AIDS endangers motherhood, threatens the joys of childhoodMEDIA ADVISORY This Mother's Day on 10 May, UNICEF calls for commitments and actions from all sectors of society to protect women and uphold the sacredness of motherhood in a world shadowed by AIDS.
KUALA LUMPUR, 1 May 2009 – Mothers are special. Not only do mothers go through both the joys and difficulties of pregnancy and giving birth, she dedicates her life to nurturing and caring for her children, ensuring their spiritual, emotional and physical health and well-being. Yet in a world with AIDS, the sacredness of motherhood is already under grave threat explains UNICEF Representative to Malaysia Mr. Youssouf Oomar. “Some 15.5 million women are currently living with HIV – half of all adults living with the virus. Most of these women are already mothers, and between them they are raising millions more children,” highlights Mr. Youssouf who is also UNICEF’s Special Representative to Brunei. “With the epidemic taking on an increasingly feminine face, the toll will be most painfully felt by the next generation of mothers and their children.” In Malaysia, the picture is no less grim with the narrowing gap between the rates of HIV infections among men compared to those of women. The Ministry of Health and UNICEF 2008 Report “Women and Girls: Confronting HIV and AIDS in Malaysia” reveals that HIV infections amongst women have risen sharply, 1.2% of total new cases in 1990 to 10.8% in 2004. December 2008 data indicates the proportion of new infections amongst women as compared to men has increased and is now 19%. Disparities beyond sexual relations “Gender inequality is at the heart of this crisis,” asserts Mr. Youssouf. “Women are less able than men to exercise control over their bodies and lives. But these disparities go far deeper than sexual relations. When women are wholly dependent on men financially, there is a risk of exposure to abuses of power.” Violence and the threat of it also limit women’s ability to protect themselves from HIV infection. She may risk violence if she insists on protection. She may stay in a violent relationship because she feels her children need their father. She may give in to male demands for unprotected sexual relations even when she knows the danger. Once infected with HIV, women face a whole set of new difficulties. Frequently, women with HIV infection face challenges that may interfere with their ability to obtain or adhere to treatment. In some instances, she is also blamed for bringing HIV into the household and may end up being shunned by family members, including her husband. Missing mothers, missing childhoods But it is children who bear the heaviest burden when HIV intrudes into their mother’s lives. Infected mothers who are not aware of their HIV status are at risk of transmitting the virus to their children during pregnancy and childbirth. Without ante- and postnatal care, one third of children born to HIV-positive mothers will contract the virus themselves. Even those children born before their mother is infected, and those who remain HIV-negative despite being born to a mother with the virus, are at risk as their mother’s health declines. All too often, a reversal of roles takes place, with children caring for their sick mothers, knowing that their mother may soon die. Aside from the emotional cost, the loss of a mother is an unforgivable blow to a child’s life. “It is a tragedy when children are left motherless. A mother’s death denies her children their natural, primary caregiver and has an extremely detrimental effect on her children’s access to education and health care,” says Mr. Youssouf. “Many children who survive without mothers also risk being emotionally lost.” UNAIDS and UNICEF’s 2008 Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS advocates for more to be done to provide HIV tests for pregnant women and to give them access to essential care and treatment. The testing of mothers must be a high priority since a mother’s health directly impacts the health of her baby, and treating the mother during her pregnancy and delivery will help reduce HIV transmission to her child. While prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) is an issue of prevention for infants, it is also an equally important entry point for treating HIV-positive mothers to ensure they remain well. Keeping our promise to children “But what is even more useful, more beneficial to families and society is to ensure that mothers and fathers remain free of HIV,” Mr Youssouf points out. “Education is our solution. Educated women are more likely to know how to prevent HIV infection, to delay sexual activity and to take measures to protect themselves. Education also accelerates behaviour change among young men, making them more receptive to prevention messages.” “As we embrace twenty years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, let us not forget that our promises to children must include a commitment to ensure they live lives free of HIV and its harmful effects,” says Mr. Youssouf. Strategies for HIV prevention, treatment, and support services for women and girls must be incorporated into all national AIDS plans and budgets, and made central to all National Development Strategies. At the same time, civil society, religious communities, businesses, the media also have a role to play to challenge the social norms and values that contribute to the lower social status of women and girls and condone violence against them. Mother's Day on 10 May, followed closely with International Day of Families on 15 May themed this year "Mothers and Families: Challenges in a Changing World" is a reminder and a challenge to each of us to stand up for women and their children. “If we act now, we will save more girls and women from getting infected, getting sick or dying of AIDS. Only together, with a common mission and purpose, can we protect and keep our promise to children,” avows Mr. Youssouf. .......................................................................................... NOTE TO EDITORS: ABOUT International Day of Families ABOUT International AIDS Memorial Day ABOUT Children and Families – UNICEF’S role FOR MORE INFORMATION: Indra Kumari Nadchatram Shiao Eek, Tee Faradiza Zahri
International AIDS Memorial Day 2009
Together, ................................... Statistics: Global and Malaysia Video - AIDS
Video Report Malaysia: Treating mothers, saving babies from HIV Resources: HIV & AIDS Ministry of Health & UNICEF Report 2008 Children and AIDS: Third Stocktaking Report, 2008 Real Lives 18 December 2009: 1 April 2008: 4 March 2008: 7 April 2007: Newsline 25 April 2009: 25 April 2009: 24 March 2009: 4 December 2008: 1 December 2008: 11 June 2008: 15 December 2007: 20 November 2007: Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS The AIDS Response |
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