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South African HIV Women Suffer Under Inequality

March 2008 Women News Network - WNN Report

SOUTH AFRICA: Violence and extreme poverty in rural South Africa place women at grave risk of becoming infected with HIV, according to a new report by Amnesty International. This undermines the ability of women who are HIV positive to seek and obtain treatment, thus worsening a national epidemic that is one of the worst in the world.

The 120-page report, based on interviews with rural women living with HIV, describes oppressive relationships with male partners, economic marginalization and severe inequalities.

“Rural women in South Africa are disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment,” said Mary Rayner, Amnesty International’s South Africa researcher and author of the report titled “I Am At the Lowest End Of All.”¯

“They continue to experience discriminatory attitudes and practices — particularly from male partners and live in an environment rife with high levels of sexual and other gender-based violence.”¯

The South African government has gradually improved its response to the HIV epidemic through the adoption of the Department of Health’s widely-welcomed five-year plan to combat AIDS, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Still, 5.5 million South Africans are HIV-infected (about 10 percent of the population), one of the highest prevalence rates in the world. Fifty-five percent of those infected are women. South African women under 25 are three to four times more likely to be HIV-infected than men in the same age group.

The report offers specific recommendations to the South African government to address the urgent needs of women with HIV in rural areas. The report calls on the government to urgently intensify efforts to prevent violence against women through stepped up policing and prosecution, and to address the economic inequalities that block HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care. Additionally, the report urges the government to widen access to health services for women in rural areas, and help them with the consequences of HIV, including safety concerns, when disclosing their status to male partners.

Many women interviewed by Amnesty International in South Africa said they were often unable to protect themselves against HIV infection because they felt at risk of violence from male partners when they suggested condom use.

One woman told Amnesty International that her husband, a truck driver, spent much of his time on the road. On his days off, he visited her but refused to use condoms when she asked him to do so. After he abandoned the family she became sick, and discovered at the local clinic that she was HIV positive.

Several other women interviewed by Amnesty International described being beaten and forced to have sex by husbands who refused to use condoms.

“Women’s lives in rural South Africa are scarred by persistent violence in their families, homes and in under-policed, unsafe communities,” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of Amnesty International - Africa.

“The co-existence of epidemics of both HIV and violence against women has raised the costs of violence for South African women and girls both physically and psychologically,” said Kagari.

While there are many good reasons to increase testing for HIV across South Africa, the situation is complicated in a context of gender inequality and violence, poverty and social stigma. Women are currently tested in greater numbers than men. When they receive limited psycho-social support, disclosing their status can leave them vulnerable to abandonment, threats of violence and other consequences of stigma and discrimination.

The great majority of rural women interviewed by Amnesty International said that their male partners were reluctant to test for HIV or refused to be tested even when there were strong indications the men might be HIV-infected.

Many of the women faced abuse from their partners when they tried to access health services for HIV-related treatment and care.

“When a woman’s partner is in denial about his own HIV status, he may resent her going to the clinic or taking medication,” said Rayner.

“In the context of pervasive gender inequalities, stigma and violence facing women, particular attention must be paid by those providing HIV testing to anticipate and address possible adverse consequences for women once they disclose their HIV positive status and start treatment.”¯

Effective treatment for HIV and AIDS requires regular visits to hospitals and clinics for treatment and care. Rural women living with HIV in circumstances of poverty and unemployment face constant challenges in having regular access to food and often cannot afford transportation to health clinics for treatment.

Also hampering treatment in rural areas is the fact that South Africa’s health system is currently facing severe shortages of essential medical and staff necessary for providing a comprehensive service.

Amnesty International USA is currently campaigning in the U.S. Congress for passage of the International Violence Against Women Act, which would provide U.S. aid and support for efforts overseas to prevent violence against women, including medical treatment for victims, economic empowerment for women, programs to change social attitudes, and legal reforms.

“Violence against women is so widespread and deeply rooted around the world that to have an impact the U.S. government must take a comprehensive approach with a consistent vision,” said Maureen Greenwood, an advocacy director for AIUSA in Washington DC. “This legislation could make a difference in places like South Africa, where it is clear that violence against women affects the spread of AIDS with dire consequences.”

Amnesty Report Press Release: Anmesty International

The Full Amnesty International ReportRURAL WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV FACE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN SOUTH AFRICA  (2.13 MB) is available upon request to: Women News Network  - womennews2000@yahoo.com or WUNRN - mosie@infionline.net 

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Click to Website and Scroll Down to Video - DOUBLE Click Arrow to Start Film http://womennewsnetwork.net/


Footage of life in South Africa and an interview with Desiree Boyson, a community AIDS activist who voluntarily serves the people of Wentworth in Durban, South Africa.

 

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