Women organization advocates for the use of female condom

Accra, Nov. 28, GNA- The Society for Women Against AIDS (SWAA), Ghana, on Friday advocated for increased support for the use of female condoms as part of the World AIDS Day messages which falls on Monday, December 1.

A release issued in Accra and signed by Mrs Charity Binka, President of SWAA, said there was the need to empower women to claim equal rights to access to health care, education, economics and socio-cultural opportunities to make the world free of HIV/AIDS.

World AIDS Day, celebrated world wide, would have the theme "Live and Let Live".

She said the use of the female condom was the only protective barrier aga inst unwanted pregnancies and other sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS and women should be encouraged by the men to use it.

The release said women formed the biggest high-risk groups for new infections because most women were not in control and therefore, could not protect themselves in sexual relations.

"These together with the biological anatomy of the female genital area making transmission much easier have resulted in a higher rate of HIV/AIDS infection among women who may in turn pass it on to their babies", the release said. The release said HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections do not distinguish between men and women and that both sexes were equally at risk.