Female sex workers (FSWs) bear a disproportionately large burden of HIV infection worldwide. This article reviews available published data for HIV prevalence and incidence, condom use, and structural determinants among this group. To explore the potential effect of structural determinants on the course of epidemics, the authors use a deterministic transmission model to simulate potential HIV infections averted through structural changes in…
Content Type
FOUND 1369
This booklet presents new thinking and emerging research alongside a series of case studies and examples of new and time-tested programmes on the issues of gender equality, HIV and education and the interrelation between them. It includes discussion papers, which explore issues and emerging evidence in greater depth, as well as case study examples of programmes and interventions from a range of countries. The aim of the booklet is to highlight…
This thematic paper criticizes the continuing tendency of development partners and governments to address the MDGs – particularly MDGs 3, 5 and 6 – as separate entities requiring distinct interventions. The paper cites evidence showing that integrating sexual and reproductive health with human rights is the most effective way to address and fulfill the needs and rights of all populations. They conclude that efforts to address MDGs 3, 5 and 6…
The ICPD High-Level Task Force makes the case that the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality, the human rights and empowerment of adolescents and youth, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, should be reflected in the post-2015 agenda as core elements of development objectives. The ICPD argues that enabling the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights is not only an ethical and human rights imperative…
The final report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law presents a coherent and compelling evidence base on human rights and legal issues relating to HIV. The report is based on the testimony of more than 700 people most affected by HIV-related legal environments from 140 countries, in addition to expert submissions and a large body of scholarship on HIV, health and the law. To end the epidemic of bad laws and to promote good laws that…
This Report provides new evidence and offers recommendations for actions on the links between security, conflict, peacebuilding and HIV. Particular attention is paid to, inter alia, the link between violence against women, forced sex and the increased risk of HIV and the role that laws and law enforcement practices play in criminalizing the acts and activities of those groups who are habitually more vulnerable to the exposure of HIV.…
This paper outlines the impacts of the global economic crisis on women, girls and gender equality in order to advocate for sustained investment in this area. To capture the full impact of the crisis on women and girls, the paper provides a summary of evidence from high-, middle- and low-income countries across the globe, with a focus on countries with a high burden of HIV.
These case studies from seven countries (Belize, Ecuador, Moldova, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tajikistan and Thailand) highlight strategies for addressing gender-based violence as a cause and consequence of HIV, and engaging men and boys as agents of positive change to halt gender-based violence and promote gender equality and human rights. They highlight some of the strategies that emerged from two global consultations on "Integrating Strategies to…
The paper provides practical guidance to policymakers and program managers on how to engage men and address harmful male norms in seven key areas of intervention in relation to HIV/AIDS: (1) Social and Behaviour Change in Men; (2) Violence against women; (3) Men, Sex Work and Transactional Sex; (4) Men, Substance abuse and HIV/AIDS; (5) Male Circumcision; (6) Men, VCT and Treatment; and (7) Male Norms and the Caregiving for People Living with…
This paper provides a summary of the evidence at a global level on who is missing out on programming to achieve an "AIDS-free generation." In addition, the article provides evidence-based interventions which may be implemented to improve both HIV and equity outcomes. The paper raises and explains three key issues and goals: eliminating new HIV infections in children and keeping families healthy; preventing HIV infections among adolescents and…
This paper focuses on women, girls, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and the formal and informal discrimination they face under property and inheritance laws. It provides an overview of the importance of considering property and inheritance laws in the context of the HIV epidemic, and then examines existing evidence to assess the particular impact of these laws on women and OVC. The author argues for the need to revise property and…
The compendium provides a review of programs working at the intersection of HIV and women's property and inheritance rights in Kenya and Uganda, countries that have been heavily affected by the HIV epidemic and subsequently are experiencing a high occurrence of property grabbing and disinheritance from widows and orphans. It includes descriptions and analysis of 11 identified organizations and two in-depth case studies.
This background paper explores the situation for young women in Kenya, where they are four times more likely to contract HIV than young men. The author points to multi-sectoral policy interventions as necessary to better protect young women and to create an enabling environment where they can make healthier sexual decisions.
This report, submitted by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights analyses the relationship between unpaid care work and poverty, inequality, and women's human rights. Additionally, the report clarifies the obligations of States, reminding them that failure to adequately support care contradicts their human rights obligations by creating and exacerbating inequalities and provides recommendations on how to…
HIV self-testing (HIVST) allows people to test in private. It is part of national policy in some countries including Kenya, with others considering introduction. In 2011, two pilot studies were conducted providing HIVST to health-workers in Kenya, and to community members in Malawi. This Report is based on the first global HIVST consultation (2013) to discuss legal, ethical, gender, human rights and public health implications of HIVST scale-up.…
This resource is designed to assist governments, civil society and other HIV actors to address multi-dimensional gender and human rights issues in their national HIV efforts and support increased capacity to achieve gender equality results. It provides an explanation of why a gender-transformative approach is vital to curbing and reversing the spread and impact of HIV; a strategic outline for designing a national HIV strategy or plan that…
This brief examines the importance of women's land and property rights in the contexts of HIV and AIDS, violence against women, and food security. Land and property rights increase women's autonomy—decreasing their dependence on men and entrapment in abusive relationships, enabling greater control over sexual relations, and improving their ability to produce food for themselves and their families. This paper examines where and how these…
In South Africa, gender inequalities give men considerable relational power over young women, particularly in circumstances of poverty and where sex is materially rewarded. In this paper, the authors use qualitative interviews and ethnographic observation among 16 young women from the rural Eastern Cape to explore ways young women construct their femininities and exercise agency. The data were collected as part of an evaluation of Stepping…
This paper addresses the urgent need to rebalance HIV investments between treatment and prevention and to develop evidence-based approaches for protecting the large and vulnerable populations of adolescent girls who remain at risk of HIV. This paper outlines a stepwise engagement process for improving girls’ lives and reducing their HIV risk.
This article examines the role that gender inequality plays in limiting vertical HIV transmission (PMTCT) programmatic progress. The authors highlight a growing body of evidence that suggests that gender inequality, including gender-based violence, is a key obstacle to better outcomes related to all four components of a comprehensive PMTCT programme. Effective community- and facility-based strategies to transform harmful gender norms and…