Youth: At the epicentre

Young people are at the very centre of the epidemic. An estimated 25 per cent of the 38.6 million people infected with HIV are between 15-24 years of age, and half of all new HIV infections worldwide are among young people. In some parts of the world, and in some marginalized sub-groups, the most frequent modes of HIV transmission for these young people are unsafe injecting drug use and unsafe sexual activities. Lack of awareness about how HIV is spread and lack of access to appropriate HIV prevention services contribute to the spread of HIV among these most at-risk groups of young people. As the lead agency within the UNAIDS family for HIV/AIDS prevention and care among injecting drug users and in prisons, UNODC, in collaboration with its partners, is helping to develop youth-friendly HIV/AIDS prevention and care strategies and services. These are evidence-informed and address the special needs of the most at-risk young people such as injecting drug users, juvenile prisoners and potential and people vulnerable to human trafficking. 

Together with other sister UN agencies and civil society partners, UNODC makes a point of involving young people themselves in developing and implementing youth friendly HIV/AIDS prevention and care services at the country level.

What about women?

More women throughout the world are becoming infected with HIV. While most HIV transmission among women occurs from unprotected sexual activities, there is evidence that the link to unsafe drug injecting practices is on the rise. Female injecting drug users are not only vulnerable to injecting-related risks, but also to risks arising from unsafe sexual activities. Although the number of female injecting drug users involved in sex work is small compared to the total number of sex workers or drug injectors, they contribute disproportionately to the HIV/AIDS epidemics. Similarly, the number of women in prisons is lower than the number of men, but the proportion of drug users among women in prison is higher than among men. Injecting drug use and HIV seem to be particularly prevalent in the female prison populations. One of the main reasons that HIV/AIDS prevention and care services are not reaching these particularly vulnerable groups of women is that most services are designed for men. Attempts to reach and work with female injecting drug users and female prisoners are limited and, in fact, services addressing the specific needs of women hardly exist in most countries.

UNODC is, therefore, working on developing a set of strategies for female injecting drug users and prisoners to deal with these issues of gender-based discrimination. These strategies will help countries understand and address the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS prevention and care policies and programmes, particularly in the context of injecting drug use, prison settings and trafficking in persons.

The goal of UNODC's gender and HIV/AIDS work is to ensure equitable access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care services; to improve quality of care by identifying and integrating gender-sensitive indicators; and to introduce comprehensive interventions to address gender-based violence and the gender dimensions of stigma and discrimination among injecting drug users, women in prison settings, and among female vulnerable to trafficking.

Working hand in hand

The focus of the HIV/AIDS work of UNODC is to assist countries in putting in place large-scale comprehensive interventions to prevent HIV infections and in providing care and support to people with AIDS. This is done in partnership with all UNAIDS co-sponsors and key partners, including civil society organizations and organizations of people living with HIV/AIDS. The Office also works with UN Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS, and specific national technical working groups on areas in which UNODC has a lead role within the broad framework of the UN Implementation Support Plans. For such working groups, UNODC advocates including all stakeholders, such as health, law enforcement and criminal justice sectors, as well as non-governmental organizations and people living with or affected by AIDS.

Partnering with civil society organizations is seen as particularly important by UNODC. In many parts of the world, the HIV epidemics continue to spread at alarming rates within specific, often marginalised, groups such as injecting drug users whether in or out of prisons, people living in prison settings, and sex workers. These vulnerable groups are often denied of their basic human rights to have access to prevention, care and treatment services as well as to voice their specific needs.

UNODC believes that civil society organizations play a vital role in HIV/AIDS prevention and care among these vulnerable groups by empowering them so their voices are heard when decisions that affect their lives are made. The Office has thus been actively promoting the meaningful involvement of such organizations, including organizations of people living with HIV/AIDS in the context of GIPA (Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/ AIDS). It is also working to build the capacity of civil society organizations in helping them to contribute to the development of appropriate policies, strategies and programmes for injecting drug users, prisoners and potential and actual victims of human trafficking.