The ALIV[H]E Framework is a UNAIDS commissioned consortium in partnership with Salamander Trust, ATHENA, AIDS Legal Network, Project Empower, University of Kwazulu-Natal and HEARD. Implementing and research partners for this Framework spanned across Kenya, India, Malawi, South Africa, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. Despite the growing body of evidence linking VAW and HIV, very few programmatic frameworks exist to address this intersection.
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The purpose of this Technical Brief is to assist Global Fund applicants in their efforts to include and expand programs to remove human rights and gender-related barriers to HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services. This Brief discusses the barriers these programs help to remove, the various forms the programs take, the need to cost and allocate budget for them, and how to implement them in effective ways and at appropriate scale. It…
This study aims to move beyond ‘relative age gaps’ to address how much ‘specific age groups’ contribute to HIV risk in men and women in South Africa. To do so, a population-based cohort study from 2004-2015 in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa was analyzed. The study included women 15-49 years and men 15-55 years. This study found non-linear associations between partner age and risk of HIV infection among men and women.
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In collaboration with UN Women, the ATHENA Network, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) and Salamander Trust have undertaken a multistage review of the global status of women’s access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This global review takes place during a turning point in the HIV epidemic where increasing focus is placed on strategic investments in health. This review is informed by a gender-responsive and human rights-based…
This report shows significant increases in the number of people receiving treatment for HIV, diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis (TB) and having an insecticide treated net to prevent malaria. The Global Fund Results Report 2017, with cumulative results through the end of 2016, shows a decline of one-third in the number of people dying from AIDS, TB and malaria in the countries where the Global Fund invests. Yet, young people, in…
This study aimed to document spending patterns of young African women receiving cash transfers as part of HIV prevention efforts. Survey data from 1,214 young women in South Africa and qualitative data from 38 participants explored how a cash transfer among young women was spent, provided they attended school. During interviews, young women discussed the significant role of cash transfers for adolescent identity, specifically with regard to…
National Strategic Plans (NSPs) for HIV/AIDS are country planning documents that set priorities for programmes and services, including a set of targets to quantify progress toward national and international goals. The inclusion of sex-disaggregated targets and targets to combat gender inequality is important given the high disease burden among young women and adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet no comprehensive gender-focused analysis…
This qualitative study examines women's experiences with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and retention in Option B+ care among 39 pregnant and lactating women in Bwaila Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi. Study participants included 14 in care and 25 out of care women, according to facility records. One of the most important factors influencing adherence and retention was the strength of women’s support systems. In contrast to women in-care,…
This report gives a detailed analysis of progress and challenges towards achieving the 90-90-90 targets. It shows that, for the first time, over of half all people living with HIV have access to HIV-related treatment. In 2016, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV had access to treatment, and AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016. Provided that scale-up continues, this progress puts…
The Joint Statement on Ending Discrimination in Health Care Settings, signed by twelve United Nations entities, urges stakeholders to take a targeted approach to end discriminatory laws and policies, empower health workers and users of health services, support the accountability and compliance of non-discrimination and implement the United Nations Shared Framework for Action on Combating Inequalities and Discrimination.
The International Partnership for Microbicides' (IPM) 2016 Annual Report looks back at their monthly dapivirine ring to be the first microbicide and long-acting product to reduce women's risk of HIV in two Phase III trials. The report highlights the dapivirine ring and other milestones to add new tools to women's HIV prevention options.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Health HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report (2015) show that African-born women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. In 2015, these women accounted for more than half (54%) of all new cases of HIV reported among females in Minnesota and 34% of all known female cases in the state.The primary objective of this study was to gain an insight into the strategies that will limit the spread of HIV infection…
Adolescents are one sixth of the world's population and account for 6% of the world's global burden of disease and injury. Over 3,000 adolescents die every day from largely preventable causes. In 2015, the top causes of adolescent girls' included HIV/AIDS and maternal conditions. This guidance assists governments to support country implementation to improve the health of their adolescents through evidence, case studies, a summary document, a…
A cross-sectional survey among migrants' wives in two rural villages of Chitwan district, Nepal aimed to measure knowledge and attitudes around HIV and STIs and to understand women's risk perception of HIV due to their husbands' sexual behavior. Results found that nearly all (94%) of women had a good knowledge of HIV, yet, nearly half the women reported being unable to talk to their husbands about HIV and STIs, even if they suspected risk of…
This report draws on analyses of national survey data and literature review results to provide an overview of the evidence on key aspects of sexual and reproductive health among very young adolescents aged 10–14 living in developing regions. Analyses showed that while most young adolescents report never having experienced sexual intercourse, some had begun to explore non-coital sexual activities. Many young adolescents who had experienced…
Malawi has undertaken a "test-and-treat" approach to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, known as Option B+. This approach offers all pregnant and breastfeeding women with HIV lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4 count or clinical stage. A cross-sectional, qualitative study explored experiences surrounding Option B+ for patients and health care workers in Malawi. Results found that patients and health care…
This study aimed to determine if integrated family planning and HIV services led to an increased use of more effective contraception and decreased pregnancy rates. Results found that use of effective contraception increased and incidence of pregnancy decreased in study sites with integrated services, as compared to the control sites.
An unmet need for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV services is substantial in developing countries, particularly among older adolescent girls and young women. This editorial describes the key lessons from the Link Up project, aimed to improve the SRHR of young people most affected by HIV in five countries of Africa (Burundi, Ethiopia and Uganda) and Asia (Bangladesh and Myanmar).
This toolkit was developed based on the experiences of women living with HIV engaged in the processes of New Funding Model for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) at community, national, regional and global levels. It contains experiences of women living with HIV through In-Country Dialogues, Performance Reviews of the National Strategic Plans 2011-12 in Kenya and Uganda, participation of women in the Joint…
This report brings attention to achieving gender equality in the context of women, girls, and the HIV response. This six-month consultation in 2016 with adolescent women and young girls found that #WhatWomenWant is: collaboration and joint action by all to invest in women's HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), to be leaders and articulate the priorities of women and girls in all their diversity, and to speak to the new…