Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s “VOICES”: Silence Is Bad for Women’s Health
Linda Mafu, head of political and civil society advocacy at the Global Fund, discusses the role of social movements, like the #MeToo movement, in advocating against sexual violence and ending HIV/AIDS. Mafu notes, “We will only end HIV if we achieve a massive reduction in infection rates among adolescent girls and young women. We will only reduce those infections if we end sexual violence and other forms of gender inequalities. … We’ve known for decades that shame, taboo, and simple embarrassment have hindered the fight against HIV. Sexual violence magnifies all of those very human responses. The result has been silence, and a preventable epidemic has claimed millions of lives. But when women claim their stories and their voices, they claim their power. When societies call out for equality and dignity for all, they lay the foundation for health and well-being. To truly deliver for women, we must all become silence breakers.” This post was originally published in the Hill Times Canada (6/5).

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s “VOICES”: “We Are the Ones Who Are Going to End HIV”
In this post, HER Voice ambassadors explore answers to the question, “What is the global health community missing in its effort to support young women and girls to end HIV?” (6/5).

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s “VOICES”: Conquering HIV Again
This post discusses the experience of a woman in South Africa living with HIV and her efforts to educate her teenage daughter about the virus and ways to prevent it (6/3).