US-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) continues to cement themselves as one
of South African’s greatest supporters in the ongoing fight against HIV/Aids.
August is National Women’s Month in South Africa; and AFH is focusing on women’s
socio-economic rights and empowerment in KZN and Eastern Cape where the country
program provides services . An advocacy to capacitate young women and girls by
exploring the link between gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS will be the epicenter of
the Eastern Cape discussions on the 31 st of August at The Regent Hotel in East
London.
The Open Door is an non profit organization (NPO) located near the AHF supported
Pinetown Clinic. The home can shelter up to 20 vulnerable women at a time, who bring
their children, seeking safety from abuse. The center operates with support from the
Department of Social Development (DSD), the National Lottery Board and private
donors
Women’s Day is a South African commemoration and celebration of 20 000 women who
marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on August 9 1956 in protest against the
systematic control of women that was brought forth by the Apartheid government’s
implementation of pass laws. Women have had a long history of oppression, but every
fight gets us one step closer to freedom and equality.
During women’s month, attention is focused on women face including domestic
violence, workplace sexual harassment, unequal pay, and unequal opportunities for
access to education especially for girls South Africa is considered the rape capital of
the world, with 5935 cases being reported between October and December 2022
alone. The rate at which women are killed by intimate partners in this country is five
times higher than the global average and these are just the reported incidences. GBV
instills so much fear in victims that a lot of cases unreported. Criminal psychologists
have indicated that leaving increases one’s chances of being killed by over 70%.
A study conducted in 2020 revealed that women who are rape survivors stand a 60%
higher likelihood to contract HIV than none-rape survivors. In a country like South Africa
PRESS STATEMENT
where GBV is so prevalent, it is imperative for interventions to be made available for
survivors of gender based violence, established in collaboration between government
and civil society.
Empowerment of women and girls is an integral step towards curbing the effects of
GBV, strengthening the observation and preservation of the rights of women, and
making strides towards seeking justice for survivors of GBV. Structural gender
inequalities, discrimination, violence against women and girls, and unequal gender
norms continue to undermine efforts by women and girls to prevent HIV and use
HIV/AIDS services.
The KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape activations will also put the microscope on other
female health issues such as cervical cancer, mental health, reproductive health and
other types of sexually transmitted infections.