important aspects for preventing the currently still high rate of new HIV infections are comprehensive sex education and stigma-free access to health services and sexual and reproductive health services. Economic autonomy and ensuring the self-determination of young girls is also key to ending AIDS as a public health threat. The Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity from Luxembourg expressed her concerns about current political developments worldwide:3

"I am extremely concerned about the increasing number of extremely conservative policies in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights. This is happening all over the world, but also in sub-Saharan Africa. We must avoid going back to the past. We must empower girls, because only in this way will we be able to empower women."

Yuriko Backes, Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity, Luxembourg

65% of affected girls and young women do not receive HIV treatment

Globally, adolescent girls bear a disproportionate burden of HIV. In 2023, only 65% of affected girls and young women received life-saving HIV treatment. In 2023 alone, around 12,000 girls aged 10-19 worldwide have died as a result of HIV infection (data from Global HIV and TB).5

Children suffer particularly from HIV infection

The not yet fully developed immune system of children means that they are more severely affected by HIV infection than adult persons with HIV. Unlike HIV-negative children, they are often unable to fight paediatric infections effectively enough. The following diseases are among the frequent infections in HIV-positive children:

HIV-positive children in developing countries are particularly affected by tuberculosis, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases.5

Sources
  1. [In German] https://www.united-internet-for-unicef-stiftung.de/aktuelles/themen/aids-hiv-kinder-schuetzen
  2. [In German] https://www.unicef.ch/de/aktuell/news/2023-12-01/welt-aids-tag-erhebliche-behandlungsluecken-bei-kindern-und-jugendlichen
  3. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2024/march/20240311_csw68-education-plus#:~:text=continues%20to%20d-,Despite%20substantial%20declines%20in%20new%20HIV%20infections%20globally%2C%20the%20HIV,women%20aged%2015%2D24%20years
  4. Global AIDS Monitoring 2018, UNAIDS 2018 estimates and UNICEF Global Databases of nationally representative population-based surveys 2010–2017. For more information, visit data.unicef.org
  5. https://www.cdc.gov/global-hiv-tb/php/events/idgc.html
  6. https://www.pedaids.org/about/about-pediatric-aids/