Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in War and its Aftermath

This briefing paper by Jeanne Ward and Mendy Marsh was presented at the Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond, Brussels in June 2006 (1). It lists the forms of sexual violence that women and girls are at risk of facing today either in the community or when fleeing conflicts, illustrated by testimonies from victims collected in the last decade alone.

It also provides figures to illustrate the extent of sexual violence. The authors argue that whilst sexual violence against women dates back centuries, the scale of the violence is disturbing and cannot be explain solely by an increased international awareness: they contend that 'the nature of warfare is changing in ways that increasingly endanger women and girls.' It goes on to describe the motivations behind rape and sexual violence against women worldwide, from Bosnia, Sierra Leone and DRC to Burma, Afghanistan and Indonesia, amongst other places. The report outlines that such violence does not cease with the end of armed conflict and in some cases, trafficking have flourished in post-conflict areas. In other cases, women are humiliated and mocked for having been abused and rejected by their immediate family or community. They become vulnerable to further abuse.

Although widespread in recent modern time conflicts, war-related gender-based violence has only been recognised in the last fifteen years or so when the UNHCR issued its Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women in 1991. The elimination of gender-based violence requires a multi-sectoral intervention based on a multi-components model (described in the paper) along with key tools and guidelines developed recently by various international actors. A handful of examples of interventions in the field are given, from Liberia, Angola to Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Palestinian Territories.

Despite these international efforts, the paper concludes that many gaps remain in the fight against violence against women, mainly due to a failure to prioritise such violence as 'a major health and human rights concern.' From 2000 to 2006, less than 8% of all funds allocated to UN institutions and NGOs of increased protection of vulnerable populations was dedicated to programmes relating to gender-based violence. Moreover, a major obstacle to its elimination is the persisting impunity prevailing in almost every conflict areas around the world. In these areas, there are just 'no systems to ensure basic protection to survivors, let alone access to justice'.

The full text of the paper can be found at: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900S...6RPSC2?OpenDocument

At the above-mentioned Symposium, more than 30 countries in the UN supported endorsement of a programme for action on sexual violence in today's conflicts. Delegates heard harrowing stories by a doctor from the DRC about the rape of girls as young as one year old - with foreign objects like metal bars, nails and sticks - resulting in devastating health consequences such as traumatic fistulas (2). 90 percent of raped girls and women get sexually transmitted infection and nearly 10 percent became HIV positive, Dr. Jean Pascal Manga added. Delegates agreed that 'there must be ... zero tolerance for complacency by governments and other institutions responsible for the safety and well-being of women, men and children affected by conflict'.

International Committee of the Red Cross Conference Report, 'Violence against women in Africa during armed conflicts and crises', Addis Ababa, 11-12 May 2006, online at: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/h...s-conference-110506.

Also: Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 'Gender and Child Protection Policies: Where do UNHCR's partners stand?', July 2006, online at: http://www.womenscommission.org/pdf/AGDMfinal.pdf.

(1) Full title: 'Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in War and Its Aftermath: Realities, Responses, and Required Resources', Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond, 21-23 June 2006, Brussels, Belgium.
(2) Source: UN News Centre, 'UN-backed conference calls for zero tolerance for sexual violence in conflict', 23-June-2006, online at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/printnewsAr.asp?nid=18977.

(from Women's Asylum News - see http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/nV4WDtdd6iMqf/m1545)
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Royal Society of Medicine Forum: Female genital mutilation - an outmoded practice?

This is a report of a meeting of the Forum on Maternity and the Newborn of the Royal Society of Medicine, held on Thursday 22nd June 2006. . The meeting was chaired by Mr. Eugene Oteng-Ntim, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Guys and St. Thomas' Foundation Trust, London.

The report will be published in the Midwives Journal of the Royal College of Midwives, and appears here with their permission and our thanks.

