There is growing evidence in South Asia that women are disproportionately vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Gender norms and gender inequality, which manifest in unequal access and control over resources, limited decision making and the experience of violence, fuel the growing numbers of women becoming infected with the virus. HIV infections in South Asia have spiraled upwards, from 6.4 million in 2002 to 7.1 million in 2004, of which 5.1 million live in India -- the highest in the world except for South Africa.1 The latest estimates and surveillance data show that the incidence of HIV/AIDS is increasing among women, with heterosexual transmission being the single most common mode of transmission. At the end of 2003, there were 1.9 million women living with HIV/AIDS.2 100,000 HIV infected pregnant women give birth to children every year and one out of every three passes the infection to their offspring. There are an estimated 2 million women involved in sex work in India, one-quarter of whom are below the age of 18.3 According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2), 60% of women in India have never heard of AIDS and of those who have some knowledge, 33% do not know how to avoid HIV infection.4 Women are still seen as ‘vectors’ of HIV infection and are blamed for their family’s sickness and, consequently, suffer stigma, rejection, and expulsion from family and community structures..............click for more

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