World Vision releases preliminary findings of research on the vulnerability of girls to HIV/AIDS. The research was conducted in Tanzania and Zambia as a partnership between the international Christian humanitarian development and relief organization, and independent adult and youth researchers. 

"The research confirms what we see on an on-going basis in the communities where World Vision works, namely that girls are highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. We see the impact on girls in every region we work in, from Latin America to Eastern Europe to Asia, but the greatest impact, and the region where we have learnt our lessons, is in Africa," says Dr. Zari Gill, World Vision Canada's HIV/AIDS Senior Sector Specialist.

A teenage girl who participated in the Tanzanian research said, "…A woman or girl is different compared with a man. If an HIV infected person convinces you to have sex in exchange for food and other things you may need, you will be happy…All of this is due to poverty."

"The research suggests that girls' vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is caused by a wide spectrum of social and structural issues, and that individual's choices regarding sexual behavior are heavily influenced and determined by factors such as norms, culture, concepts of gender, traditional practices, socioeconomic status and the unequal distribution of power," says Sara Austin, World Vision Canada's Policy Analyst on HIV/AIDS.

While HIV/AIDS prevention programs from this past decade have increased people's knowledge and awareness, they have not necessarily resulted in behavior change to reduce vulnerability.  Individual's knowledge and choices are impeded by external factors over which they may have little control.  In the case of girls and women, while they may be aware of the factors that put them at risk of HIV infection, they often have very little power to exercise control to reduce their exposure.

Gill suggests prevention programs need to be restructured in such a way as to influence the socioeconomic and cultural determinants of the AIDS epidemic.

In response to the research findings, World Vision will pilot innovative approaches to address the reduction of vulnerability of girls and women.  "The aim is to go beyond conventional prevention methods and focus on bridging the gap between knowledge and behaviour to promote interventions that engage people in addressing the factors that fuel the transmission of HIV, reduce the vulnerability of girls and develop strategies to promote positive changes among men and women," says Gill. 

There will also be a continued focus on care and support of those already infected, and intensified efforts to prevent further infections. World Vision aims to address this challenge through its strong focus on transformational development, and by engaging women and girls, along with men and boys, as partners for change.  Ultimately, the aim is to drastically reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS by facilitating an enabling environment where they are empowered to exercise their rights freely.

Click here to read the pdf - Vulnerability of Girls to HIV

World Vision is an international Christian humanitarian relief and development organization active in more than 90 countries, providing help to more than 85 million people each year .