Section II: Solutions and Proposals

Arendt distinguished for us work, labour and action; suggesting that we not only need action to bring new possibility into the world, but that it was also important to notice and celebrate action (Banack & Berger, 2019). In this section, we draw attention to two projects, as actions, that aim to alter perceptions and practices related to SDG 3.

Firstly, Nesterova and Arat discuss the cultural and social barriers that contribute to gender inequality in their work titled ‘Working towards Gender Equality to Eradicate HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia’. Their interviews and focus groups target young men and women and aim at identifying drivers of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia. Taking a social justice stance, their work premises that young people believe that HIV/AIDS is driven primarily by gender inequalities that include: (1) gendered property ownership; (2) gendered allocation of family resources for education and (3) local gender roles. This gender disparity contributes to the lack of quality education for, and the conditions of poverty among girls and women and, consequently, increases the spread of HIV. In the opinion of the young Ethiopians that participated, gender inequality is responsible for the silence, shame and stigmatization, which marginalise women while protecting and favouring men. Nesterova and Arat suggest that what is needed, therefore, are the tools to empower young people, particularly girls and women, to breach cultural silences, along with other oppressive practices around sexuality; to resist exploitative and abusive sex expectations; and to negotiate abstinence, unwanted sex and safe sexual relationships which lead to their voices and wants being heard and respected. To make prevention possible, there needs be a more open and comprehensive understanding of the HIV/AIDS disease, its root causes and strategies to counter it through communal discourse. Nesterova and Arat conclude that NGOs and grassroots organisations may need to play a more active role in educating heads of families and male family members on the need for equality for women and the harms of certain traditional practices on women’s and society’s health and well-being.