Women and children carry the burden of AIDS. (South Africa)

South Africa

Given the shame and secrecy surrounding AIDS, women infected with HIV in South Africa are too afraid to talk about it with their partners. HIV-positive women fear being abandoned and laughed at if they told their boyfriends that they would soon be stricken with AIDS.

"I have a stable boyfriend in Soweto. I didn't let him know I'm HIV-positive. He hasn't had a test. I'm scared that if I tell him, he'll think I brought the problem and then he'll leave," said Julie, whose baby is four weeks old. Julie said her sexual attitudes had changed as a result of counselling, but was not sure that her boyfriend did not have other sexual partners. …