Women and Risk of HIV/AIDS Infection: Final Update, IWHC (2008)

This report arms advocates with a wide variety of statistics illustrating the increasing vulnerability of women to HIV infection and the unique risks that women face in the international AIDS epidemic. Compiled by the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC), it provides numerous data suggesting that women are a growing proportion of the world's HIV infections. Particular attention is paid to young women, ages 15-24, who appear to be contracting HIV at a disproportionately high rate, often due to inadequate access to sexual education, particularly in low and middle-income nations. In the United States, African-American women face disproportionately high transmission rates and represent two-thirds of news AIDS diagnoses. Several other risks unique to women are also illustrated, including the notable fact that a great majority of women contract HIV from spouses or while in a relationships, and the contributing factor of sexual violence and abuse.