As the sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women gets underway at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 13 to 24 March 2017, UNAIDS highlights the urgent need to respond to gender based violence and HIV.

Through her work as a journalist, Alejandra Oraa, CNN news anchor and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean, has reported on many stories about women and violence in the region. Shortly after thousands of people took to the streets in October 2016 to protest against widespread violence against women in the country, she undertook a joint UNAIDS and UN Women mission to Argentina to meet with not only survivors of violence but also the groups and organizations working with them.

“In the region we have made progress to respond to gender-based violence, but, unfortunately, there is still a long way to go. I hope that our voices and examples change a statistic that shames Latin America,” said Ms Oraa, who is also a spokesperson for UN Women’s Orange the World campaign to raise money to respond to violence against women.

Gender-based violence remains one of the key development challenges in the region. In 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries, between 17% and 53% of women interviewed reported having suffered physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. In seven of the countries, more than one in four women reported such violence. Gender-based violence is not only a human rights violation, it also makes women and girls more vulnerable to HIV infection.

Ms Oraa’s first stop was in Merlo, in the greater Buenos Aires area, which has the highest HIV prevalence in Argentina. There, she learned about how UNAIDS and UN Women are supporting local projects that integrate programmes responding to violence against women, promote gender equality and expand access to HIV prevention services, all of which are inextricably linked.

Ms Oraa met with the local organization of people living with HIV, which helps to run a free and confidential HIV testing site during health fairs organized by the Municipality of Merlo in different parts of the town, making it easy for anyone to access an HIV test.

During the visit, Marcela Alsina, President of the network of people living with HIV (Red Bonaerense de Personas que Viven con VIH), together with other representatives of the organization, spoke to Ms Oraa about how stigma and discrimination are affecting the ability of women living with HIV to access employment and health services.

“Despite progress in the HIV response, there are still important gaps and inequalities that limit women living with HIV from having full access to employment, motherhood and comprehensive health services. When HIV becomes a priority, as it is happening in Merlo, we see that stigma and discrimination starts to decrease and the quality of life of people living with HIV starts to improve,” said Ms Alsina.

Ms Oraa visited the HIV testing centre of the Dr Pedro Chutro Maternal and Paediatric Hospital in Merlo. The centre, through a joint team with support from the Ministry of Social Development, civil society and the Women’s Commissioner Office, promotes the integration of HIV services with services to prevent violence against women. It also offers outreach activities and support groups for women and children affected by violence and HIV.

In Buenos Aires, Ms Oraa met with Fabiana Túñez, President of the National Council for Women, and Mabel Bianco, Director of FEIM, a nongovernmental organization supporting women’s and children’s rights. They talked to Ms Oraa about the importance of a joint and coordinated response to HIV and gender-based violence in Argentina to ensure that the country can end its AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Ms Oraa also spoke to internationally renowned Argentine singer Diego Torres, a spokesperson for the HeForShe campaign for gender equality, who talked passionately about the importance of involving men in stopping violence against women and gender equality in Argentina.

“We have to ensure that men and women enjoy equal opportunities in different aspects of life, for example in the labour market and in politics. This is what I believe in and stand for,” said Mr Torres.