Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Thu, 29 Mar 2001
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* World Bank Report Calls For Redirection of Aid to Africa
* Many South African Schoolgirls at High Risk for Rape, Sexual As-
sault, Study Finds
* International Youth Council Launches Campaign Calling for Increased
Funding for International Family Planning, HIV/AIDS
World Bank Report Calls For Redirection of Aid to Africa
The World Bank on Tuesday released a report "indict[ing]" its past
African aid allocations and stating that aid that had gone to "poor
countries with corrupt governments had failed and that future aid
should be targeted at governments committed to reform," the Philadel-
phia Inquirer reports. The World Bank drew these conclusions from
case studies of aid provided from the 1980s to the mid-1990s to 10
African countries -- Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. While
the report cited Ghana and Uganda as examples of "relative success,"
it "echoed" previous studies that found that "two decades of finan-
cial aid accomplished little in eradicating poverty in much of Af-
rica." David Dollar, an economist who helped draft the report, said,
"Our message is [that] providing large amounts of finance to coun-
tries with poor policies doesn't produce good results." In fact, the
World Bank documented in some cases that foreign aid exacerbated
problems by "allowing dictators to stay in power, without improving
the well-being of the poor." According to the report, in 1996 more
foreign aid went to "mediocre governments" than to "good governments"
committed to reforms. Although this trend may be attributable to
"noneconomic motivations," such as European nations wishing to aid
former colonies, the World Bank said that donors may have used aid
"as an inducement [for] corrupt governments to change their ways," a
method that "largely failed," according to the agency. "When reform
is imposed from abroad, even as a quid pro quo for aid, it is not
sustainable," the report states (Moritsugu, Philadelphia Inquirer,
3/28).
Guiding Light
World Bank officials say that the report is already "guiding" their
decisions regarding low-interest loans to African nations, the Boston
Globe reports. Although bank officials note that "many countries now
in the midst of the AIDS pandemic are not ready to use donors' assis-
tance effectively," the Globe reports that the bank's $500 million
fund earmarked to fight AIDS on the continent may soon increase to $1
billion. Alan Gelb, the bank's chief economist for Africa, said that
those countries that may not be able to manage "large quantities of
funds" would instead receive technical assistance and "policy dia-
logue" under the report's guidelines. The Bush administration also
may use the report, as well as a "little-noticed" GAO report that
says that USAID's AIDS prevention efforts in Africa cannot be evalu-
ated because of a lack of data on its programs, to guide its reas-
sessment of African policy (Donnelly, Boston Globe, 3/28). Speaking
to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month, Secre-
tary of State Colin Powell, hinting at a change in U.S. aid policy
along the lines of the World Bank findings, said, "I'm going to be
trying to invest in those countries that have made the necessary
changes that have put them on the path of democracy and the free-
enterprise system, and not keep propping up despots who won't move in
the right direction" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/28).
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Many South African Schoolgirls at High Risk for Rape, Sexual Assault,
Study Finds
"Thousands" of young girls in South Africa are at high risk for rape,
sexual abuse and other forms of harassment at school, leaving them
vulnerable to HIV, pregnancy and other diseases, the Christian Sci-
ence Monitor reports. A new report released Tuesday by the Human
Rights Watch reveals that violence against girls in South African
schools is "severe," with poverty, the "low status of women in South
African culture" and the prevalence of violence in many communities
all thwarting young women's "ability to protect themselves." Although
the South African government last year passed a law requiring schools
to disclose abuse to authorities, school administrators "regularly
disregard" this mandate, report author Erika George said. In addi-
tion, teachers and administrators are sometimes perpetrators of the
violence. A 1998 Department of Health survey of "thousands" of rape
victims found that 38% said they were raped by a schoolteacher or
principal. To solve the problem of violence against schoolgirls, HRW
is urging the South African government to issue guidelines detailing
how schools should respond to reports of violence, promote codes of
conduct for teachers, publish clear punishments for violations of
that code and offer counseling for victims of in-school violence.
Girls 'Targeted' for Rape
According to the HRW report and other surveys, rape and HIV infection
rates in South Africa are "among the highest in the world," putting
many girls at risk of contracting HIV. The problem is not limited to
schools -- a survey conducted last year of 2,000 teens found that 39%
of sexually active teenage girls reported being raped, one-third said
they were "afraid of saying no to sex" and 16% said they traded sex
for money, drinks, food or "other gifts." Meanwhile, statistics re-
leased last week by the South African Ministry of Health show that
4.7 million South Africans are living with HIV. Young girls are espe-
cially at risk for rape and infection because some HIV-positive men
believe a "widespread myth" that having sex with a virgin can cure
them of the virus, the Monitor reports. In addition, many men per-
ceive young girls as being virgins and "free of HIV," and may "tar-
get" them for sex or abuse (Singer, Christian Science Monitor, 3/28).
