Women’s rights and personal choice

Women’s rights and personal choice

News:

1. The American economic review in its research paper “Legal origins and female HIV” has highlighted how Africa legal system has influence HIV prevalence.

Important Facts:

2. HIV a virus that is transmitted largely through unprotected sex and which damages the immune system.
3. The research paper has compare the Influence of common law and civil law on African woman.
4. Finding of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS:

• About 80% of women in the world who are infected with HIV infections are in Africa.
• Africa is the only geographical area where the number of HIV infection in more in women than men.
• The prevalence of HIV infections is not uniform across Africa.
• The report finds that HIV prevalence among African women is higher in countries that had their legal origins in the common law rather than under the civil law.
• Female HIV infection rates are 25% higher in common law countries.

5. Reason for increasing HIV in common law:

• The common law does not provide property rights to African women after marriage.
• The common law has undermines the bargaining power of women within their families.
• The bargaining power in turn has increases the chances of them being forced to engage in unprotected sex with their husbands.

6. The civil Laws has reduce HIV cases as it provide for:

• Women with better marital property rights.
• Offered the right to joint ownership of all property under marriage.
• Civil law offered explicit protection in the case of a divorce.
• Better bargaining power within their households.
• Provide better and increased chances of negotiating safe sex.