Countries infected with AIDS should examine own actions

There is a lot of blame to go around for AIDS/HIV becoming the global killer that it is today, but singling out the United States and other developed nations as the villains in this pandemic is not only unfair, it is just plain wrong. The West can pump billions of dollars a year into the fight against AIDS, but it will still be a losing battle unless the countries most at risk admit that the problems lie with their own people.
As long as women in the underdeveloped world are treated as second-class citizens and are seen as the sexual possessions of men, the spread of AIDS/HIV will continue. As long as Third World governments, led by men, refuse to take seriously the crimes of rape, child prostitution and even the buying of young women by older men who have been sexually active, the pandemic will not be reversed. And, as long as there are sincere but naive activists in the West willing to point the finger of blame at the U.S. and other industrialized nations, the virus will continue to spread and kill.
The 15th International AIDS Conference last week held in Bangkok, Thailand, was marked by daily protests over President Bush's AIDS policies, such as his emphasis on abstinence -- rather than condoms -- in the fight against HIV. There was little recognition of the significant steps taken by the administration and Congress to stop the spread of the disease worldwide.
In February, the president announced a five-year, $15 billion initiative that would send $9 billion in new funding to help with prevention, treatment and care services at 14 of the most affected countries. Yet, the United States was sharply criticized by many attending the conference. The point of contention was U.S. AIDS czar Randall Tobias' rejection of a plea from the United Nations that the United States increase its yearly contribution to the Global Fund to $1 billion.
Unspent funds
As Tobias correctly pointed out, the bulk of the money collected by the Global Fund for Fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is "sitting in the World Bank in Geneva." He said the U.S. money would be focused on the President's Emergency Program for AIDS relief because there is an urgent need to "get that money to work."
The criticism would be justified if America were doing nothing, but even with the $15 billion program, the administration still intends to donate $200 million to the Global Fund next year.
"HIV/AIDS is the real enemy," the U.S. Aids czar said. "The denial, stigma and complacency that fuel HIV/AIDS -- these are the real enemies too. It is morally imperative that we direct our energies at these enemies, not at one another."
If nations that are being overrun by this killer disease are sincere about saving their people, they should enact laws that protect women and girls and give them the ability and confidence to demand that partners wear condoms. Women comprise nearly half of the world's 38 million people living with HIV and their infection rates in many regions are climbing much faster than men's.
For its part, the U.N. should spur the development of protection for women, such as vaginal gels that can be applied long before intercourse and used without a partner's knowledge.
Last week's international conference on AIDS did result in some major accomplishments, such as the announcement by the 25-member European Union that it is delivering another $52 million to the Global Fund as part of a $569 million pledge for 2002-06, but it was also undermined by the unfair criticism aimed at the United States. That's unfortunate because it will simply embolden the segment of the American population that wants to end all foreign aid.