In many areas, South Africa is doing a great job of ending HIV. Medications can now stop HIV-positive mothers from infecting their babies, and far more people living with HIV are getting treatment today than ever before. This means that people are living longer and healthier lives with HIV.

But even though we’ve made a lot of progress, there are still far too many infections in South Africa every year. The group most at risk are adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24. This is true within South Africa, but also compared to girls and young women of the same ages in other countries. In 2012, female teenagers were almost 8 times more likely to be infected with HIV than male teenagers. And females between 20 and 24 were about 3 times more likely to be infected than men of the same age. HIV infection is linked to many other challenges that adolescent girls and young women face. It’s often connected with teen pregnancy and girls dropping out of school. It might lead to, or it might come from, sexual and gender-based violence. And it can often mean that girls and women have fewer chances to get jobs and support themselves. All of these things can stop young women and girls from reaching their potential and helping to make South Africa a better place.