HIV
VIOLENCE, HIV LINK

WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE ARE MORE PRONE TO HIV RISK ... BUT COUNSELLING HELPS MEN AND WOMEN

A Horizons study conducted by Muhimbili Medical Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, found that physical abuse is common for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women seeking HIV testing.

• Overall, 38.5 percent report having had at least one physically abusive partner and 16.7 percent report having had at least one sexually abusive partner.
• HIV-positive women are significantly more likely than HIV-negative women to report at least one physically abusive partner in their lifetime (53.4 percent versus 32.0 percent).
• Women with a history of physical abuse by an intimate partner are three times more likely to be HIV-positive than were women who report no experience with partner violence. Although high in both groups, HIV serostatus disclosure to sexual partners was significantly higher among seronegative women than seropositive women (83 percent vs. 69 percent). Fear of partner's reaction was found to be is a major deterrent for women in disclosing their serostatus.

  VOLUNTARY COUNSELLING FOR PARTNERS
  The same study in Tanzania also shows that for many HIV-infected and non-infected women, voluntary coun-seling and testing can be a positive experience with regard to their relationship with their partner. Among all women who disclosed their serostatus, the majority (57.5 percent) report that they experienced support and understanding from their partners, while the proportion of women that experienced negative outcomes- physical assault or abandonment- is low. Women and men who sought counseling and testing as a couple describe the process as overwhelmingly positive, with most couples reporting that their relationship has been strengthened by the testing and disclosure process.

  1. Researchers from the Population Studies Centre of the University of Zimbabwe and Horizons are exploring the role antenatal care (ANC) services can play in fostering couple communication and HIV-preventive behaviors.
     
     
  2. Male participation in ANC counseling and education are viewed positively by almost all informants, even though pregnancy and childbirth are traditionally seen as the domain of women. · These findings highlight the need for interventions involving men to take into account men's fears of losing face for taking on roles not traditionally seen as theirs and their need for basic information about pregnancy. They also indicate that clinic-based interventions need to be supported by community activities that generate support for male involve-ment during the pregnancy period. A second phase of research is under way that will test a clinic- and community-based intervention to reduce STI/HIV risk among pregnant women and their partners. Horizons and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance are studying the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in community-based prevention and care efforts in four countries.
     
     
  3. In Ecuador, women and men who are infected with HIV express different needs for information and support. For example, women seek information about perinatal transmission and how to minimize the risks to the baby. They also express family-related needs, such as counseling for their children, child care to permit their involvement in community-based activities, and help to plan for what happens to their children after they die. Men who have sex with men report that they are victims of double discrimination because of both their sexual behavior and their serostatus. Men who are PLHA also express interest in learning how to continue having a pleasurable sexual life and at the same time avoid HIV transmission and re-infection. The community-based organizations that participated in the research process plan use these findings to make their services more responsive to the gender-specific needs of PLHA.

  Taken from Population Council/Horizons
  4301 Connecticut Avenue,
  NW Suite 280
  Washington, DC
  20008
  USA
  Tel: +202-237-9400
  Fax: +202-237-8410
  Email: horizons@pcdc.org
  

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  8 October 2000

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