Dear Members of End-Violence, In recognition of World AIDS Day, 1 December, we would like to focus this week's discussion on the powerful, complex link between violence against women and HIV/AIDS. The statistics are shocking:
* 60% of new HIV/AIDS infections worldwide occur among girls and young women aged 15-24 * Girls risk becoming infected at a much younger age than do boys; * Today 47 percent of the 36.1 million people living with HIV are women and this proportion is growing. Men's power over women -- often expressed through violence and coercion -- is a critical factor behind these statistics. If women had power, the HIV/AIDS epidemic would have been unlikely to blaze out of control. Furthermore, when women become HIV positive, they are often targets of violence from their families and communities. Many factors contribute to this vulnerability: * Cultural Values and Beliefs In many countries, masculinity is associated with having multiple sexual partners, and with controlling the frequency and form of intercourse. Femininity is associated with ignorance about sex and passivity during the sexual act. These cultural values prevent women from learning about and negotiating for safer sexual practices, or leaving high-risk relationships. Cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, and polygamy also contribute to the rapid increase of the epidemic. * Education Girls and women often lack access to information about how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, women's lack of education and skills training increase their risk of poverty, and behavior that raises their risks of HIV infection, e.g., sex work and drug abuse. * Policy and Legislation In many countries, policy and law enforcement ignore violence against women generally, as well as the link between violence against women and HIV/AIDS. Few if any laws protect women from domestic violence, including rape within marriage. Unmarried women often have no legal protection from partner abuse. Even where violence against women is outlawed, violence often goes unpunished and women are afraid to bring charges. As a result, men often feel free to abuse women, and women find it impossible to negotiate safe sex with husbands or sexual partners. * Economics Women are often economically dependent on the men they live with, making it difficult to leave a relationship, even if it is abusive and exposes them to the HIV/AIDS infection. Women in poverty are at particular risk. They may become victims of trafficking, and trapped in forced prostitution and sexual slavery, and/or turn to drugs, all raising the risk of HIV infection. * Healthcare Women often have difficulty obtaining treatment if they are victims of violence, or have contracted HIV/AIDS. HIV/STD prevention services, condoms and treatment centres can be intimidating, unavailable or insensitive. Further, women who are HIV positive are often denied treatment. * War and emergency situations During armed conflict, women and girls are threatened by rape, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking, sexual humiliation and mutilation. Rape by military personnel imposes even greater risk of HIV infection than do other types of unprotected sex. Healthcare and education are more difficult to obtain. Poverty drives many women into prostitution. In post-conflict situations, women and girls who were sexually abused, especially those who have been infected with HIV, are often ostracised. KEY QUESTIONS 1. What programmes/activities in your country are trying to change CULTURAL VALUES that make women vulnerable to violence and HIV/AIDS infection? Are there programmes persuading men to change notions of masculinity and attitudes about violence against women, and women's right to safe sexual practices? Are they having success? 2. Are there programmes aiming to change women and girls' values and beliefs that will improve their ability to protect themselves from risk of violence and HIV infection? Are the programmes having success? 3. What programmes/activities are improving women's access to EDUCATION that helps them protect themselves from the risk of HIV/AIDS infection? For example, are women and girls obtaining more information and skills needed to protect themselves? Are they gaining skills that provide economic independence? 4. What POLICIES AND LEGISLATION have been adopted to protect women from violence that increases risk of HIV infection? For example, are there laws protecting women from rape within marriage? Are there policies ensuring sex education in schools? Are the laws protecting women being enforced? If not, what is needed? 5. What programmes/activities are expanding women's access to ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES that will enable them to leave abusive relationships and/or avoid behaviour that raises the risk of HIV infection, such as prostitution and drug use? 6. What programmes/activities help to ensure that women have access to HEALTHCARE if they are victims of violence and are HIV positive? How can shelters, hospitals, police stations and other services support women who face the double trauma of rape and HIV/AIDS? 7. What programmes/activities are helping to protect women and girls in ARMED CONFICT AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS from risk of violence and HIV infection? 8. All of these efforts require partnerships -- between men and women; between women's rights activists, HIV advocates and policy makers. Do you know of initiatives to forge such partnerships? How successful have they been? What do they need to ensure success? 9. Do you know if any of these programs have helped to forge transformative, more equal gender relations between men and women? 10. What should the UN and other donors do to support these programmes and activities?
