Opara UgonnaThe International Community of Women With HIV West Africa (ICWWA) has noted that Nigeria can only end HIV/AIDS by 2030, if gender inequality is eradicated and anteretroviral drugs with opportunities for voluntary testing made available to women.
Programme Manager for ICW in West Africa, Edward Ogenyi, made the call in Abuja during a sensitisation workshop held on the theme: “End Gender Inequality, 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 reiterated that gender inequality had remained the bane of total eradication of the virus in Nigeria and that women needed to be inculcated into the system.
In his words, “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 then 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 to have 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 tests positive and presents himself for treatment within three to 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 is to achieve viral suppression.
The traditional ruler of the community, Alhaji Amodu, thanked the organisation for enlightening the community on gender equality, affirming that they learnt something new and would ensure they provide opportunities for the girls and boys to thrive favorably in society.
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