The meeting was preceded by a screening of the video "Uncut - playing with life", directed by Sandra Obiago, and produced by Communicating for Change, Lagos, with the support of the Ford Foundation and the British High Commission. Chuck Mike, the director of a theatre for development group Peformance Studio Workshop visits Stella Omoregie, who was taught how to circumcise when she was 12years old by her grandmother. Chuck tries to convince Stella to stop circumcising girls, but she refuses to listen to him. She strongly believes this is a good tradition and helps to curb promiscuity. Stella's deep belief in this tradition is shaken when she attends a roundtable discussion in Lagos. During the event, she sees a drama performed by Chuck's theatre troupe in which a woman is circumcised and dies as a result of severe pain and bleeding. Stella sees her life being mirrored on stage and makes up her mind then and there never to circumcise girls again. She joins a campaign to eradicate female genital mutilation in Nigeria, and in 1999 this group succeeds in pushing for Nigeria's first anti-FGM legislation bill to be passed in Edo State. [The feature film on this subject "Moolaadé" is now generally available on DVD for hire.]

Setting the scene: social, cultural and religious aspects.

Mrs. Comfort Momoh (CM), African Well Woman's Clinic, Guys and St. Thomas' Foundation Trust, London

"I lie on my wedding night groaning, a victim of feminine pain, suffering and sadness. The pregnancy which follows is a glimpse of happiness for me, but the new life endangers mine; the birth promises my destruction. My grandmother named the three feminine sorrows: circumcision, the wedding night, and birth. In the pain of labour I appeal for love lost, the dream broken, and the right to live as a whole human being. And I appeal for the protection of young girls; initiate them to a world not of sorrow, but of love." Another woman described to me the humiliation and agony of her circumcision.

Continues at http://uk.geocities.com/basiledlee@btinternet.com/FGMreport.html

(from Women's Asylum News - see http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/nV4WDtdd6iMqf/m1545)
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Beyond Victimhood: Women's Peacebuilding in Sudan, Congo and Uganda
Africa Report N°112 / 28 June 2006

Peacebuilding cannot succeed if half the population is excluded from the process. Crisis Group's research in Sudan, Congo (DRC) and Uganda suggests that peace agreements, post-conflict reconstruction, and governance do better when women are involved.

Women make a difference, in part because they adopt a more inclusive approach toward security and address key social and economic issues that would otherwise be ignored.

But in all three countries, as different as each is, they remain marginalised in formal processes and under-represented in the security sector as a whole. Governments and the international community must do much more to support women peace activists.

Continues at http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=4185

(from Women's Asylum News - see http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/nV4WDtdd6iMqf/m1545)
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Conference on Parents' Rights at Work agenda 2007

As we look forward to the implementation of the Work and Families Act 2006 in April 2007, a major conference will address the changes to parents' rights at work and the key issues that flow from them. Organised by work-life balance charity Working Families, in association with the Legal Action Group, the Parents' Rights at Work conference will be held on 31st October, 2006 and hosted by the TUC in London.

Topics to be covered in the conference include:

* Changes to maternity, adoption and paternity leave and pay
* Rights and obligations during leave, including 'keeping in touch' days
* Flexible working rights for carers
* Health and safety developments
* The impact of the amended Sex Discrimination Act and Equal Pay Act on discrimination law
* Practical problems arising from statutory dispute resolution and recent case law
* Remedies available to working parents

The Hon Mrs Justice Cox DBE will look at achieving the balance for employers and employees and where European law will take us next. Frances O'Grady, Deputy General Secretary of the TUC will address the future for working families in the UK and what trade unions can bring to the debate. Joanna Wade will give an overview of the changes in family leave with Katie Wood and detail discrimination law developments with Camilla Palmer.

For a full programme, please go to: http://workingfamilies.org.uk/asp/employer_zone/e_seminars.asp

Working Families Chief Executive Sarah Jackson said: "Delegates will be able to hear from the leading practitioners in the field about the important changes in parental rights that will come into force next April. This crucial conference will set the employment law agenda as we look forward to 2007."

For more information or press passes to the conference, please contact Maggy Meade-King - maggy.meade-king@workingfamilies.org.uk

Notes to editors

Working Families is the UK's leading work-life balance campaign organisation. It supports and gives a voice to working parents and carers, whilst also helping employers create workplaces which encourage work-life balance for everyone.

Legal Action Group (LAG) is a national charity that campaigns for improved access to justice and has a particular interest in social welfare and criminal law and the administration of legal aid and the courts. For more information visit: http://www.lag.org.uk.

