Breaking the cycle of violence against women and the spread of HIV/AIDS

Progress for Women Is Progress for All

Breaking the cycle of violence against women and the spread of HIV/AIDS

July 2007

UNIFEM, with support from the UK national committee, calls for action to break the vicious cycle of violence against women and the spread of HIV and AIDS.

"Today, we have a much better knowledge of how these two pandemics are intertwined in a vicious cycle," said UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer attending the first international conference on women and HIV and AIDS which was held from 4^th to 7^th July in Nairobi, Kenya. "What we need to do now is to learn more about how to break out of this cycle. We need new strategies and practical solutions that will address stigma and discrimination and put an end to both violence against women and HIV and AIDS."

Violence against women is both a cause and a consequence of HIV and AIDS: a cause because rape and sexual assault pose major risk factors for HIV transmission; a consequence because HIV-positive women often suffer abuse when disclosing their status. In both cases, intimate partners are most likely to be the perpetrators.

Studies testify to this interrelation. In South Africa and Tanzania, women who were subjected to violence turned out to be up to three times more likely to be HIV-infected. In Cambodia, fear of domestic violence appears to be one of the reasons why unexpectedly few women have used counselling and testing services at antenatal clinics. Such examples demonstrate that women's vulnerability to HIV and AIDS can be attributed to social roots, not just biological ones. Their subordinate position in many societies can make it impossible for them to protect themselves from HIV.

Zarin Hainsworth, President of the UK National Committee for UNIFEM said:

"This conference gives voice to the experience of women in Africa who do not want to be seen as mere victims. Time after time, it is the women of a community who pull it together and the women who continue to look after the children and the ill, collect the firewood, till the land – keep things going despite immense pressures. UNIFEM UK is proud to stand with our sisters in Africa to fight for justice and recognition that violence against women is an abuse that society must neither ignore nor condone through impunity for perpetrators. We would do well to look in the UK to focus our attention and resources towards the effects of violence against women and its relationship to disease and ill-health of all kinds for women from every sector of the community."

In recent years, UNIFEM has specifically addressed the links between HIV and AIDS and violence against women through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. This is managed by UNIFEM and provides grants to local organisations and governments to develop innovative approaches which will:

raise awareness
uphold laws
provide medical assistance
train service providers
reduce the stigma and discrimination that come with HIV and AIDS

Trust Fund grantees were able to share their expertise in Nairobi at a UNIFEM event organised to look at successful approaches.

The UK National Committee for UNIFEM has made the Trust Fund the main focus of its fundraising efforts this year. On 17^th October a fundraising Music Extravaganza will be held at St David's Hall in Cardiff – more information at www.unifemuk-music.co.uk

Remember that you can make an online donation to UNIFEM's Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women at any time by clicking on the top box in the right-hand column.

You can now donate securely online (and qualify for gift aid)

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The projects undertaken by UNIFEM make a difference to the everyday lives of women around and their families around the world. UNIFEM UK needs your support to help fund this work and to raise awareness of the issues affecting women's rights and security.