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This report by Physicians for Human Rights documents how U.S. global health funding reductions have disrupted HIV prevention, treatment, research, and community health programs in South Africa, threatening decades of progress against the epidemic. The report emphasizes that women and girls—especially adolescent girls and young women, who continue to face disproportionately high rates of HIV acquisition—are among those most severely affected by…
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) bear a disproportionate burden of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the prevalence of HIV testing for this demographic varies significantly. This study examines HIV testing patterns among AGYW across 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa using large-scale survey data to identify testing prevalence along with demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors associated with testing uptake. The…
This study evaluates knowledge of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among sexually active adolescent girls and young women (AGWY) in Eswatini, a population disproportionately at risk of and affected by HIV. It finds that PEP awareness was low, highlighting gaps in access to HIV prevention knowledge among this population despite their elevated risk. The findings underscore the importance of integrating PEP education into HIV prevention…
This article examines the intersection of disability, gender-based violence, and HIV vulnerability among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Eswatini. The study found that AGYW (aged 13-24 years) with functional disabilities were more likely to experience sexual, physical, and emotional violence. While the study found that disability was not associated with higher prevalences of HIV infection, it still underscores the need for disability-…
This article explores factors that protect adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) from the interconnected risks of HIV exposure, gender-based violence (GBV), and adolescent pregnancy in Kenya. The study finds that gender-equitable attitudes, food security, and strong parental monitoring are all associated with lower risks of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child marriage, and adolescent pregnancy, with the strongest protective…
This article highlights how gender-related social and structural inequalities continue to shape HIV vulnerability and outcomes, particularly for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Based on a study in Zimbabwe, it demonstrates that positive parenting, food security, and equitable-gender attitudes are development accelerators that improve AGYW HIV outcomes. The authors argue that achieving better HIV outcomes requires gender-transformative…
In Zambia, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are at high risk of HIV prevention yet continue to have low access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This study shows that shifting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services from clinics to community-based DREAMS centers substantially increased PrEP initiation, with high uptake among eligible participants. It also identifies factors associated with continued PrEP use, highlighting that…
This article examines how women experience being offered different HIV prevention methods, including oral PrEP and the dapivirine vaginal ring, in real-world healthcare settings. Through focus group discussions, the study found that women generally valued having a choice of prevention options and appreciated supportive counselling, educational materials, and respectful healthcare providers. Factors influencing method selection included…
UN Women's Programme on Women's Empowerment in Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health rights in humanitarian settings in the Horn of Africa Region (POWER), supported by the Austrian Development Agency, addressed gender equality and women’s empowerment as central to women’s enjoyment of their rights to health services.
UN Women Rwanda Strengthens National Advocacy for an Increased Response to HIV Among Women and Girls
As part of national efforts to enhance the livelihood status of rural women living with HIV, UN Women provided financial and technical support to 8 cooperatives composed of 317 farmers (217 women, 100 men) of which 269 are HIV+. These cooperatives received coaching RRP+ to improve their agricultural skills as well as cooperative management (saving, investment, marketing, and reporting), use of financial resources and reporting.
Findings provide evidence that high levels of women's empowerment were associated with safer sex practices, although this varied by country. Policymakers should incorporate empowerment indicators to address women's empowerment and HIV prevention within African couples.
Psychosocial factors were independent atherosclerotic risk factors among Women Living With HIV (WLWH). Research is needed to determine whether interventions for depression and psychosocial stress can mitigate the increased risk of atherosclerosis for WLWH.
This technical guide is intended to support countries in their efforts to increase their capacity to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in prison, and achieve the ultimate goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, “leaving no one behind”.
Data highlight the role of providers as gatekeepers to female condom access in public and non-public sectors and provide support for further female condom programme expansion in South Africa and globally.
Despite the importance of women living with HIV (WLHIV) engaging in fertility plan discussions with their healthcare providers (HCPs), little research exists. This study explored perceptions surrounding fertility plan discussions between WLHIV and their HCPs in western Ethiopia, from the perspectives of both women and providers
UNDP has worked with governments, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS) Secretariat, UNAIDS co-sponsors and civil society in 89 countries to advance the recommendations of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law and to promote enabling legal, policy and regulatory environments for rights-based HIV responses, including for women and girls. Ending the HIV epidemic is possible, but not without redoubling efforts and investments…
The AIDS response has taught the world the importance of protecting human rights and promoting gender equality when fighting a disease. COVID-19 has amplified that lesson. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNAIDS has repeated the call that governments must protect human rights and prevent and address gender-based violence—an issue that is even more vital now that lockdowns are putting women and girls at an even higher risk of intimate…
The analysis demonstrated that adolescent girls and young women with the higher vulnerability profiles, including the impact of unequal gender norms, have increased odds of negative health outcomes and experiences. The analysis calls upon tailoring community-based HIV prevention efforts by deferentially targeting/tailoring interventions and health services for sub-populations in higher versus lower HIV vulnerability profiles. Across…
The new joint policy brief by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS sets out the steps needed to improve and integrate HIV prevention and contraceptive services in order to reduce new HIV infections among women. This brief has been developed in response to the ECHO study which found extremely high HIV incidence rates among women frequenting contraceptive services in parts of East and Southern Africa. Recommending a woman-centered…
UNAIDS report on the global AIDS pandemic 2020 shows that women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa continue to be the most affected and accounted for 59% of all new HIV infections in the region in 2019, with 4500 adolescent girls and young women between 15 and 24 years old becoming infected with HIV every week. Young women accounted for 24% of new HIV infections in 2019, despite making up only 10% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa.