The South African Burden

As of 2013, there were an estimated 25 million people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.[1] This tops off as the largest population of people living with HIV in any country in the world. In 2013, 1.1 million sub Saharan African deaths were AIDS-related causes. [2] Aside from the poor economic and living situations, why does Southern Africa continue to lead globally in the rates of HIV/AIDS? The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS can be attributable to the inconsistent government responses, gender inequality, and employment patterns, amongst other variables.

The Southern African government is not taking an active stance against the HIV/AIDS issue. The inconsistent and tentative responses do not match the severity of the HIV/AIDS crisis, at hand. In the past, President Thabo Mbeki has made statements regarding the causes of HIV/AIDS that completely defy the scientific consensus that has been drawn; he states there is no direct causation associated with HIV and AIDS.[3] In a society, where individuals do not have access to the correct information regarding such a disease, it is imperative that politically empowered individuals provide scientifically backed and credible information. Due to inadequate and faulty government response, those infected with HIV/AIDS may not view the issue of the disease as one to be taken seriously.

Men have always held the upper hand in many Southern African societies, as women are depicted as inferior in the household.[4] “According to the latest (2008) WHO and UNAIDS global estimates, women comprise 50% of people living with HIV”,[5] Due to the gender inequality present in Southern African culture, many African women believe they are cannot deny their partners sex, must engage in unprotected sex if desired by their husbands, and cannot opt for safer sex practices.[6] This social inequality creates various situations where men are able to take advantage of women by exploiting them as commodities for mere sexual pleasure, without accounting for their health and wellbeing (i.e. lack of condom usage). The lack of condom usage paired with the expectancy of South African women to be subservient to their husbands’ sexual desires lead to the ever-increasing HIV/AIDS epidemic that has engulfed South Africa.

Employment patterns in South Africa have led to thousands of South Africans migrating hundreds, and even thousands of miles from their homes, in order to seek work opportunities. Men leaving their homes, seeking work opportunities, are unable to bring along their families and wives. Due to policies that prevent working men from bringing along their families, prostitution is able to thrive in such male dominated working environments. Oftentimes, the young girls working in prostitution are forced into a life of prostitution where they have no choice but to engage in sexual acts with men who oftentimes refuse to wear condoms. This creates for optimal conditions for contracting and spreading HIV/AIDS. The heavily male dominated working societies tied with prostitution, contribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

South Africa tops the chart as the biggest and most high profile HIV epidemic in the world.[7] In order to combat this, active steps should be taken to combat the conditions that allow for such a proliferation of HIV/AIDS. Many aspects of the South African society and politics should be evaluated. If Africa continually allows for a society that accepts women as inferior to men, grants political leaders the platform to feed lies to its citizens regarding HIV/AIDS, and permits prostitution to thrive in employment-booming towns, then there will can be no progress made- HIV/AIDS will remain South Africa’s burden.

References:

1. [1] "UNAIDS." Fact Sheet. Accessed February 13, 2015. http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/2014/2014gapreport/factsheet.
2. [2] Ibid
3. [3] Barnard, David. "In The High Court Of South Africa, Case No. 4138/98: The Global Politics Of Access To Low-Cost AIDS Drugs In Poor Countries." Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 12:161.
4. [4] "Gender Inequalities and HIV." Gender, Women and Health. http://www.who.int/gender/hiv_aids/en/.
5. [5] Ibid
6. [6] "Gender Inequalities and HIV." Gender, Women and Health. http://www.who.int/gender/hiv_aids/en/.
7. [7] "HIV & AIDS in South Africa." HIV & AIDS in South Africa. Accessed April 15, 2015. http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-south-africa.htm.