Silence Over HIV/AIDS Driving Millions to Their Graves in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's conservative society is hampering efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, which is silently ravaging the country. "The age-old tradition of male domination has crippled open discussion on the gravity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a situation compounded by unwarranted sexual practices within the rigidly conservative society," declared Taddese Aynalem, chair of Dawn of Hope, an HIV/AIDS organization in Ethiopia.

"Although the situation in rural Ethiopia is still unknown, reports trickling in from the countryside are alarming and indicate that the country is losing its productive force in a silent but dramatic way, due to a lack of awareness campaigns and poor medical structures," said Taddese. Ethiopia's National AIDS Secretariat also warned in a released report that "the epidemic is already taking a heavy toll, killing more than 100 people daily and forcing grandmothers to take care of their grandchildren."

The report said more than 2 million Ethiopians are believed to be HIV-infected, of which more than 50 percent are women and children. In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, there are more than 300,000 AIDS-related orphans. Taddesse warned that many new cases are being reported daily because Ethiopians have failed to change their sexual behavior.

Penetrating tradition and breaking silence about HIV/AIDS has challenged local nongovernmental organizations, whose work is limited to towns and cities due to finance and infrastructure issues. Though the government has established a national AIDS secretariat, its effectiveness has yet to be seen.

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