Violence and HIV

Violence and HIV

Studies have indicated that violence involving intimate partners can escalate the threat of HIV infection at approximately 50 percent. Besides, there is evidence that violence or the fear of violence significantly leads to undermining access to treatment, support, and care services, especially for women living with HIV infection. In an attempt to tackle the sophisticated association of HIV and violence, Ban Ki-Moon urged the entire world to take action to eliminate violence against girls and women. Also, he recommended that women and girls get access to reproductive and sexual health and human rights that they are entitled (UNAIDS). Generally, violence is established to contribute to the drastic impact of women’s and children’s health, and it is also inextricably associated with the observed higher HIV prevalence. This research paper analyses violence and HIV by looking at transgender individuals, violence against women, intimate partner violence, and solutions to violence and HIV.

Violence and HIV among transgender individuals

The prevalence of HIV is highest among transgender individuals in India (Ganju, 2017). the transgender individuals across the world experience various types of violence, including emotional, structural, sexual, and physical. Numerous organizations across the world track violent cases such as murder .reducing discrimination, and stigma against transgender persons is an important part of violence prevention. According to Ganju (2017), the finding of the study demonstrates that participants encounter pervasive violence and stigma as a result of various marginalized social identities such as sex work transgender status and gender nonconformity. This interest and reinforce social disparities, including employment discrimination, housing, and economic insecurity and poverty. Consequently, stigma and violence fuel HIV  susceptibility at the micro, meso, and macro levels. Multiple elements including internalized and felt stigma associated with low self-efficacy and psychosocial distress to challenge abuse as well negotiate the use of a condom, stabling trust in constant partnership via condomless sex, police harassment, absence of community support, and health provider discrimination create HIV vulnerability context.

Individuals who engage in the sex industry face a significant threat of HIV alongside other sexually transmitted infections as opposed to the general population. One primary element is exposure to higher risk sexual activity levels.

Violence against women and HIV

HIV and violence against women are primary problems in the public health setting as they negatively impact reproductive and sexual health. The two concepts intersect with one another in essential ways (WHO). Numerous studies have explored the two concepts across different nations and document an undeniable association between HIV and violence against women. This includes various pathways that can either occur directly via sexual assault or may occur indirectly via fear of violence as well as challenges for the female gender in negotiating and controlling condom use and safe sex. Besides, violence occurring during childhood may potentially escalate sexual threat conduct and hence the risk of contracting HIV infection.

According to the World Health Organization, there is evidence that demonstrates that HIV can potentially become a threat to violence. This is because disclosure has been established to often put female gender at threat of violence involving their family members, partners, or the community members as a whole. The use of the drug is also a well know dimension that affects both phenomena, and it has the potential of serving as a threat element or result of encountering HIV infection or violence. Besides, susceptible populations, especially sex workers, also have the possibility of experiencing escalated threats, and they need special attention.

WHO provides that a review of tested approaches used to tackle HV  infection and violence against women demonstrates a promising possibility of cutting down the incidents of both phenomena as well as coming up with approaches that can be applied in preventing and supporting the affected individuals (WHO). Besides, the finding of the review demonstrates that any long-run solution to HIV and violence against women needs tackling the social aspect and the inequalities in gender, forming an integral factor of this.

Violence against such as rape and sexual assault is established to affect one in every three female genders across the world, which happens throughout the life of women (The Global Fund, 2015). Sexual violence has been highly associated with causing emotional and physical trauma as well as permanent health issues, and it also escalates the vulnerability of women to HIV infection. There has been a robust association between HIV and violence. The inability of women to negotiate safe sex and declining unwanted sex is very closely associated with the observed increase in HIV incidence across the world. Unwanted sex usually contributes to escalated threats of easier HIV transmission. In most cases, it has been established that women who are involved in violence have higher chances of getting infected with HIV. Besides, women who live with the virus and are in a relationship characterized by violence are found to be more likely to discontinue the treatment process. Violence against women has been identified as a  violation of the rights of humans. This does not only hinder the progress of eliminating the HIV epidemic but also contributes to impeding progress in peace, poverty, and security.

