2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

displays a general increase in sexual assault. Therefore, this further proves that there is a correlation between level of sexual assault and level of HIV prevalence. Botswana has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world while also having one of the most reports of sexual assault in the world. In contrast, Australia has a consistently low HIV prevalence and reports of sexual assault. Forced unprotected sex increases the risk of defensive wounds and cuts, providing alternative pathways for the virus to transmit to another host, hence the increase of sexual assault correlates to the increase of HIV prevalence. Therefore, figure 12, 13 and 14 presents the relationship between the prevalence of HIV and socioeconomic factors such as GDP per capita, unemployment rate and level of sexual assault.

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