This year the Chief Minister's Breakfast will be held at the Kurrajong Hotel, Barton from 7.30am to 9.00am.
AIDS Action Council President, Joey Tabone, said: "This year’s international theme for World AIDS Awareness Week, chosen by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is ‘Women, girls and HIV and AIDS’.
In line with the international theme, the 2004 Australian World AIDS Day focuses on the effect of HIV/AIDS on the wider community including women and girls..
Whilst in Australia, HIV/AIDS continues to predominantly affect men there is an increase in the number of women being affected by HIV/AIDS as well. Today there are more than 1500 women living with HIV/AIDS across the nation and this number is increasing.
In response to the Australian trend, the AIDS Action Council of the ACT holds a range of information and resources targeting women as well as men and also hosts a support group specifically for women living with HIV/AIDS.
Globally, of the 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS, approximately half are women and girls. The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to become more aware of the many issues faced by women and girls infected with, or affected by HIV and AIDS around the world.
The United Nations points out "Globally, young women and girls are more susceptible to HIV than men and boys with studies showing that they can be 2.5 times more likely to be HIV infected than their male counterparts. Their vulnerability is primarily due to inadequate knowledge about AIDS, insufficient access to HIV prevention services, inability to negotiate safer sex and a lack of female controlled prevention methods such as microbicides."
Women and girls are also affected as carers or parents and through their relationships with people living with HIV/AIDS. These women have a valuable role to play and we celebrate their resistance and contribution to the Australian community.
Mr. Tabone added that it was essential that all Australians remain focused and vigilant in the fight against HIV/AIDS in light of recent increases in new HIV notifications in NSW, VIC and QLD. Fortunately, despite these increases in other parts of the country, the ACT has not followed this trend. The recently released Gay Community Periodic Survey highlights this by stating there is "evidence of a sustaining safe sex culture among gay-community-attached men in Canberra".
In our region, information on HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Day can also be obtained from the AIDS Action Council of the ACT or found on www.aidsaction.org.au.
Event details
Date: Wednesday 1st December
Time: 7.30am – 9.00am
Venue: Kurrajong Hotel, National Circuit, Barton.
For more information contact:
Nada Ratcliffe, A/g General Manager 0412 882 855
Joey Tabone, President 0407 279 733
For further information about HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Day, visit
www.worldAIDSday.org.au or World AIDS Day 2004 Canberra.
AIDS Action Council of the ACT
Westlund House, 16 Gordon Street, Acton ACT 2601
GPO Box 229, Canberra ACT 2601
Telephone: 02 6257 2855
Facsimile: 02 6257 4838
Email: nada.ratcliffe@aidsaction.org.au