FOUND 651
Central Asia has one of the most rapidly increasing HIV prevalence in the world. This research article describes the results of a study to assess current knowledge, risk behaviour and attitudes to voluntary counselling and testing concerning HIV/AIDS among pregnant women in Semey, Kazakhstan. The study concluded that pregnant women in Semey have poor knowledge about specific mother-to-child HIV transmission and do not know about the means…
This article examines the association between the number of sexual partners and the risk of HIV seropositivity among men and women presenting for HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) in northern Tanzania. Among women presenting for VCT, the number of partners is strongly associated with rates of seropositivity; however, even women reporting lifetime monogamy have a high risk for HIV infection. Partner reduction should be coupled with…
The 8-page briefing paper aims to introduce readers to the key issues regarding gender inequalities and the different impacts of HIV and AIDS on women, men, girls and boys.
The purpose of the matrix is to provide youth-serving organizations with a guide of topics on family planning, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and gender; segmenting them by age and marital status. The matrix can assist technical experts, program managers, health providers, peer educators and others to determine what topics and interventions best fit into their own respective programs while taking cultural paradigms into…
This briefing paper is about powerful institutions' neglect of duty by not providing leadership on female condoms, and failing to meet women's needs and demands for them with a consistent and proportionate effort to make them accessible and affordable. It concerns the ignorance, denial, and bias of the powerful, at the expense of the rights of women.
This report vividly illustrates the failure of the Kenyan government to care for women living with HIV. At healthcare centers across Kenya, these women encounter physical and verbal abuse and are subject to discriminatory standards of care. They often cannot access antiretroviral treatment and their rights to informed consent and confidentiality are frequently violated during HIV testing and treatment. The publication calls on the Kenyan…
This research article describes the results of an analysis of the 2003 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey to examine factors associated with extra-marital sex among women in Nigeria and investigate how much variation in reported extra-marital sex can be attributed to individual and community-level factors.
This paper summarizes the results from an experiment conducted with unmarried young women aged 15-21 in rural southern Malawi, during which respondents were randomly assigned to either an audio computer-assisted self-interview or a conventional face-to-face interview. In addition, biomarkers were collected for HIV and three STIs: gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. Before collecting the biomarkers, nurses conducted a brief face-to-…
This guide discusses the challenges involved in ensuring that violence is addressed in HIV programmes and gives a detailed understanding of violence in relation to sex work and challenges some common assumptions. The guide also provides examples from real programmes that illustrate ways in which HIV and AIDS projects can help reduce the incidence of violence against sex workers and provide support to those who experience violence. This guide is…
Testing pregnant women in labor for HIV and counseling them is a challenge, particularly where resources are limited. This article describes a research study on the feasibility and impact of introducing round-the-clock, rapid HIV testing and counseling in a busy labor ward in a rural teaching hospital in Sevagram, India.
This is a fact sheet on AIDS among women in the U.S. It provides a breakdown of rates of infection among specific populations and regions and explores why women are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Also available in Spanish.
This Horizons report describes the findings of a study to estimate HIV and syphilis prevalence among female sex workers (FSW) and MSM in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; examine knowledge, attitudes, and risk behaviors related to HIV and STIs; and describe the contextual and behavioral factors influencing HIV and STI transmission among MSM and FSWs in Ciudad del Este.
This briefing report describes how older people, particularly grandmothers, carry most of the emotional and financial burden as carers. Yet, their vital role is going unrecognized. This report calls for a major shift in the response to HIV/AIDS.
To understand the role of women’s property rights in mitigating the effects of HIV and violence, ICRW conducted research in South Africa and Uganda. They used qualitative research to explore linkages between women’s experience with land ownership, HIV, and domestic violence. This paper shares the findings from both studies, comparing similarities and difference between the two. 
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) conducted research to understand efforts to promote women’ s property rights in response to HIV. This paper includes input from UNDP regarding pathways to ensure property rights for women as a measure of security towards the impact of HIV/AIDS.
This Forced Migration Review compilation focuses on the issue of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. It provides appalling data on the magnitude of sexual violence occurring in various conflict areas, and the increased vulnerabilities women and girls face due to sexual violence. Although the connection between sexual violence, conflict, and HIV is made throughout the issue, there is an article entitled “Sexual Violence and…
One aspect of reducing women’s vulnerability to HIV is to ensure their property and inheritance rights. This is often difficult as there are many preconceived social norms, which restrict women from owning land. In this paper, ICRW suggests ways in which women’s rights to property can be encouraged and secured.
UNFPA’s Advocacy Guide focuses on three effective responses to HIV prevention: improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, expanding socio-economic opportunities, and ending child marriage. Based on these goals, ten advocacy messages were developed and the report details the rationale behind them, global examples, and ways to address the issues politically and programmatically.
This review assesses the effectiveness of programme interventions seeking to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality and equity in health. Research with men and boys has shown how inequitable gender norms - social expectations of what men and boys should and should not do - influence how men interact with their partners, families and children on a wide range of issues. These include preventing the transmission of HIV and sexually…
Deeply entrenched gender inequities perpetuate the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Botswana and Swaziland, the two countries with the highest HIV prevalence in the world. The legal systems in both countries grant women lesser status than men, restricting property, inheritance, and other rights. Social, economic, and cultural practices create, enforce and perpetuate legalized gender inequalities and discrimination in all aspects of women's lives. Neither…