Places at the conference will cost:
* £270 plus VAT for Working Families members
* £350 plus VAT for non members
* £150 plus VAT discounted rate available to small voluntary and NfP organisations, law centres, CABs, legal aid firms and trade union representatives.

Please contact Ali Garfath - Alexandra.garfath@workingfamilies.org.uk or via http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk

Copies of Maternity and Parental Rights will be available at the conference for a discounted price of £30 (rrp£35). This essential guide to the rights and remedies available to parents at work is written by experts in the field in an accessible, non-legal style for lawyers, trade unionists, advisers, employers and human resources personnel.
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Lapdancing for Jobseeker?!

Protest Now have circulated this story from a local Southend paper:

"JOBSEEKER IS TOLD TO TRY LAPDANCING

A young woman was shocked when she signed on a jobcentre - and was offered an interview for a nude dancing job."

Read more at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/protestnow/message/873

To subscribe and / or read other messages go to http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/protestnow/
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Emma Humphreys Memorial Prixe

Awards Ceremony 2006
Thursday 26th October 2006 • 8pm - 1am

* Bankside restaurant, 32 Southwark Bridge Road entrance Sumner Street), London SE1 9EU
* Three course meal, entertainment and unlimited wine and beer
* Compered by Janey Godley - Scottish actress, comedienne and writer

The Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize is delighted to host the evening in memory of Emma.

Tickets are offered at the following prices:
* Early bird : £45.00 (until 31st August)
* Normal price : £60.00
* Corporate : £100.00

Men and women welcome.
All money raised goes directly to funding the prize.
Please note that tickets are strictly limited.

Fully accessible.

Special guests & fantastic raffle prizes including a week in a Tuscan villa for up to 8 people.

Come join us celebrate Emma's life and the lives of women who work to stop violence against women and children.

TO ORDER TICKETS PLEASE DOWNLOAD:
* Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize Flyer 2006 from http://www.emmahumphreys.org/EHMP_flyer2006.pdf
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New Report Exposes Gaps in Protection of Vulnerable Children
30 August 2006

On the tenth anniversary of the Stockholm World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, ECPAT UK - the leading children's charity with a mandate to combat child sex tourism - launches a groundbreaking report exposing gaps in legislation and policy for protecting vulnerable children from British sex offenders who travel abroad.

The report exposes how dozens of British nationals have been arrested or convicted abroad in the last five years for the sexual abuse of children. Some of these offenders have gone to great lengths to set up orphanages or schools with the specific aim of abusing children. Money to support these orphanages was raised in the UK.

Christine Beddoe, Director of ECPAT UK is calling for tougher action at home. "There is an urgent need for a National Action Plan and new strategies to detect, disrupt, and prevent sex offenders from travelling abroad and escaping justice. We need better coordination between countries and increased cooperation with governments, police and child support organisations. Hundreds of the world's poorest children have been sexually abused by British nationals in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America."

Detective Superintendent Alastair Jeffrey, from the Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Investigation Command, said: "Legislation is available to investigate and prosecute offenders who have travelled abroad to commit child abuse, and this should act as a stark warning and deterrent to anyone considering taking part in this type of criminality. The Metropolitan Police are committed to preventing child abuse in all its guises wherever it occurs and will continue to use all available powers to bring those committing these dreadful crimes to justice."

ECPAT UK is calling on the government to address the growing problem of British offenders who are avoiding detection in the UK by living abroad. The report brings attention to the recent death of a British national in Thailand who had been charged for child sexual abuse. At the time of his death he had been living in Thailand for many years following serious allegations about child sexual abuse by London social services. Thai police believe he had sexually abused at least 300 children in Thailand in this time.


Media copy of the report is available at: http://www.ecpat.org.uk/downloads/End_of_the_Line.pdf
Email: info@ecpat.org.uk

Notes:

1. ECPAT UK stands for End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes. ECPAT UK is a coalition of organisations in the UK including Anti-Slavery International, Barnardos, The Children's Society, Jubilee Campaign, NSPCC, Save the Children UK, UNICEF UK, World Vision UK, The Body Shop Foundation. ECPAT UK is part of an international network operating in over 70 countries.

