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Abstract: Is the Spread of AIDS linked to the exploitation of women?
Societies that oppress and devalue women are the ones where AIDS is spreading fastest, according to recent research. When women fear a beating if they say no to sex, or if they do not dare to ask a man to wear a condom, or if widows or abandoned women are barred from earning a living except through prostitution, and where discussion of sexual rights is taboo, the AIDS pandemic is rampant. A current series of articles in The Washington Post documents this new understanding as part of its look at AIDS’ devastating impact on Africa. For more information, check out the Web site for UNAIDS - the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS - at http://www.unaids.org/.