The International Community of Women With HIV West Africa (ICWWA) has called on the federal government to provide treatment, anteretroviral drugs and opportunities for people to go for voluntary testing, stressing that for Nigeria to end AIDS by 2030, gender inequalities must be eradicated.
Program Manager for ICW West Africa Edward Ogenyi, made the call in Abuja during a sensitisation workshop held on the theme: “End Gender Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics” organised for indigents of One Man Village, Karu Local Government Area in Nasarawa state as part of activities to mark the 2021 World AIDS day.
Ogenyi stressed the need for the gap in gender inequalities to be bridged, saying that this has remained the bane of total eradication of the virus in the country.
“The society treats men and women differently and we know that even from families boys are sent to school while girls go hawking wares and end up being violated and contacting AIDS.
“A Girl child who is not educated and does not understand her body will easily be taken advantage of sexually and if we continue to encourage this inequalities the it will be difficult to end AIDs as a public health threat,” he said.
He noted that over the years government has provided policy direction through NACA, he however stressed the need for every person who tested positive to HIV access to medication.
“We see treatment as prevention, if government should ensure that every individuals that test positive have access to antiretroviral drugs. If a person test positive and present himself for treatment within three- six months that person should be able to attain no detectable viral load.
“If government can provide access to treatment and drugs for all positive persons and those individuals to achieve viral suppression it means the ability to infect another individual is highly limited,” he added.
He therefore called on the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to be more committed to coordinating HIV responses by ensuring that every HIV positive person have access to antiretroviral drugs to enable the country achieve treatment as prevention’s to achieve viral suppression.
Another resource person Esther James decried the discrimination against women, stressing the importance of giving women opportunities to talk and share their views on issues affecting them in the society.
The traditional Chief of the community Alhaji Amodu lauded the organisation for enlightening the community on gender equality, affirming that they learnt something new and would ensure the provide opportunities for the girls a d boys to thrive favorably in the society.
A participant, Aisha Ibrahim, a mother of four said she would ensure she allow her girls get formal education to enable her live a better and meaningful life.
