Women have surpassed men in gaining
degrees, voicing their opinions and making a difference in their countries. And
yet, while women have entered the workforce in record numbers over the last
half-century, gaps remain in certain countries, and women are still degraded, subserviated,
abused and killed. The rampant
starvation, disease and impoverished conditions of women in many parts of world
is a real travesty. When that is compounded by the rape and genocide that are
occurring it is difficult to imagine sustaining life much less progressing. In
terms of third world women, the crisis of HIV/Aids has had a terrible impact on
women. They invariably catch this terrible disease from their men folk. So
their lives of grinding poverty have been worsened by the Aids epidemic.
From Sex Symbol to Safe-sex Speaker
Rebekka Armstrong grew up in a desert
town, three hours north of Los Angeles in the USA. At 18, she moved to LA and
got a job modeling swimwear and lingerie. In 1986 she was Playboy’s Miss
September. At 22, after suffering from extreme tiredness, Rebekka had a routine
health check, within which she had an HIV test. Much to her surprise, it came
back positive. Rebekka is still not 100 percent certain how she became
infected, but suspects that it was a result of unprotected sex aged 16 or a
blood transfusion. She managed to keep her HIV status a secret for five years.
After a suicide attempt, Rebekka went to a seminar for HIV positive women,
which changed her life. In 1994, she announced in an American lesbian and gay
magazine that she was living with HIV. Since then, Rebekka has dedicated herself
to increasing AIDS awareness. She has toured throughout America, educating
about HIV prevention and safer sex, and the reality of living with HIV and
AIDS.
She could have given up the fight with
this disease but instead she took her medication and maintained a healthy lifestyle.
She now speaks openly about her status and now lectures to schoolchildren all
over the United States. She has recently lectured in Britain, “putting a face
to the virus”, as she describes it. Rebekka
had it all and lost it all due to HIV/AIDS.
She’s taken a long road of recovery and discovery to use her life as an
example to others. It’s people like her
that hopefully open eyes of some to educate them into safe sex and avoiding a
life of medications. She has demonstrated strength and resilience in the face
of this epidemic and is a prime example of a ‘SHEro’ working towards an
AIDS-free generation.
The AIDS epidemic has affected women in
a very devastating way. It has clearly revealed the imbalance of power between
men and women. We can say that women have fared well in their efforts; however
the epidemic continues to rage on. We need to utilize the knowledge, diversity
of experiences and expertise to support women take up their responsibilities
and acquire the power to protect themselves from HIV infection.
