E/2001/27 E/CN.6/2001/14 conflict, political and social instability that could result from HIV/AIDS might have repercussions in other countries too, especially as HIV could easily spread across borders owing to the movement of migrants in search of employment, long-distance drivers, military and militia groups, tourists and traders and traffickers in women, young girls, boys and drugs. 6. Participants stressed that poverty was another factor responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly among women, who constituted the majority of the world’s poor. Because of poverty, girls were often forced into prostitution and sexual slavery, including in foreign countries, where, being illegal migrants, they were not protected by the law and lacked access to social services. Some participants emphasized that poverty had created an environment of risk to HIV, in particular for women, who tended to take different risks from men, depending, inter alia, on their economic security. Therefore, integrated programmes aimed at eradicating poverty, in particular among women and girls, should be developed. 7. Participants pinpointed the need for working with men in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Until recently, men tended to be considered responsible for the rapid transmission of the virus. Such a stereotypical label did not facilitate male involvement. Many participants brought up successful examples of programmes and projects undertaken in the past few years involving men in the fight against HIV/AIDS, such as working with religious and traditional leaders through the development of programmes based on religious core values, working with men’s organizations, such as the Society for Men and AIDS in Africa, or involving men in Latin America in the fight against violence, especially sexual violence. Men should be involved in all national and international activities relating to the prevention, impact alleviation and care of people living with HIV/AIDS. Examples of successful programmes to involve men were also cited by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which had launched the “Men make a difference” campaign, the results of which had been posted on its web site. 8. Participants emphasized that HIV infection among women led to an increase in the violation of women’s human rights, such as the right to bodily integrity and access to health services, including for reproductive health. Frequently, even in countries where abortion was not legal, HIV-positive women were forced to have an abortion if pregnant. 62 Compulsory sterilization was another frequent practice imposed on women living with HIV/AIDS. 9. It was pointed out that the stigmatization suffered by HIV-infected women often prevented them from seeking medical assistance. Therefore, the need to combat stigmatization was emphasized. Some participants stressed that language was also responsible for stigmatizing women, and suggested the use of “parent-to-child” transmission rather than “mother-tochild” transmission as a preferred terminology in order not to associate women with the blame related to transmitting HIV to children. That would also help in decreasing women’s self-blame for transmitting the diseases to their children. Some stressed the need to include a psychological support component to HIV/AIDS services, programmes and policies. 10. Some participants emp hasized that mandatory testing violated human rights. It was also mentioned that in order to be effective testing should be voluntary and accompanied by adequate counselling. Counselling was considered as being a very good opportunity for educating people about HIV/AIDS, particularly for reaching out to men. The need for education on HIV/AIDS was emphasized, including through the use of the new information and communication technologies, which could play an important role in reaching out to young people. However, it was also stressed that education was not sufficient to empower people if access to care was not available to all. For example, if care was connected to mother-to-child transmission and natal care, men, even if aware of the disease, might not be reached by care programmes. 11. Many participants in the panel discussion emphasized the need for access to affordable treatment, including antiretrovirals and prophylaxis of opportunistic infections, particularly for developing countries. Emphasis was placed on the need for concerted action at the international level to lobby for a reduction in the price of drugs. Some participants stressed the need for a more morally acceptable approach than the one based on loans for drugs. Some stressed that accepting loans for drugs would lead to an increase in the already heavy debt burden carried by poor countries. Cooperation with pharmaceutical companies should be envisaged in order to find a balance between an increase in the accessibility to affordable drugs by the poor and the need to allow companies to invest in research for a cure.