Voices of Women
"The most vulnerable part of the human factor in this raging, all-consuming pandemic of HIV and AIDS in Africa is the vulnerability of women and girls. Seventy-five percent of the infected 15-24 year-olds in Africa [are] young women and girls. This is the legacy of gender inequality. This is what gender inequality hath wrought." —Stephen Lewis, Former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, July 2004
Dan Rather Reports on the US Global AIDS Initiative
This April 1, 2008, clip from HDNet's "Dan Rather Reports" program features GAA Communications Director David Bryden and Ugandan AIDS activist Beatrice Were discussing the shortcomings of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the impact of the abstinence earmark on the fight against AIDS, particularly in Uganda. Click here and begin the segment at 24:28.
Abstaining from Reality
Population Action International (PAI) has released a documentary called Abstaining from Reality: US Restrictions on HIV Prevention, which tells the story of a young Kenyan woman, Juliet Awuor, who contracted HIV/AIDS and became pregnant because she and her boyfriend did not know the proper way to use condoms. Juliet's baby subsequently contracted HIV and died. Filmed in Kenya and Uganda, Abstaining from Reality demonstrates the grave consequences of the US government's abstinence-only approach to HIV prevention. In particular, the film explores how the ideologically driven programs of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief fail to address the realities of women's lives—realities that put them at disproportionate risk of HIV/AIDS. The film urges a balanced, comprehensive approach to HIV infection that provides full, accurate information and offers a range of services that empower individuals to make informed decisions.
Click here for a high bandwidth (18.7 MB) Quicktime video.
Click here for a low bandwidth (7.9 MB) Quicktime video.
To view other versions of this video or order a copy of the DVD, please visit PAI's website.
In addition, the documentary filmmaker hired by PAI to film Abstaining from Reality contributed some of her footage to produce a PBS "Frontline" segment on how US prevention policy has impacted Uganda. Click here to see the PBS video.