Burden of HIV among female sex workers in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

, ; Download publication

Review of HIV risk amongst FSW compared with that of other women of reproductive age.

The research found that although data characterising HIV risk among female sex workers is scarce, the burden of disease is disproportionately high. The paper argues for further consideration of the legal and policy environments in which sex workers operate. It also advocates actions to address the role of stigma, discrimination, and violence in shaping sex workers’ vulnerability to HIV

Effective Approaches to Addressing the Intersection of Violence against Women and HIV/AIDS

, ; Effective Approaches to Addressing the Intersection of Violence against Women: Findings from Programmes

A great deal of evidence confirms that violence against women and HIV/AIDS are inextricably intertwined and mutually reinforcing. For years, decision-makers have advocated for addressing violence against women in a multi-sectoral way, yet little progress has actually been made in addressing violence and HIV together.

This report gathers experiences from a number of programmes, ranging from multimedia campaigns to peer education, from capacity-building for service providers to policy advocacy, and from cross-sectoral fora to action research. Among key points:

Lessons from the Broad Street Pump

What can we learn for HIV prevention from John Snow, founder in the 1850s of modern epidemiology?

In 1854, convinced that a London cholera outbreak was spread by means other than "miasma", the public health pioneer persuaded authorities to remove a pump handle. Rather than treating the water (a biomedical approach) or persuading people not to use the water (a behavioural approach), this early instance of a structural intervention cut off access to the water source and thus had impact at the level of the community environment.

Special journal issue on structural drivers

, ; Browse special issue

Tackling the structural drivers of HIV: is this a luxury add-on or essential for successful interventions? Papers present evidence of the need to understand and address the factors that create and deepen HIV risk.

Published with STRIVE support, this special issue raised key debates ahead of the 2012 International AIDS Conference and beyond. Among others:

ICRW Parivartan: Coaching Boys into Men

Parivartan uses sports coaching as a tool for teaching young men about gender equity, respect for girls and women, and gender based violence in India. The programme, which was implemented in Mumbai between 2008 and 2012, leveraged the influence of cricket coaches as role models in the lives of adolescent boys, training them to promote gender-equitable attitudes among young athletes between 10 and 16 years old.

Engaging Coaches and Athletes in Fostering Gender Equity: Findings from the Parivartan Program in Mumbai, India

STRIVE partner ICRW's summary report assessing the impact of the Parivartan programme was released on 30 May 2012.

India ‘MSM Situation Paper’ Series Technical Briefs

, ; Futures Group

Peer-reviewed by members of STRIVE, a series of three technical briefs was prepared by the Department for International Development AIDS Technical Assistance Support Team (DfID AIDS TAST) in response to India's National AIDS Control Programme planning process.

India has a concentrated AIDS epidemic, so this series is designed to focus on high risk groups. The second brief in the series pertains to women partners of MSM 

Intimate partner violence is as important as client violence in increasing street-based female sex workers’ vulnerability to HIV in India

, ; Download publication

This article argues that harm reduction efforts with female sex workers need to account for their vulnerability to HIV not only from clients, but also from intimate partners.

What Works to Prevent Partner Violence? An Evidence Overview

Lori Heise reviews the empirical evidence of what works in low- and middle-income countries to prevent violence against women by their husbands and other male partners.

The review focuses on prevention programmes rather than responses or services, and on research-based evaluations rather than insights from practice. Individual chapters cover:

Violence against women and girls

What’s the issue?

One in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, with intimate partner violence (IPV) the most common form of violence against women (VAW) globally. 

Growing evidence from sub-Saharan African countries where HIV is widespread, show that many forms of intimate partner violence – physical, sexual and psychological – increase susceptibility to HIV and disease progression among women and girls. Violence and trauma can lead to lower CD4 counts, higher viral loads and lower adherence to prevention and treatment.

Pages