What Works for Women and Girls

Chapter 5.Prevention for Young PeopleA. Encouraging Behavior ChangeB. Increasing Access to ServicesYoung people ages 15 to 24 account for an estimated 45% of new HIV infections (UNAIDS,2008), yet “‘few young people receive adequate preparation for their sexual lives….’ Beingsexual is an important part of many people’s lives: it can be a source of pleasure and comfortand a way of expressing affection and love or starting a family” (UNESCO, 2009: 1 and 4).Prevention Efforts for Young Women Are Critically NeededYoung women are especially at risk in some regions of the world. In many sub-SaharanAfrican countries, young women ages 15–24 “are between two and six times more likely to beHIV-positive than men of a similar age” (UNAIDS, 2006:88). In Cambodia, three times as many young women ages15–24 are living with HIV compared to young men thesame age (UNICEF, 2008 cited in IWHC, 2008). Womenaccount for approximately half of all infections in theCaribbean (UNAIDS, 2009d: 54). However, among 15 to 25year olds in Latin America, 0.3 percent of women and 0.5percent of men are living with HIV (PAHO and NORAD,2007).Globally, the median age of sexual debut is belowthe age of 20 for young women and men in numerousdeveloping countries (DHS, 2009). Many young people,“In countries in southern Africa,where HIV prevalence is extremelyhigh, the probability that one’ssexual partner is HIV-positiveis around one in four tosix, making it risky to haveunprotected sex with anyonewhose HIV status is unknown”(UNAIDS, 2008).113