The unchecked sexual exploitation of girls and women is contributing to the fact that young women are “bearing the brunt” of new HIV infections, Unicef has warned in a report.

Unicef adds that this route of infection is undermining medical progress against the AIDS pandemic.

It says that of the 5.5 million people aged 15-24 worldwide with the virus, two thirds are women. In southern Africa, which is home to 67% of all people with HIV, women under 25 are 2-4.5 times more likely than male peers to become infected.

Anita Tiessen, deputy …