Every three minutes, a girl between the ages of 15 and 19 is infected with the virus that causes AIDS, said a UN report today that warned of a "crisis" fuelled by gender inequality.
Girls and young women made up two-thirds of 15- to 19-year-olds infected with HIV in 2017, according to data unveiled at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.
Henrietta Fore, head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), referred to it as a "crisis of health". "In most countries, women and girls lack access to information, to services, or even just the power to say no to unsafe sex," she said. "HIV thrives among the most vulnerable and marginalised, leaving teenage girls at the centre of the crisis."
The AIDS epidemic is "not just about sex or sexuality", the South African celebrity said. "We know it is linked to the second-class status of women and girls worldwide."
"Yet few countries have invested in comprehensive programmes to combat gender-based violence or to ensure ready access to adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content