Zuma urged to show men how to treat women

By Sipokazi Maposa
Health Writer

Aids activist group the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has called for a radical approach to halt gender-based violence and HIV in South Africa.

While the group commended President Jacob Zuma for showing leadership on HIV and Aids and tuberculosis. They said leadership had been "absent from the government for 15 years".

They also urged Zuma to throw his weight behind efforts to change men's attitudes and behaviour towards women and girls.

Their statement, issued before World Aids Day tomorrow, said Zuma's administration had shown the political will to fight the HIV and Aids and TB pandemics.

Tomorrow, Zuma is to address the nation on the government's plans to fight HIV and Aids.

He recently acknowledged that the mortality rate among young people had increased over the past 10 years and needed to be curbed.

The TAC said the country also needed to provide universal access to treatment for HIV and to end the deaths of mothers from violence and HIV.

"We need (Zuma's) leadership in changing men's attitudes and behaviour (towards) women and girls. A radical approach to stop gender-based violence and HIV in South Africa is needed."

The TAC said it was "particularly impressed by the sense of urgency to reach our goals for 2009 for treating people living with HIV, as outlined in the National Strategic Plan (2007-2011)".

South Africa accounted for at least 17 percent of HIV infections in the world and was home to 5,5 million people living with HIV and Aids. Also, it was estimated 1,5 million more people needed antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

According to the national strategic plan on HIV and Aids, South Africa aims to provide ARVs to 80 percent of those who need them and to halve the rate of new infections by 2011.

The national health department anticipated it would be short of R1,2-billion in funding for the HIV treatment programme this year. The National Treasury then allocated R900m, leaving a R300m shortfall.

Contributions from the Global Fund, a world public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV and Aids, TB and malaria, have helped to saved an estimated 3,5 million lives in developing countries.

"Yet the Global Fund has been unable to obtain donor commitments to fill a growing funding gap, which directly affects countries' capacity to scale up and sustain HIV and Aids treatment," the TAC said.

"The economic crisis cannot be used as an excuse for national governments and G8 countries not to honour their commitments to fight TB, HIV and malaria in developing countries."

• This article was originally published on page 6 of The Cape Argus on November 30, 2009