Action on gender based violence and HIV/AIDS: bringing together research, policy, programming and advocacy

What are the link between gender-based violence and HIV?

Published by: Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL); Program on International Health and Human Rights (PIHHR), 2007
Via: Eldis

At the 2006 International Aids Conference a meeting was convened to explore the linkages between gender based violence (GBV) and HIV. Its objective was to understand common challenges and to inform research, advocacy, policy and practice. This report summarises discussions, outcomes, and recommendations from the consultation. Issues requiring further attention were identified, in particular those necessary to improve future advocacy and research on the topic. Participants recognised the need:

• for an evidence base proving the causal linkages between GBV and HIV
• to carry out this work within the framework of gender-based equality and non-discrimination
• to help government and other partners better understand and address the realities of women’s lives with the objective to inform gender sensitive programming policy
• to challenge elite understandings of what is commonly considered “valuable knowledge” by policy makers

Suggestions for moving the work on linking HIV and GBV forward include:

• developing an overarching strategy
• tracking funding of work at the intersection of HIV and GBV
• developing criteria and minimum standards for donors’ work on the subject

(http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/HIVAIDS/toronto.pdf)