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Global Aids Alliance Voices Its Strong Support for the International Violence Against Women Act
October 19, 2009A statement from GAA follows: "We congratulate Chairman Delahunt for his leadership and commitment to human rights," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) and a physician with experience working with people with HIV/AIDS in Africa, India and South America. "Violence against women is a universal issue, and U.S. work to end this scourge will not only galvanize the global health, women's, children's and human rights movements, but will help restore credibility to the United States through effective use of soft power," he said. The Global AIDS Alliance encourages swift introduction and bipartisan passage of the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA). The I-VAWA will have a great impact on global HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts. "Violence against women and girls is a cause and a consequence of HIV/AIDS," said Lisa Schechtman, GAA's Senior Policy Officer for Women. "Violence or fear of violence can prevent women from negotiating safe sex and from seeking health services or information, including HIV testing, care and treatment," said Schechtman. "We also know that men who are violent toward their intimate partners are more likely to have multiple sexual partners, which is one of the primary causes for the spread of HIV," she said. Full release.