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Stigma, poor health care access, and
high-risk sex are pushing up HIV infection rates among Asia-Pacific transgender
women, the UN Development Program said Thursday. Some 9 million to 9.5 million
transgender people live in the region, and they are “bearing the brunt of the
HIV epidemic,” a new UNDP report says. “Scattered and often small-scale
research” suggests that 49 percent of transgender women there could have HIV.
Disapproval at home and school leads
many transgender youths to leave both, and scant economic opportunities mean
many turn to sex work and have unprotected sex, according to the report.
“Social exclusion, poverty, and HIV infection contribute to what we call a
‘stigma sickness slope’ - a downward spiral that is difficult to reverse,” said
report author Sam Winter of Hong Kong University.
In positive developments, the report
notes the emergence of a confident transgender identity and a greater
willingness by transgenders to access mainstream services and engage in policy
discussions.
[PNU editor’s note: For more
information about the report, visit:
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2012/05/17/transgender-persons-are-lost-in-transition-on-human-rights-and-hiv-responses-says-new-asia-pacific-report/.]
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
