Rights abuses fuel female HIV infection

KENYA: Rights abuses fuel female HIV infection

JOHANNESBURG, 5 Mar 2003 (PLUSNEWS) - Women throughout Kenya lose their homes, land, and other property due to discriminatory laws and customs, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report released on Tuesday.

The rights group says widows are forced to engage in risky sexual practices like "wife inheritance" in order to keep their property.

"Women’s property rights violations are not only discriminatory, they may also prove deadly," executive director of the HRW Women’s Rights Division, LaShawn Jefferson, said in a statement.

HRW said the violations and their impact are magnified by Kenya's high HIV/AIDS prevalence.

UNAIDS estimates that 15 percent of the country's adults are infected with HIV/AIDS.

To access the full report:
http://hrw.org/reports/2003/kenya0303/

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