Human Rights

The WWG on FfD is an alliance of women's organizations and networks that advocates for the advancement of gender equality, women's empowerment and human rights in UN processes related to FfD and the global financial and economic crises.

On the 18th of December, 2008, a Statement on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity with the backing of 66 states including six African countries, was read at the General Assembly. The statement reaffirmed "the principle of the universality of human rights amongst other things. But a counter-statement arguing against the statement supported by 60 states including a multitude of African countries.

Strengthening Resistance focuses on the points of intersection in the social, political and public health crises of violence against women and HIV/AIDS. The report uses a human rights lens to focus on critical political challenges and on innovative strategies used by activists worldwide as they respond to the links between violence and HIV/AIDS. From street theater to telenovelas/soap operas to traditional lobbying, activists in both VAW and HIV/AIDS communities are beginning to work together to focus attention to ways both crises are causes and consequences of each other. Neither can be addressed adequately without taking into account the links between them and the human rights implications of each crisis on its own, and in conjunction with the other.

Coverage of the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City has once again pointed to Botswana as a "success story" in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Reporting on new data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Brenda Wilson of National Public Radio said:  "Take Botswana, which had one of the highest rates of HIV in Southern Africa.  And the government and international organizations put in strong prevention and treatment programs. Prevalence among teen girls dropped from 25 percent to 18 percent."

I have another side of the story to tell. 

Botswana is a mid-income country and so, was one of the first to provide antiretroviral treatment and institute programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This is one fundamental reason that we can claim some success. But Botswana continues to have one of the highest HIV rates in the world, and most of the new infections are among women and young people. Today, if you meet 20 young women between the ages of 15 and 24 in Botswana, it is likely that at least 3 of them are living with HIV. The situation in Botswana is controversial because some organizations working in the country have very little understanding of how the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS are being violated.