Women say condoms do not prevent AIDS

Women in Benin have opposed the use of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Pan African News Agency (PANA) reported on Wednesday. They voiced their opposition during a recent march to mark the end of the country's first National Women's Week. A statement by more than 1,000 women argued that "abstinence before marriage and marital fidelity" were the only means of preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and AIDS. The country's Health Ministry estimates that women make up 40 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS, and UNAIDS projections until 2025 show that the overall HIV prevalence rate in Benin could reach 10 percent to 20 percent of the population.