[Thunderwolf]

• The majority of HIV positive AI/AN women (66 percent) contract HIV through heterosexual intercourse, while a significant number (33 percent) are infected through injection drug use.
• A lack of access to health care and/or a lack of trust in health care providers and systems may keep AI/AN young women from receiving adequate medical care, including HIV testing and treatment.
• Intimate partner violence against young AI/AN women is all too common and, since condom negotiation is difficult for women in violent relationships, puts them at risk for HIV. Drugs and alcohol are often factors in cases of sexual violence, thereby increasing risks.
• A lack of education about the disease may lead AI/AN young women to still believe it is a “gay white man’s disease,” suggesting that they are not at risk.
• Tribal members gather regularly from distant locations for large ceremonies; some young people engage in unprotected sexual contact with acquaintances at these ceremonies, greatly increasing their risk of HIV.

Entire article: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/PUB...t/fsnative.htm