AIDS and poverty fuel child and women abuse

The combined crises of HIV/AIDS, poverty and economic decline were causing an increase in child abuse and gender-related violence cases in Zambia, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said. Research shows that cases of abused children and women in the capital, Lusaka, increased from 865 in 2002 to 1,800 in 2003. At a recent national consultative meeting on violence against children and women, UNICEF country representative Stella Goings called for an end to child abuse and gender-based violence in the country. "The causes for this increase can also be related to poverty, economic decline, unemployment and the crisis of HIV/AIDS. With regard to AIDS, there even exists a myth that if you have sex with a baby or a virgin, you can be cured from AIDS, Goings remarked.