African Woman and Child Feature Service

As the review process starts its final leg this week, women from Africa are concerned with the weak language in the Resolution 52/2 on women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS.

“There is no specific action which can be said to be coming out of this conference directing governments on how take forward the fight against HIV/AIDS and how this has affected the realisation of the Beijing Platform for Action,” said Naisola Likimani from FEMNET.

The weak language in the Resolution was not taken lightly on Friday by the African Caucus group which formed a committee to re-look at the resolution and come up with appropriate language which they would like to lobby member states to adopt this week.

“This conference has to make a difference to majority of women in developing countries who have borne the impact of HIV/AIDS,” said Esther Mwaura Muiru of Groots.

The African Caucus group is concerned that the document is not explicit on issues about the care economy where in Africa, women have been supplementing the government’s role through home-based care. They are also unhappy with soft language in words such as, “urges, encourages and welcome”.

“At a time when violence against women is on the increase because of the financial crisis and women’s bodies have become battle grounds, all of which fuel the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, women need a strongly worded Resolution on HIV/AIDS which can be used to lobby member states,” said a delegate.

The Resolution, which is expected to be passed by the end of the week, stresses that the review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action during its 54th session must take into account the disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS on women and girls.

It further recommends that in the process of the review of the Millennium Development Goals, gender equality perspective should be included throughout the deliberations and that attention should be paid to the situation of women and girls infected or affected by HIV and AIDS.

However, at a meeting to discuss gender equality and the impact of economic crisis, Diane Elson, Professor of Sociology and Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, said that what this conference should be telling the world is that the care economy will be recognised not only through statements, but through cash transfers.

Governments should also be thinking about how to invest on the social economy, and how care work can be more equitable redistributed.

However, the Resolution is silent in all these.

The women are, therefore, calling for a strongly worded statement that they can use to hold governments accountable, especially during the MDG meeting in September, related to their progress in mainstreaming gender within HIV/AIDs work both at national and regional level.