Pacific women's conference in New Caledonia hears that "marriage" can put women at higher risk to HIV infection

The delegates to the 10th Triennial of Pacific Women meeting in New Caledonia have heard that marriage can put women at higher risk of HIV.

Robyn Drysdale (pictured), who is the Behaviour Change Communication Specialist at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), says women risk contracting HIV from the men they trust the most, that is their husbands.

Ms Drysdale says in Papua New Guinea marriage has been identified as a risk factor for women for HIV infection.

She says increasing numbers of women across the Pacific are becoming infected, and the number of women infected in Papua New Guinea is higher than men.

Source: RNZI