High rate of HIV/AIDS among women attributed to gender inequities

Kumasi, Nov 30, GNA- The Reverend Kofi Boateng, an HIV/AIDS campaign activist, has noted that the efforts aimed at stemming the spread of the deadly virus would be fruitless unless gender inequalities were addressed by society.

He has therefore called for the speedy passage of the Domestic Violence Bill to give women the right to be part of the decision making process about their sexuality.

Rev Boateng was speaking at an HIV/AIDS awareness programme in Kumasi.

The programme dubbed: " Clown's Day", which combined entertainment, counselling and free screening of HIV/AIDS was on the theme: "Women Girls and HIV/AIDS" and was organized by the Aninwaa Medical Centre and Micro-Care Ghana at Emena in Kumasi. He said it was wrong for the security agencies to arrest and prosecute only commercial sex workers without including the men that patronise their services.

Rev Boateng called on the public not to shun People Living with AIDS, since the virus was not contracted through casual contacts such as handshakes, hugging or eating together.