Monday, May 14, 2007

Woman AIDS activist nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

This week Patricia Perez became the first HIV-positive woman to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. An activist from Argentina, she is the regional representative of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Latin America (ICW Latina). Her nomination was announced in Mexico City.

In the last three years, the prevalence of HIV among Latin American women has risen considerably. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), three years ago there were seven or eight men with HIV/AIDS in Latin America for every woman with the virus. But today the ratio is three to one.

Since she was diagnosed in 1986, Patricia Perez has been a powerful voice in Latin America, an advocate for the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS in her region.

More about Patricia Perez:

ICW Latina

IPS: HIV-Positive Women Activists in Latin America Stand Tall

HIV Infection Rates Among Women in Latin America and the Caribbean Continue to Increase

Interview with Patricia PĂ©rez, Candidata al Premio Nobel de la Paz (Spanish)



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