2. On 29 -31st August 1996 the British Government attended the Stockholm World Congress against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. Along with 121 other governments the British Government agreed to develop a National Action Plan to combat commercial sexual exploitation, including child sex tourism. In December 2001 the British Government attended the follow-up Congress in Yokohama, Japan and renewed its commitment to combating child sex tourism. Although significant efforts were made to develop a multi-agency National Action Plan, this has since been abandoned.

3. Since 1997 only 5 British nationals have been convicted under British law for sexual offences against children abroad.

http://www.ecpat.org.uk/press_01.html
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Possession of violent porn to be criminal offence

People who download violent pornography could face three years in jail under new legislation proposed by the government in the wake of the death of Brighton school teacher Jane Longhurst, who was killed by a man addicted to extreme porn.
Ms Longhurst's mother, Liz, has led a three-year campaign, backed by a petition signed by 50,000 people and many MPs, to ban such images.

Today the government unveiled proposals to create a new offence of possessing pornographic images of extreme sexual or life-threatening violence, with a new maximum sentence of three years for possession, or five for distribution of such material.

Story continues at http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs...ml#article_continue
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See NBC TV video link regarding a mattress-wrapping promotion for cot/crib death prevention held by Jim Sprott in California this week: click on top left item (with picture of baby).
 
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/9720883/index.html?taf=dgo
 
This TV item has been broadcast by NBC within the past 24 hours.
 

If you would like to e-mail Jim about the NBC report or his mattress-wrapping promotion in California, his e-mail address is: sprott@woosh.co.nz

Different Women, Different Places

'A ground breaking study of the lives and professional experiences of black and minority ethnic (BME) women working in leadership positions across Europe'

Different Women, Different Places will give an insight into the lives of black and minority ethnic women leaders working in Europe, exploring their strategies, motivations and successes. The study commenced in April 2006 and is funded by Booz Allen Hamilton - a global strategy and technology consulting firm - the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science Engineering and Technology (SET), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Credit Suisse Group.

Over the last few months, researchers have been meeting people and collecting business cards to help build a comprehensive list of Different Women. They are looking for people to nominate themselves, friends or colleagues for the study.

Participation will not be time consuming and will consist of the completion of an online questionnaire. This could then lead to an invitation to a lively discussion dinner with other prominent BME women leaders and a face to face interview. Further information about the project can be found at http://www.differentwomen.com or by emailing info@differentwomen.com. Copies of the nomination leaflet can also be obtained by emailing the above address or by calling 08450942326.

The study and survey will be launched at the London office of Credit Suisse on Thursday 14 September 2006 at 6pm.
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Celebrating the life of Palestinian women

This is an exhibition by artist Paula Cox which will be shown at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Action Centre, 17 - 25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA.

The event is free and open from 11.00am to 3.00pm at weekends from 11 to 20 September.

A retrospective of her work is also on display.

See: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/events_details.asp?ID=142
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Moving Women

Meeting on 20th September 2006 organised by NAWO
at NAWO meeting room, 1-3 Berry Street; London EC1V 0AA.

The speaker will be Deborah Singer from the Refugee Women's Resource Project at Asylum Aid.

She will be reporting on her research on violence against asylum seekers and the use they have made of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women as well as on migrant women in Europe more generally.

The meeting is also preparatory to a European consultation with the Special Rapporteur hosted by NAWO which will take place between 11th and 13th January 2007.

Drinks provided.

Please bring your own lunch.

Register at info@nawo.org.uk or 020 7490 4100.

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Volunteers run for "Ferraris For All"

Over twenty women running for the Hackney based education charity WORLDwrite with Ferraris For All emblazoned across their chests took part in the London Hydro Active Women's Challenge on Sunday 3rd September

WORLDwrite's slogan "Ferraris For All" which means demanding the very best for our peers in developing countries and for ourselves, attracted considerable attention and featured on BBC2 Grandstand on Sunday.

WORLDwrite front runner and Ghanaian volunteer Millicent Kumeni said today: "I ran for WORLDwrite because it supports real equality and was thrilled to finish the 5km in 27minutes. It was a really exciting day."

WORLDwrite's ambitious women runners raised over £5000 to assist the charity's programmes and ensure the latest round of cutting edge documentaries get finished and screened as widely as possible.

