A worldwide “pandemic” of violence against women is fueling the spread of HIV/AIDS, human rights group Amnesty International said Wednesday.

Mass rape and sexual violence in conflicts, coupled with collapsing health systems in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, put women at much greater risk of contracting HIV, it said in a report released a day after the United Nations said nearly half of adults with HIV are women.

“The increasing spread of HIV/AIDS among women and sexual violence are interlinked,” Amnesty said. “If governments are serious in their fight against the disease they also have to deal with another worldwide ‘pandemic’: violence against women.”

The annual report by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO), released this week ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1, showed the number of adults and children living with HIV reached its highest level ever in 2004 at an estimated 39.4 million, compared to about 36.6 million two years ago.

Women make up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults living with HIV, and in sub-Saharan Africa the proportion rises to almost 60 percent.

Amnesty said studies from some parts of the world suggest that the first sexual experience of a girl will often be forced.

“Traditional practices such as genital mutilation, early marriage and the practice of newly bereaved widows being ‘inherited’ by other male relatives also increased women’s exposure to the virus,” it added.

It said many women also feel inhibited in seeking medical advice following rape because they are afraid of being stigmatized within their communities.