The Effect of HIV/AIDS on Women and Girls
Speech: Rhoda Southgate MP (ACDP)

07/11/02


South Africa has the relevant infrastructure, as well as the legal framework to treat women and children with HIV/AIDS. Many sectors in society, like churches and NGO’s and other civil bodies are actively involved in meeting the challenges consequent to this deadly disease. The greatest challenge however is to convince our leaders at the political level of the gravity of the disease on the nation as a whole.

The family, as the foundational unit of society, is being systematically destroyed. Family members become disorientated by the meaning of life, and desensitised from the suffering, as despair remains prevalent, while social care remains non – existent. HIV/AIDS is destroying the family, and the political foresight to realise this is lacking.

Government “apparently” has a strategic plan to deal with HIV/AIDS and STD’s. A statement in the document “calls for a renewed commitment from all South Africans” to bring the rate of infection under control. Most South Africans have always had a commitment to tackle the issue, which is why the fight for dispensing anti – retrovirals is continuing. Another victory achieved is the public’s pressure put on pharmaceutical companies, to allow for generic medicines access to the South African market.

What most South Africans, however, are waiting on, is not only government’s commitment, but also political will to effectively roll out efforts to fight the pandemic.

It is noted that by 2005, about 6 million South Africans will be HIV/AIDS positive. This figure is speculative since the rights of people to divulge the information publicly about their HIV status is protected.

It is suggested that one of the major causes for the epidemic is in behavioural patterns. However, those most affected are the poor. We cannot suggest that there is a link between poverty and HIV/AIDS, although the disease may be prevalent in this group.

The simple answer for the epidemic in the poorest class is that basic nutritional, health and social services do not effectively reach them. On the other hand, if these provisions are made available, they do not reach the poor because government employees steal them. As case in point is the disastrous mismanagement of social services to the poor in the Gauteng Legislature.

The poor will not suffer as much if they receive the right treatment they deserve. Since poverty needs to be dealt with in a number of ways, HIV/AIDS should be seen as a disease that needs to be dealt with as a health issue. It is the responsibility of government, therefore, to deal with the disease from an epidemic *** approach, and provide the drugs to treat the disease.

This is the simple and basic fact, for which very little political debate is needed. In not treating the disease timeously, we have succeeded in creating numerous stigmas, myths, and socio – pathological problems, which have placed South Africa in the position it is today. The best education *** is needed for South Africans is a massive drive towards treatment, and once the disease seems to abate, a probable decline in the types of crime related to the disease may occur.

Immediate treatment is needed for women, children and men.





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For further comment please call Rhoda Southgate MP 082 875 8194 or ACDP Media Liaison Wesley Douglas at 072 4613719