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Dec.5 - Dec.12, 2004 |
World AIDS Day focuses on women
Females are world's fastest rising group amongst those infected with the HIV virus
By Mark Cirillo
Originally Published: 2004-11-28
On Wednesday, December 1st, HIV and AIDS sufferers the world over, in tandem with family, friends and supporters of their cause, come together to commemorate World AIDS Day. It's a time to reflect on those who have died, celebrate victories that have been made and plan for the continuing fight against AIDS worldwide.
With the number of people living with HIV and AIDS rising to 40 million in 2003, AIDS is becoming the greatest tragedy in human history. It took three million lives in 2003 alone, and the number of people infected with the disease is expected to exceed 80 million by 2010 unless significant progress is made to stop current trends.
Coordinated by the London, UK based National AIDS Trust, World AIDS Day is now in its 17th year. It originated out of an international summit of health ministers that took place in London in 1988. Each year there is a special focus for the event. In 2004, the theme is Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS.
There are a number of events taking place in Toronto on December 1st. The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) will host a community forum entitled Success Stories: Women, HIV/AIDS, and the Fight Against Stigma and Discrimination. The event, which focuses on the plight of Toronto women living with HIV/AIDS, consists of a panel discussion amongst community workers who are helping women cope with the disease. Speakers include Dr. Alan Li of the Regent Health Park Centre and Esther Tharao of Women's Health in Women's Hands.
There will also be a multimedia presentation featuring photos taken by African and Caribbean women living with HIV/AIDS. The women are part of a social support group called "The Kitchen," where women get together and prepare food and go on outings. ACT's Tania Smith, who organizes the event, says she finds The Kitchen helps the women of these communities more than the formal support groups she's tried in the past.
"I don't want to say it's a more natural setting, but it seems to put issues in a context they're more familiar with," she says. For various reasons, some of the women find it difficult to communicate how they feel and what challenges they're facing. So the group came up with the idea of going out and taking photos of things that represent stigma and discrimination to them personally.
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