Haitian diplomat Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire serves as Minister Counsellor for the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations (UN), where she prepares presentations and monitors discussions about a range of public policy and international issues. Astride Nazaire’s work toward humanitarian causes includes promoting the advancement of women and working in support of HIV awareness and prevention initiatives.
The United Nation’s UNAIDS spearheads global operations for HIV education and awareness with an integrated approach that addresses other areas that directly impact the spread of the disease. This integrated approach includes addressing the disparity in the treatment of women and girls that continues to exist in countries and territories around the world. Gender equality and the advancement of women play an integral part in ending the spread of AIDS and HIV through access to education and putting an end to gender-based violence.
While the international response to HIV has achieved significant success in the last four decades, statistics indicate that gender inequality and discrimination impede the process due to the prevalence of gender-based violence. Studies show that women who experience physical or sexual violence are 1.5 times more likely to contract HIV. Sexual violence puts young women and adolescent girls at heightened risk for HIV and many women with HIV living with an abusive partner receive limited access to antiretroviral therapy and are less likely to adhere to treatment protocols.