Determined to get it's message out there the charity produces volunteer made documentaries, provides free film training for young people, arranges exchange programmes and puts its money where its mouth is. Current fund raising programmes are for partner schools and villages in Ghana for a factory, a film school and a shipment of PC's.

WORLDwrite has an open door policy for young volunteers and is always looking for more.

For further details phone Assistant Director Viv Regan or Director Ceri Dingle on email world.write@btconnect.com or tel 020 8985 5435

Website: http://www.worldwrite.org.uk/


WORLDwrite's latest documentaries

Pricking the Missionary Position is WORLDwrite's latest blockbuster documentary series. An action-packed truth-trip shot in Ghana and the UK, the series includes these five newsworthy shockers:
* Damned by Debt Relief, portraying the real impact of G8 debt cancellation;
* The Bisease story-A letter to Geldof, which asks what the rock star has done;
* Carry on up the NGO, questioning prescriptions by aid outfits;
* I'm a subsistence farmer get me out of here, which asks if the mud hut experience is where it's at
* Think Big, which suggests its okay to be rich in the developing world for a change.


WORLDwrite Charity details

Based in Hackney, East London, WORLDwrite is a UK based youth education charity and NGO. The charity promotes equality not pity, champions serious development and believes only the best will do for all. After ten years of arranging challenging global exchange programmes, school projects, conferences and tours, the charity has developed an award winning and unique documentary film facility providing young volunteers with film training on broadcast quality productions. These film courses demand students question popular assumptions, consider key development issues, challenge the status quo, work to professional standards and assist their peers globally while they are at it.
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Ladyfest Newcastle 2006

Sisters are doing it for themselves...Geordie style!

Women's music, art and performance will take centre stage in Newcastle in September, with DIY festival Ladyfest Newcastle. Featuring local and national bands, workshops, debates and a craft market, Ladyfest is a weekend-long festival of women's creativity on September 23 and 24.

Mainstream music festivals typically have between 90 and 95% all-male bands* - Ladyfest aims to redress this gender balance. 30 bands are playing at the Carling Academy over the weekend, with workshops and a crafts market taking place simultaneously at nearby venues. The music line-up is 50% national bands, 50% regional bands, and includes up-and-coming local stars Lake Me, Das Wanderlust and Beccy Owen.

As well as showing off the creative talents of women, Ladyfest is featuring workshops to encourage women to try out new skills, including learning how to play drums, DJ, belly dance and self-publish. Other workshops include how to deal with street harassment, Wicca (witchcraft and magic) and a debate on 'Can feminists enjoy porn?'.

Ladyfest Newcastle is a volunteer-run, not for profit event, and this is the first Ladyfest to ever be held in the North East of England. Hundreds of Ladyfests have taken place all over the world since the first ever Ladyfest in Atlanta, USA in 2000. Every Ladyfest is entirely autonomous and volunteer-run, but they all share the same general ethos of promoting women's creativity and encouraging grass-roots activity.

Milly Shaw, one of the Ladyfest organisers, commented: "The aim of Ladyfest is to redress the gender imbalance of most mainstream festivals. There are loads of fantastic female musicians out there, both in the North East and nationally, and we just want to give them the exposure they deserve. Ladyfest is a music festival, but it's also a general celebration of women's creative talents in other fields, and a chance to learn some new skills and discuss some interesting ideas. Ladyfest Newcastle is pro-women but by no means anti-men, and it's the first one ever be in the North East!"

Ladyfest Newcastle is taking place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September, with a warm-up party on Friday 22nd September. Tickets are £16 for the weekend and £10 for a day ticket.

Please see http://www.ladyfestnewcastle.co.uk for the full line-up and to buy tickets.

* Figures based on Carling Festival, T in the Park, V Festival and Download festival main stages 2006


Ladyfest Newcastle at a glance

Date: September 22, 23 and 24, 2006
Venue: Carling Academy (music) Newcastle Arts Centre (market) Head of Steam/Salsa Café (workshops)


What is Ladyfest Newcastle?

