World AIDS Day, also known as Red Ribbon Day, is celebrated on 1 December.
This year the theme is: South Africans Caring Together for Women & Children
World AIDS Day is commemorated around the globe on 1 December. It celebrates progress made in the battle against the epidemic - and brings into focus remaining challenges.
Gender-related discrimination and a denial of women's economic, social and cultural rights contribute to women's vulnerability to HIV infections. Women are denied their right to free and accurate information about their bodies, and this greatly contributes to their inability to protect themselves from infection.
Globally, young women and girls are more susceptible to HIV than men and boys, with studies showing they can be 2.5 times more likely to be HIV-infected as their male counterparts. Their vulnerability is primarily due to inadequate knowledge about AIDS, insufficient access to HIV prevention services, inability to negotiate safer sex, and a lack of female-controlled HIV prevention methods.