A new paper published by the UNAIDS-led Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA) shows that when women have an income and a safe place to live, they are much better able to negotiate abstinence, fidelity, and safer sex. Economic security, the paper stresses, is a major factor in enabling women to protect themselves from HIV. Highlighting the link between poverty and HIV risk for women and girls, the paper outlines examples of promising initiatives that are contributing to women's access to resources and services, including property and inheritance rights and micro-finance and skills training. The paper concludes with suggestions for national governments and the international community to support women claim their rights to economic security.