Even if she realizes her husband is infected with HIV, she cannot protect herself against infection because of her lack of social and economic power. She cannot refuse unprotected intercourse with him for fear of a beating and serious bodily injury. In other countries, the ramification of a woman s insistence on condom use may not be as severe, but even in the U.S., where information about preventing HIV infection about and condoms are readily available and relatively inexpensive, women are still reluctant to insist on condom use. Policy makers need to understand that sexual partnerships are necessary for survival often, sex is the way to credit, further education, jobs, or other forms of financial and material support. Girls are often forced into relying on older, economically established men for survival as their own economic prospects are limited.
Girls exchange sexual favors for money to buy shoes and books.
Surviving in the present is worth the risk of dying years from now. Girls drop out of school when pregnant or to be wed. The girls lack of education further promotes the problem. The public health establishment s reliance on the rational health belief model in responding to the HIV epidemic and the concomitant structural adjustment policies have led to an appealing increase in HIV infection. Through the link between the deprivation of basic human rights and dignity of certain populations and increased social vulnerability to HIV infection has been demonstrated in many studies, relatively few people are working within the already existing human rights framework to improve women s rights, social status, and health.