The Hill: Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day — let’s empower women globally
Kelsey Louie, chief executive officer at Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)

“…On National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, it is imperative that we recognize the threat of HIV facing women of all ages, encourage steps towards ending the epidemic among women, and empower women to affect the global response to HIV. Around the world, women encounter institutional barriers that increase the risks and impact of HIV. The failure by public institutions to promote comprehensive sex education, both in the United States and abroad, has limited awareness of the dangers of HIV infection for women. … Our response to the HIV epidemic must empower women, and provide them with the ability to protect their health. In order to create and implement policies to mitigate the HIV crisis among women, we must address the roots of the epidemic — institutionalized sexism, economic disparities, and violence against women…” (3/9).