JB calls for inclusion of men in HIV fight

President Joyce Banda has observed that the fight against HIV and Aids might not be fully won if men and boys as partners in the fight are not adequately engaged for their own health as well as for the benefit of women.

The President made the remarks yesterday at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre when she had an audience with the High Level Taskforce for Women, Girls, Gender and HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa.

“We have not done enough to bring men along as partners in the fight against HIV and my government is committed to going beyond the good pilot initiatives that we have and scaling up work with men and boys for their own health, but because it will also benefit women,” she said.

Banda, however, urged women in the country and Africa to push their own agenda, noting that no one else will.

“Therefore, as much as these issues of eliminating HIV and Aids, eliminating violence against women, eliminating maternal deaths, protection of the girl child, are the responsibility of men and women, I think the burden is still on us as women leaders to call for accountability on these issues,” said President Banda.

Director of UNaids regional support team for eastern and southern Africa Professor Sheila Tlou: “Malawi is a model for the region in its HIV response, particularly with respect to its programme which puts HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding people on treatment, thus eliminating new infections in babies while keeping mothers alive,” said Tlou.

The taskforce, which is mandated to monitor the implementation of the Windhoek Declaration and to conduct country-level advocacy on women, girls, gender equality and HIV, started its visit on Monday in Lilongwe and had several meetings with stakeholders involved in the national response to HIV to hear what the key issues affecting the girl child are. n