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This issue paper from the Seventh Meeting of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights defines the intersection of HIV and violence against women, discusses partnerships, UNAIDS objectives, and next steps.
This article highlights the progress in building a knowledge base on effective ways to increase access to justice for women who have experienced gender-based violence, offer quality services to survivors, and reduce levels of gender-based violence. While recognizing the limited number of high-quality studies on program effectiveness, this review of the literature highlights emerging good practices. 
This article describes the findings of a survey of women in Welkom, South Africa, to evaluate the impact of a service provision programme targeting women living with HIV/AIDS and gender based violence.
This is a review of publications addressing aspects of the intersection between gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV. The literature review is organised into eight sub-sections: 1. Exploring the Linkages: General and Theoretical Examinations of the Intersection of GBV and HIV; 2. Interrogating and interpreting the associated risks of HIV/AIDS and GBV; 3. The role of men; 4. GBV and HIV testing and disclosure; 5. GBV as a risk factor for HIV; 6.…
This issue brief discusses violence against women as the cause and consequence of HIV. Several studies are cited that demonstrate the way in which HIV infected women are more likely to have experienced violence. This violence in turn compromises women’s access to a range of critical health information and services, including testing and treatment. Actions to be taken by national governments and international partners are suggested.
This report of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women analyses data collected from over 24,000 women in 10 countries representing diverse cultural, geographical and urban/rural settings: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Peru, Namibia, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand, and the United Republic of Tanzania. The Study was designed to: estimate the prevalence of physical, sexual and emotional…
This issue of Network describes the variety of means by which children, adolescents, and adults - men and women alike - are pressured to have sexual relations that they do not want. Non-consensual sex may be a major contributing factor to such reproductive health problems as unintended pregnancy and its complications, as well as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Transmission of these infections will persist - despite…
This report sets out to answer some of the questions put to Amnesty women victims of violence. It looks at violence against women, particularly focuses on rape committed by both security officials and private individuals. Women subjected to violence are not adequately protected by the law and commit violence against women continue to operate with impunity. Gender-based violence not only exposes women to sexually transmitted diseases, but also to…
On May 1, 2002, over 130 program managers, policymakers, service providers, and trainers participated in a day-long Technical Update, hosted by the USAID Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) with the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE). This summary of the Technical Update presents survey information and recent data used to define gender-based violence (GBV) and its negative impact on reproductive health outcomes. It also examines…
Gender-based violence can result in many negative consequences for women's health and well-being as it has become a public health and human rights problem throughout the world. It can also affect their children and undermine the economic well-being of the societies. Gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS are also inextricably linked. The experience of violence affects the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) directly when it…
This report provides an assessment of the role of gender based violence in HIV transmission and the current prevalence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. It explains how the use of PEP can help prevent HIV infection and describes the policy the government has adopted to provide access to PEP and ARVs for all survivors of sexual violence. However, the government has not been fully implemented these initiatives, and this report provides…
This report focuses on the plight of the women in Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo who have contracted HIV/AIDS as a result of rape during conflict in those countries. It argues that under international human rights and humanitarian law, these women have the right to reparations for their suffering, including guaranteed access to antiretroviral drugs to fight HIV / AIDS. The first part of the report…
The 158-page book is a revision of the first edition published in 1995. While the original version focused on issues related to sexual violence like rape, the revised guidelines have been expanded to include other forms of gender-based violence like trafficking, domestic violence, female genital mutilation and demands for sexual favours in exchange for offers of services or assistance. The new publication offers practical advice on how to…
This bibliographic review on gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS is a companion document to a Literature Review under the same title. It includes an extensive electronic search of international and national electronic databases to identify relevant research published in journals and books, as well as 'grey' literature - much of which is not documented on the standard electronic search engines and published databases of HIV/AIDS literature.…
This report provides insight into organizational experiences and perspectives in terms of the obstacles encountered and approaches used to address the intersections between HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence. It can be used to facilitate the formulation of thinking on gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS, and assist in shaping programmatic interventions. This review is a companion document to a series of reviews of gender-based violence and…
This Literature Review looks at the linkages between HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence by setting out an initial conceptual and methodological base. It provides explanations for the incidence and the contexts of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS by listing indicators and predictors, and by outlining psychosocial, behavioural and contextual factors. Human rights considerations provide the framework for the suggested transformative…
A growing number of studies have documented the high prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women worldwide. This violence can and does contribute to women's increased risk of HIV infection. However, questions remain about the connections and complexities between different forms of violence against women (VAW) and HIV/AIDS. Further research is needed to understand exactly how these two areas overlap and the…
These reports illustrate how two of South Africa's epidemics - violence against women, and HIV/AIDS - may be converging in new and lethal ways. This report documents findings regarding violence and HIV/AIDS and argues that, to date, rape-related concerns have driven policy and legislative responses to a far greater degree than concerns about other forms of violence against women. The authors conclude that until more research and information…
An important component of HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) programs is encouraging clients to inform partners of their serostatus. Yet many clients do not disclose results to partners. Studies have found that a serious barrier to disclosure of status for women is fear of a violent reaction by male partners. Also, HIV-infected women are at an increased risk for partner violence. Building on previous research, this study explored…
This preliminary overview of available literature suggests that within the context of gender and the HIV epidemic, sexual violence is a complex phenomenon with multiple determinants, consequences and manifestations. UNAIDS estimated that by December 1997, 30.6 million people around the world had been infected with HIV, with more than 70% of these infections occurring through unprotected sexual intercourse. The overall proportion of these…