There are some forms of risky behavior that make women directly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in developing countries like Bangladesh. It should be the cornerstone of life to get rid of risk behaviors by improving the standard of living in any way. To achieve greater participation of vulnerable women in all aspects of containing the epidemic, they must be able to respond to the epidemic in a meaningful way.
In a society, if women and girls are not empowered to develop life skills, they are seriously vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Gender discrimination, sexual violence, trafficking in women, dowry, early marriage and low levels of reproductive health literacy are considered key factors in the spread of STIs.
A large proportion of women become infected with HIV through regular partners who became infected during paid sex. For example, in Mumbai and Pune (in Maharashtra), in 2005, 54% and 49% of sex workers, respectively, were found to be infected with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are more likely than men to be infected with HIV. HIV. The unfortunate fact is that vulnerability among women is increasing all over the world. Only the empowerment of women can contain this vulnerability.
Deep advocacy can be an important and familiar way to break down barriers to undermine gender discrimination and stigma. The spread of HIV/AIDS is being fueled among women in developing countries through risk factors such as the exorbitant prevalence of HIV in neighboring countries, the increase in population movement both internally and externally, the existence of commercial sex with multiple clients, the high prevalence of STIs among commercial sex workers, unsafe sexual practices through the bridging population, sexual servitude, the increasing trend of HIV among injection drug users, unprotected premarital sex, and extreme poverty. On the other hand, sustainable family servitude as well as the integrated praxis of religious and social values make these countries comparatively less vulnerable.
According to AIDS researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam, “Empowering women is the first step to ending gender discrimination and stigmatization. If we promote gender equality, poverty will be significantly reduced. Poverty is recognized as helping to trigger vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.So women must be empowered through development initiatives to keep HIV/AIDS at bay.In this regard, promotional activities such as organizing workshops, seminars, symposiums, debates open houses, popular theatre, door-to-door work, promotion sessions, etc. play an important role in achieving effective social mobilization Therefore, relying on the mobilization of local resources and capitalizing on collective action, the women’s empowerment program can be led by a more efficient integrated approach to undermine vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS”.
It is estimated that every day more than 14,000 people become infected with HIV worldwide. Among them, 2,000 are children under the age of 15 who mostly become infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission. Therefore, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is considered an important issue in the spread of HIV/AIDS. There is scientific evidence of the probable presence of the HIV virus in breast milk. Therefore, gender issues including the improvement of maternal and child care services must be ensured through the HIV/AIDS prevention programme.
According to the results of the National Assessment of the Situation and Responses to Opioid/Opioid Use in Bangladesh (NASROB) conducted in 2001, 14% of female heroin smokers started using heroin before the age of 18 and 38% at 18 years old. 22% of women who inject today started injecting drugs at age 19. BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services) found that 90% of young girls (15-25 years old) in Bangladesh are very vulnerable to AIDS and STIs and do not know how to take care of their reproductive and sexual health. They are not inclined or powerful enough to believe that it is necessary to also seek safe reproductive health advice.
Reproductive health remains taboo in Bangladesh, particularly among adolescent girls. With very limited access to healthcare facilities, knowledge and education, they do not understand ways to protect themselves. But women must empower themselves by developing life skills that allow them to have more control over their reproductive and sexual health. Consequently, the HIV/AIDS prevention program will be fully maintained, reaching a high level of success in reducing vulnerabilities to STIs.
