[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 94 (Friday, July 9, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF NEW UNITED STATES GLOBAL HIV PREVENTION STRATEGY TO 
            ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 9, 2004

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker I rise today to talk about an urgent need in 
regards to our Global HIV/AIDS Initiative--the need to address the 
disproportionately growing effect of HIV/AIDS upon women and girls.
  Today there are an estimated 40 million people infected with HIV/AIDS 
throughout the world.
  For a number of reasons, women and girls are biologically, socially, 
and economically more vulnerable to HIV infection than men, and today 
they represent more than half of all individuals who are infected with 
HIV worldwide.
  In sub-Saharan Africa the story is even worse, as women and girls 
make up 60 percent of those infected with HIV/AIDS.
  Today we are undoubtedly facing a dramatic feminization of the global 
pandemic.
  Why are women more vulnerable?
  In many cases, women still have inadequate information about how HIV 
is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and how it can be treated.
  Cultural and social norms in many developing countries, and in some 
cases even here in the United States, prevent frank and open discussion 
about sex and HIV/AIDS.
  But perhaps worst of all, women are most vulnerable because of the 
continuing legal, social, and economic inequalities that contribute to, 
and are the result of persistent and culturally ingrained gender 
discrimination throughout the world.
  This gender discrimination is responsible for devaluing the rights of 
women to attend school, earn an independent living, control their own 
bodies and choose their own sexual partners, retain control over their 
own property, and speak their minds.
  And with the loss of each such right, women become more vulnerable to 
HIV infection.
  Studies show that without an education, women are at a much higher 
risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS.
  Without an independent source of income, women are forced to rely on 
men for food, clothing, shelter, etc., thus perpetuating an unequal 
power balance in their relationships.
  Without being able to control their own bodies and choose their 
sexual partners, women are frequently treated as commodities to be 
bought or sold, without rights under the law.
  This perpetuates a culture that accepts rape and violence against 
women as something that is commonplace, and without punishment.
  And women who have no right to refuse the sexual advances of men 
cannot control the circumstances of their sexual encounters and are 
unable to insist on abstinence, faithfulness on behalf of their 
partners, or the use of condoms.
  Without the ability to own or inherit property, women are in constant 
danger of being kicked out of their own homes, and losing control of 
their families most basic productive resources.
  Ultimately, women who fear the consequences of speaking openly are 
powerless to advocate for any of these rights and are consigned to 
accept a second class status in their societies.
  In the context of our moral tradition and our common humanity, that 
is just plain wrong.
  But when it comes to combating HIV/AIDS, for women it can be deadly.
  Working jointly with my colleagues in Congress and the 
Administration, last year we established the Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief to treat 2 million people, prevent 7 million new infections, and 
care for 10 million individuals.
  But Mr. Speaker, I believe that if we do not aggressively target the 
needs of women, and work to eliminate the factors that contribute to 
the increased vulnerability of women to HIV, we will never reach our 
targets.
  That is why today, along with 54 of my colleagues, I am introducing a 
bill entitled the New United States Global HIV Prevention Strategy to 
Address Women and Girls Act of 2004.
  By recognizing the inadequacy of our current HIV Prevention efforts, 
which focus on the ``ABC'' approach of Abstinence, Being faithful, or 
using a Condom, my bill would seek to revise our current HIV Prevention 
strategy to place an emphasis on the needs of women and girls.
  In doing so, my bill would require the President to develop a 
comprehensive, integrated, and culturally appropriate HIV prevention 
strategy for each of the countries receiving assistance to combat HIV/
AIDS that includes:
  Increasing access to female condoms--including training to ensure 
effective and consistent use. Accelerating the de-stigmatization of 
HIV/AIDS--as women are generally at a disadvantage in combating stigma. 
Empowering women and girls to avoid cross-generational sex and reduce 
the incidence of child-marriage. Reducing violence against women. 
Supporting the development of micro-enterprise programs and other such 
efforts to assist women in developing and retaining independent 
economic means. Promoting positive male behavior toward women and 
girls. Supporting expanded educational opportunities for women and 
girls. Protecting the property and inheritance rights of women. 
Coordinating HIV prevention services with existing health care 
services--including mother to child transmission programs--and family 
planning and reproductive health services. Promoting gender equality by 
supporting the development of civil society organizations focused on 
the needs of women, and by encouraging the creation and effective 
enforcement of legal frameworks that guarantee women equal rights and 
equal protection under the law.
  At the same time, my bill would also seek to balance funding for our 
HIV prevention initiatives by stripping out misguided language in last 
year's Global AIDS bill that guaranteed that 33% of our prevention 
funds would go towards abstinence only programs.
  Instituting a blanket requirement for abstinence spending in our 
global prevention programs sends the message that religious ideology 
coming out of Washington DC is driving our global HIV/AIDS programs 
rather than sound science and the reality of the situation on the 
ground.
  Our policy should be to provide flexibility in our global HIV 
prevention strategies to support a variety of culturally appropriate 
prevention initiatives based on need and the specific HIV infection 
trends and gaps of each country.
  In the best interests of improving the Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief, and achieving our goal of preventing 7 million new infections, 
I believe that we must make this change.
  And we must also make this change because we owe it to all the women 
who are left vulnerable and powerless because of social, political, 
legal, and economic inequalities that allow HIV to fester and spread.
  If we do not address these underlying issues in a comprehensive 
manner, then I fear that our efforts to prevent the disease from 
spreading will only be in vain.
  I invite all my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation, 
and I urge the International Relations Committee to move swiftly to 
take it up.

                          ____________________