Synopses & Reviews
The feminization of HIV epidemics has been steadily increasing worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, 75 per cent of young people infected are women and girls. Gender disparities in education contribute to social conditions that facilitate the spread of HIV. This book will help government policymakers and NGO practitioners improve their understanding of how schools can practice gender equality and provide HIV and AIDS education.Researchers, NGOs, and donors contribute case studies and research from around the world. They show the extreme importance of educating girls who are less likely than boys to attend school and therefore are more vulnerable to HIV. Also addressed are the need to educate boys against violence towards girls; teachers against sexual abuse of girls; and ministers of education about implementing, monitoring, and evaluating equal gender practices in education.Topical and informative, this fascinating book includes examples from South Africa and South-East Asia and seeks to explain and illustrate the key arguments and debates in this area.
Synopsis
The book shows that while gender inequalities in society generally, and particularly within the education sector, are driving aspects of the HIV epidemic, educational settings can be empowering and bring about change. It examines different expectations of what HIV education programmes and education settings can do to transform unequal gender relations and protect young people against HIV and AIDS and contribute to care for those affected and infected. It warns that an uncritical acceptance that education is a social vaccine protecting young people from HIV infection can be misleading and demonstrates that, to be effective, HIV and AIDS education must be based on a sensitive understanding of social and cultural context and the complexities of young people's lives. The book illustrates the importance of democratic learning environments informed by evidence-based policy, implemented with leadership for transforming deeply held values and beliefs regarding sexual behaviour and sexuality.