Nicholas

__Identity:__  Joquel Phoenix (fictional entity)

__Country:__ The country where I reside is South Africa. We live in a temperate climate zone, though the west is much dryer than the lush and rich east South Africa. There is a population of around 52 million people in South Africa and it has the highest murder rate in the world. We also have the highest amount of people with AIDS in the world. South Africa has the largest economy in Africa, accounting for nearly 24% of Africa’s GDP. However, it is thought that around 25% of the citizens are unemployed and only make about $1.25 in U.S. money a day. The inequality between the government and the citizens is one of the major problems that South Africa faces. The government gets all the money and leaves most of the citizens in a state of distress in equality. This is evident throughout the country.

__Background:__  I was born into a family that was very well off for living in South Africa. We were happy and had enough to live in the rough conditions of South Africa. Then, one day my father came home and found out that he was HIV positive. Since treatment was scarce and we were not the wealthiest of families, my father soon died of the virus, leaving our family in a state of emotional distress. Though our emotional wounds eventually healed, our financial wounds did not. Our primary source of income had become extinct and we had to live with my grandparents. A few years passed and my mom found a new caretaker which eventually become her new husband. However, my mother became HIV positive shortly after from her new husband. My older brother also acquired the virus because she had bled on him. They all died within a year and I was an aids orphan at the age of 10. From that point on, I was alone and had no idea where to go or what to do. I eventually reached a home for AIDS orphans, but I am lost on what I should do in the future.

__References:__  A group that gladly supports me is Oxfam America along with the AIDS Consortium. These groups have been aiming to training and supporting the community organizations that help those HIV positive. They are focusing on mainly the Northwest, the poorest and most HIV-infested area. The community organizations provide many HIV positive citizens with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to help slow the process of HIV taking over the body. They provide financial reliefs to over 47 community organizations and with the continued support from Oxfam, they plan to reach 150 around community reliefs. So I think they would gladly support me in my social issue of AIDS/ HIV. Another source of reference is the loveLife foundation. Since 1999, this foundation has been working to inform people in South Africa, especially teens, about sex information. Almost every South African has heard about loveLife. In fact, a study held in 2008 showed that over ⅘ South Africans had seen or heard about an aspect of their campaigns. This organization thrives upon informing people about HIV throughout the country of South Africa. The final organization that would support my cause would be UNICEF. Though this organization focuses on many social issues around the world, one of its largest interests is AIDS and how it affects the people of Africa. They are so serious about their fight against AIDS that they created a “commitment to achieve an AIDS-free generation by 2015”. They plan to do this with three simple steps: 1. Reduce AIDS in children by 90%, especially by discontinuing the mother-to-child transfer of AIDS. 2. Reduce infections in adolescents and younger adults by 50%. 3. Provide all of the people that are already infected with the virus with some sort of treatment. UNICEF is very serious about this topic and they are determined to help Africa end AIDS, the top death cause in South Africa.

__Safety and Rule of Law:__ My topic of AIDS/HIV can be directly associated with **Human Trafficking **in this aspect of Safety and Rule of Law. Because Human Trafficking has to do with involuntary (or forced) sex, the virus can probably be easily spread around among those who take part in this. After all, HIV is is almost always spread through unprotected sex and when commercial “rape” is occurring, there’s is probably little to no protection being enforced. Another thing AIDS/HIV can be associated with is **Social Unrest **. There is obviously a problem with the country when an average 40% of men have raped someone at some point in their life. Once again, raping is the main spreading contributor to HIV. There are so many violent rapes that women must fend for their lives at all times. They are so many rapes that are unaccounted for and that is what has lead to 1/10 of the population having AIDS.

__Participation and Human Rights:__ HIV/AIDS is directly related to the Human Right of **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Legislation of Violence Against Women **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. This simply states that there should be laws present in a country to protect women against sexual harassment, assault, rape etc. While my country of South Africa does have laws against these sexual actions, they poorly enforce them. In fact, it is said that only about 12% of men who have been caught in the act of rape have been convicted under the law. These numbers should be in the upper 90%s. The South African needs to do a better job of enforcing laws against sexual actions to not only ease the lives of anxious women around South Africa, but to slow down the nationwide spread of HIV. Another aspect related to AIDS/HIV is **Gender Equality**. This is an important topic when it comes to AIDS treatment and how organizations should approach the matter. Though some people may find it unethical, it is probably better that women receive treatment first and the men get whatever is left (especially pregnant women). This is not in regards to any social matters, but just the fact that women are not only the ones passing on the virus to their kids, but they are the primary care figure to their children. If women are treated more frequently, then we can take one more step towards making HIV extinct in South Africa.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Sustainable Economic Opportunity:__ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A positive aspect of South Africa when it comes to Economic Opportunity is the **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Road Network **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. South Africa has a very exceptional range of road systems. Unlike many other countries in Africa, South Africa actually has a relatively decent road system. This can help the transferring of antiretrovirals, infected people to hospitals or care centers, etc. This is one of the few positive aspects of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and they have been putting much use to it. In the past few years, yearly infections have dropped by nearly a half of what they were before and they continue to drop. Another aspect that can be related to AIDS/HIV is **Inflation**. With a consumer inflation rate of 5.7% per year and a poor economy, South Africans like myself are set up for a disaster. As AIDS treatments continue to grow in demand, they may potentially lower in supply. This will obviously skyrocket prices and only the “wealthiest” can get their hands on it. This leaves nearly half of the poverty-struck South Africans with nothing to do but wait for a handout. Though supply may never fall, it is always possible.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Human Development:__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this category, South Africa strives and is a model for how all of the countries in Africa should be. In Human Development, AIDS/HIV is highly related to **Antiretroviral Treatment Provision**. From 2009 to 2011, it is thought that there was a 75% increase in antiretroviral treatment across South Africa, reaching approximately 2 million HIV positive South Africans (80% of people with HIV). These numbers only continue to rise. Along with this is the **Antiretroviral Treatment For Pregnant Women**. Since 2009 when 30% of pregnant women were infected with HIV, the South African government began the “cover-the-tail” campaign. This was created to help stop the spread of HIV from a mother to their fetus. In the past 4 years, this has shown to be highly effective. Around 95% of pregnant woman in South Africa with HIV take or are provided with antiretrovirals. This has resulted in a drop of 20 child mortalities per 1000. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__Works Cited:__ **(PRINT SOURCE)** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"AIDS, Living with AIDS - National Geographic Magazine." AIDS, Living with AIDS - National Geographic Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

"Communities Fight against AIDS in South Africa." â Oxfam America. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Economy of South Africa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

"HIV and AIDS in South Africa." Avert.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

"Join Our Fight Against AIDS." Join the Global Fight against AIDS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

Smith, A. "A SOUTH AFRICAN ROAD NETWORK CLASSIFICATION BASED ON TRAFFIC LOADING." Road-transport- <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">technology.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"South Africa: Fast Facts." - SouthAfrica.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.