Ladyfest Newcastle is a celebration of the achievements of women, primarily in music and the arts. It is a democratically-organised and not-for-profit, with money raised being donated to women's charities. It follows a series of earlier successful events, starting with the inaugural Ladyfest in Olympia, USA in August 2000, and continuing in the UK with events in Glasgow, London, Brighton, Bristol and Cardiff. Ladyfest Newcastle is planned for September 22, 23 and 24 2006, as part of a worldwide series of events in 2006 including Ladyfests in Germany, Turkey and France.


What have previous Ladyfests been like?

Most of the UK Ladyfests have been sell-out successes, attracting attendees from their home countries and from abroad, as well as raising a considerable amount of money for charity. Importantly, the events have also generated much publicity, carrying the positive message of Ladyfest far from the actual events, as well as promoting the artists involved. Ladyfest Scotland, for example, attracted coverage in at least 30 national and international publications, including such mainstream bodies as The Guardian and The Scotsman in addition to the underground press.


Bands confirmed to play:

The Research (headline)
Ladyfuzz (headline)
Das Wanderlust (North East)
The Velterelles (North East)
Beccy Owen (North East)
Red Letter Suits (North East)
Captive Audio (North East)
Mush (North East)
Lake Me (North East)
Femme Fatale (North East)
The Ladies Mercury (North East)
Chippewa Falls (North East)
Verity Burton (North East)
Penny Broadhurst
Invocal
Mab
Little Whores on the Prairie
Miss the Occupier
Colt
Invocal
Fighting Cocks
The Duloks
Gene Serene
The Suffrajets
DJ Sky
Bela Emerson
The Buzz
+ 3 spoken word artists tbc

Ladyfest Newcastle is not just a music festival; it will also feature art exhibitions, film screenings, spoken word performances art as seminars, workshops and debates.


Workshops confirmed for Ladyfest:

DJing with vinyl decks
Belly Dancing
Street Dancing (Get your b-girl freak on with hip hop, breakbeat and street jazz moves)
Drumming - Chicks with sticks
Singing beyond Karaoke
Feminist History
Wicca - Witchcraft and magic beyond Buffy
How to change the world with a zine
Gender Discussion
Can Feminists Enjoy Porn? (debate between Feminists Against Censorship and Object)
Radio Broadcasting
Jingle Belles - Radio jingle making
Assertiveness - being confident enough to get what you want without being aggressive
Customize your own clothes
Combating street harassment
Poetry and Prose
Forum Theatre

What are the aims of Ladyfest Newcastle?

The main aims of Ladyfest Newcastle are to showcase the talents of women working in the creative arts, to build a sense of community among female artists / musicians / activists, and create a positive space to discuss new ideas. We are pro-women but not anti-men - we welcome male participants in both the organisation and the performances, but unsurprisingly we do like them to be feminists!

Where can I buy a ticket?

Tickets cost £16 for the weekend and £10 for a day, and are available from the website www.ladyfestnewcastle.co.uk

For more information, please see http://www.ladyfestnewcastle.co.uk or contact Milly Shaw on info@ladyfestnewcastle.co.uk.
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Women key to Aids policy

... key to stopping the Aids pandemic lies in giving women the power to protect themselves

The American philanthropist Bill Gates has said the key to stopping the Aids pandemic lies in giving women the power to protect themselves.

He was speaking at the opening of the 16th international conference on HIV and Aids, held in Toronto - http://www.aids2006.org/.

...

In his opening address, Mr Gates said his charitable foundation would be putting more money into developing drugs and microbicide creams that women could use before sex to prevent infection with HIV.

...

And he said progress in the development of microbicides offered real hope to millions of people: "A woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own life. There's progress on these, but the pace has been too slow."

His call was echoed by Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy on Aids in Africa: "To change the sexual behaviour of men is a question of generations. Women are dying now."

The organisers have defended the $20 million (£11m) cost of staging the event, which is being attended by 24,000 professionals, activists and journalists.

They say that money raised by sponsorship goes back into research and scholarship programmes.

The conference also heard from a Rwandan woman Laurance Mukamurangwa, who cares for five grandchildren aged three months to five years, despite being infected herself by HIV after she was raped.

She said: "It's really a problem for us because we don't have anything and must get food, clothes and school supplies and you must remember that I am sick too and I will die."

Edited from story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4787923.stm
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