South African health officials say that adolescent girls are twice as
likely to become infected with HIV as boys, "a reflection of their
increased sexual activity, often coerced, with older men who have had
longer exposure to the virus."
Report Recommendations
The education department in South Africa recently issued guidelines
prohibiting sexual relations between teachers and students, with vio-
lators subject to disciplinary action. The guidelines also require
teachers who know of a sexual relationship between another teacher
and a student to report the issue to a principal or higher education
authorities. However, the report makes additional recommendations for
the South African government, schools and nongovernmental organiza-
tions that wish to help fight sexual abuse among girls. The recommen-
dations call for the South African government to establish a National
Plan of Action on Sexual Violence and Harassment in Schools. This
plan would include guidelines for schools detailing the "appropriate
response" to allegations of violence or harassment by students; would
outline the "[a]ppropriate procedures" for handling teachers or stu-
dents convicted of sexual violence; would fund counseling and medical
services for victims of sexual violence; and would establish a system
for "hold[ing] schools accountable for failure to adequately respond
to allegations of sexual violence." In addition, the report urges
provincial departments of education and health to make efforts to
educate pupils and teachers about HIV/AIDS and to ensure that victims
of sexual violence receive medical assistance "consistent with the
prevailing best practice on post HIV/AIDS exposure prophylaxis."
Meanwhile, nongovernmental organizations should continue to provide
funding for projects that provide "clear, current, accessible and
culturally appropriate" information on HIV/AIDS ("Scared at School:
Sexual Violence Against Girls in South African Schools," March 2001).
To view a copy of the report, go to
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/safrica/
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MEDIA & SOCIETY
International Youth Council Launches Campaign Calling for Increased
Funding for International Family Planning, HIV/AIDS
The International Youth Leadership Council, a subgroup of Advocates
for Youth, yesterday kicked off its year-long "My Voice Counts" cam-
paign, which aims to raise student awareness of global reproductive
health and HIV/AIDS issues. The campaign will feature a petition that
calls on lawmakers to increase funding for international family plan-
ning and global HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment initiatives. The
petition specifically urges the "immediate repeal" of the "Mexico
City policy," the presidential memorandum issued by President Bush
that bars USAID funding from going to international family planning
groups that use their own funds to perform or promote abortion. In
addition, the petition urges President Bush and Congress to "ensure"
that all HIV/AIDS drugs and future vaccines will be "easily accessi-
ble" to developing nations at "low cost" and "without unreasonable
restrictions from trade and patent laws." The petition will run in
more than 30 college newspapers across the country and will be used
at numerous events on college and university campuses during the com-
ing year. The petition is available online at
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/myvoicecounts/petition.htm.
Group Gives Bush Failing Marks for Reproductive Record
In conjunction with the launch of the campaign, the International
Youth Council also released a report card scoring Bush on his "atten-
tion to international family planning and HIV/AIDS." Bush received an
"F" grade in the area of international family planning, mainly for
his reinstatement of the Mexico City policy. "In President Bush's
first 68 days in office, he has already moved our country back 12
years by reinstating the 'global gag rule,'" council member Naina
Dhingra said. In addition, Bush received a "D-" for his efforts to
combat global HIV/AIDS. Dhingra said that while the council is "glad"
that Bush has maintained President Clinton's executive order that ex-
cludes sub-Saharan African countries from U.S. trade and patent laws
concerning HIV/AIDS pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, members
feel that he has "failed to articulate a clear and concise policy" on
how his administration plans to fight the epidemic. Dhingra added,
"His inaction on this important issue shows that he is out of touch
with the world. And, equally important, his inaction shows that he is
willing to sacrifice the world's greatest resource -- its youth."
Bush received lower scores than former President Clinton, who re-
ceived a "B" for his international family planning record and a "B+"
for his efforts at stopping HIV/AIDS. Next year, the council will re-
grade the Bush administration and evaluate the 107th Congress on its
efforts (Advocates for Youth release, 3/28). The report card can be
viewed at
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/myvoicecounts/reportcard.htm
--
Cecilia Snyder
mailto:csnyder@ccmc.org
--
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