AIDS in Colombia

History

• The population of AIDS-infected individuals in Colombia continues to grow as the most vulnerable sections of the Colombian public--women, children and displaced people--become increasingly exposed to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS in Colombia was once confined to men who had sex with other men. Today, it spreads throughout the heterosexual population. Most women contract AIDS through their husbands, prostitution or rape, often at the hands of soldiers from paramilitary groups or rebels. The general population of Colombia receives little training or education in avoiding the disease and generally reacts by shunning affected individuals and their families.
  
  

Spreading of AIDS

• In the early 1980s when AIDS began to spread, Colombia saw 55 men infected for every one woman. Within a decade, one woman to every seven men had AIDS. The latest U.N. AIDS survey in 2007 found that two men to every one woman had AIDS. People who work with the Colombia AIDS population believe this is related to the increasing prostitution and white slavery trade in Colombia, putting both men and women at increased risk, though the percentage of women who contact AIDS is rising at a faster rate.
  
  

Impact of Armed Conflict

• As the conflict between Colombia's government forces, paramilitary groups and rebels continues to grip Colombia, the conflict contributes to the growth of the AIDS population. AIDS sufferers live with the suspicion and disdain of their communities and often become victims of the armed groups who rule many towns and villages of Colombia. Ironically, the conflict itself causes the numbers of AIDS sufferers to grow. The militants often rape refugee women or force them into prostitution, perpetuating the spread of AIDS as they, in turn, infect their husbands, children and "clients."
  
  

The Colombia Government and AIDS

• In Colombia, local governments and municipalities bear responsibility for monitoring and evaluating AIDS cases and treatments. In 2005, the Colombia legislature passed a national HIV/AIDS law which obligates the Colombian government to provide care to people with the disease.
  
  

Grass-roots Activism

• Must of the progress in the attitude towards AIDS victims in Colombia and the availability of treatment comes from grass- roots organizations. These organizations, such as the "Recolvih" (Colombian Network of People Living With HIV or AIDS) and the Girasol Project fight through the courts and in the media to ensure that all AIDS suffers receive the drugs that they need to fight the disease. They also help people who live with AIDS, encouraging them to claim their civil rights while working to change the public's perception of AIDS.