To commemorate World AIDS Day, U of T’s Rotman School of Business invited Jasmine Herlt, Director of Development and Outreach for Human Rights Watch, to give an enlightening but alarming presentation about the state of AIDS around the world today.
Titled “HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Abuses: What We Need To Do Now” the half-hour presentation by Herlt was followed by a 50 minute question period. The theme of World AIDS Day this year was Women, Girls, and HIV/AIDS. Women are the fastest growing group among the infected, said Herlt, and they are also the most vulnerable.
“This is essentially the most devastating health crisis in human history,” Herlt said. And it’s getting worse.
“AIDS is a pandemic due to ignorance, neglect, and a violation of human rights,” Herlt said. Currently, there are over 40 million people on the planet who are infected with AIDS or HIV. The vast majority of them-65 per cent-are in Africa, and 23 per cent are in Asia. Two per cent of the infected live in the developed world. The geographical region with the lowest HIV or AIDS infections by percentage is the Middle East and North Africa where only 1% of reported cases originate. AIDS is so devastating that in countries like Botswana, Swaziland, and South Africa, the disease has lowered life expectancy from the mid-60s to just 33 in less than 30 years. Women make up 58 per cent of the infected, and teenage girls are six times more likely to contract AIDS than boys.
“In South Africa,” Herlt said to the audible shock of the audience, “60 to 70 per cent of the military are infected. I mean that’s pretty incredible, and the issue of AIDS in the military isn’t just an issue of national security; it also poses serious risks for the sex partners of military personnel.” Furthermore, this region will see 14 million orphans in their midst by 2010, and many will be the children of military parents.
Herlt said that companies operating in the region now enroll their employees in crash courses on how to properly use and dispose of condoms as well as clearly spelling out to them how AIDS/HIV is contracted, especially in mining districts where the problem is particularly acute.
“One thing is clear,” said Herlt. “The protection of human rights and rights health is a key component in the fight to wipe out HIV/AIDS, and I’m proud to say that Human Rights Watch is on the frontlines of this fight.”
