31 Oct 2005

PNG government urged to revise HIV/Aids policy to benefit women

5:15 am on 31 October 2005

The Papua New Guinea Aids Council says the government needs to revise HIV/Aids prevention policy so that programmes meet the needs of women.

Girls as young as eight are said to be working in the sex industry and they are in high demand as young girls are assumed to be HIV negative.

An Aids Council spokesperson, Bessie Maruia, says roughly the same number of women and men are infected with HIV/Aids in PNG .

But Ms Maruia says a large number of HIV

positive women are aged between 15 and 29 years old, whereas the majority of HIV positive men are over 30 years .