Young women and adolescent girls are at the greatest risk for HIV and AIDS worldwide.
In the U.S., this fact is an important one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four people living with HIV infection here are women and compared to other racial groups, both African-American and Hispanic women are affected more than other racial groups. This risk is intensified in young women.
READ: Our Girls Matter: Making Progress Against HIV/AIDS Among Women & Girls
More than half of 13- to 24-year-old living with HIV are undiagnosed. Researchers are still studying the biological reasons that younger women’s bodies may be more susceptible to the virus, but societal issues such as not knowing how to prevent it, being afraid to tell partners to use condoms, and the overall stigma surrounding HIV discussion contribute to this statistic.
When Robin was diagnosed with HIV just months shy of her sixteenth birthday, it was the stigma surrounding the disease that led her to making dangerous choices. She thought she was going to die, so she became self-destructive. She tried to speed up the process with drug abuse just so no one would know she had HIV. That stigma, Robin says, can stop with discussion.
“Anybody can have HIV: it can be your doctor, your lawyer, your judge, anybody,” Robin says in her video as a part of the CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign. “This disease is real and it doesn’t discriminate at all.”
Here are some tips to talk to the younger women and adolescents in your life about HIV/AIDS to be sure they’re well-informed:
1. Create a safe space.
The fear of stigma and discrimination is the main reason people don’t get tested, or if diagnosed, disclose their status, according to the World Health Organization. Creating a safe space to talk without judgment can help the young women and girls you know feel comfortable discussing HIV with you.2. Utilize social media.
Social media is a powerful tool that’s at your disposal to normalize HIV discussion in your network. 89 percent of young women ages 18 to 29 use social media sites and 93 percent of teens, according to Pew Research. If you’re unsure of what to say, reshare content from trusted sources like the CDC’s Act Against AIDS accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
3. Show them how to use condoms correctly.
Worn incorrectly, condoms don’t offer much protection from HIV. A 2012 study published in Sexual Health showed that improper condom use is a frequent occurrence. These common errors caused issues like breakage and leakage, which researchers attribute to the spread of sexually transmissible infections like HIV.
4. Take action with them.
To put aside any nervousness they may have, get tested with them. Not only does it get them acclimated to the actual process, but it will likely help address other related questions about safe sex and services that are available to them. Knowing about resources like Planned Parenthood or understanding how the Affordable Care Act covers preventative health services like HIV screening and counseling for sexually active women can help them make more informed choices. To find a local testing center near you, visit the AIDS.gov HIV Testing and Care Services Locator.