In a study by Leddy, Anna M. et al.  (2019), noted that gender-based violence has been on the rise and is associated with escalating the risk of HIV infection among women. The study focused on explaining how gender-based violence acted as a hindrance to access inf services of HIV infection, care, and treatment process, including preexposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral treatment (Bonner, Courtney Peasant, et al. p. 1370). The authors deduce that gender-based violence contributes to impeding the uptake of HIV testing among women, their treatment, and care (Leddy, Anna M., et al., 2019).

In southern Africa, gender-based violence is established to be a common aspect. Gender-based violence includes emotional abuse, non-sexual physical violence, as well as child sexual abuse forms. Sexual violence has been shown to contribute to HIV acquisition because trauma escalates the transmission risk. Besides, gender-based violence contributes to increased HIV risk indirectly. In most cases, sexual abuse during childhood makes the victims of the incident being more likely to test HIV positive as well as having high risk conducts. The perpetrators of gender-based violence are usually gender-based violence are usually at a threat of infecting HIV because their victim has, in most cases, encountered victimization in the past and hence have a high infection risk (Beksinska, Alicja, et al. p. 1).

Intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence forms one of the significantly known types of violence against women and involves sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as controlling an intimate partner’s behaviors. The incident happens in all environments and involves all religious, socioeconomic, and cultural groups. Women are the most affected by the overwhelming, IPV global burden. Women can, at times, become violent in their relationships where they act o in self-defense, although the well-known violence against women perpetrators is the male intimate partners.

Causes of and risk elements for intimate partner violence

The most significantly applied model of explaining violence is the ecological model that suggests that violence is caused by factors operating in four levels: relationships, individual, societal, and community (WHO). According to the World Health Organization, studies have started examining the existing evidence at such levels in a distinct environment, to have a better understanding of the factors linked to differences in prevalence.

The individual factors that are linked with an increased likelihood of a man committing violence against their partners include a low level of education, young age, drug abuse, personality disorders, as well as past history of abusing partners.

The relationship factors that are linked to the threat of both perpetration by men and victimization of women include male dominance in the household, economic stress, dissatisfaction or conflict in the relationship, and disparity in educational achievement.

Societal and Community factors may include poverty, weak legal sanctions against intimate partner violence within marriage, low economic and social status of women, and weak community sanctions against intimate partner violence. Besides, it may include broad social acceptance of violence, which is used as a way of resolving conflict as well as a lack of civil rights of women such as marriage laws, inequitable or restrictive divorce.

Consequences of intimate partner violence

IPV impacts the physical and mental health of women via direct pathways, including injury, and also through indirect pathways, including chronic health problems arising as a result of prolonged stress. According to WHO, the existing research proposes that the impact of abuse may persist long following the stoppage of the violence. It is established that the more serious the abuse, the greater the influence on the mental and physical health of a woman.

The solution to HIV Violence

HIV and intimate partner violence are co-occurring worldwide epidemics that have similar root causes of economic and gender disparities. One of the ways of preventing HIV and IPV  is economic interventions. This includes unconditional cash transfer interventions that have been established to show positive outcomes. Moreover, an intervention involving economic strengthening and gender-transformative interventions also contributes to positive results (Gibbs et al. p.1).

The expansion of condom application is a key prevention approach of HIV risk, although it requires negotiation with individuals engaging in the sex industry. The use of condoms forms a useful component in a sustainable and comprehensive strategy for preventing HIV and other STIs. The approach I helpful in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. They offer an impermeable hindrance to particles that are the size of STI pathogens and sperm. Nevertheless, it requires the correct use of Condoms to achieve effective results and also needs to be used consisted of ensuring the prevention of HIV. According to Reeves et al. (2017), reduction of poverty, as well as exposure to violence, may help cut down the risk of HIV infection among individuals who engage in the sex industry.

Policies and programs need to address the necessary economic and social concerns, gender disparities as well as harmful gender norms. Besides, there is a need to make use of a focus on human rights. There is also a need for developing services, including comprehensive post-rape or sexual assault care responding to the psychological and physicals needs of health, especially for survivors of violence. Counseling and testing services can also help to address the violence against women in society.

The majority of countries across the world have adopted the approach of funding programs that focus on tackling gender-based violence. These programs mainly focus on women’s and girls’ education and concentrate on HIV integration, gender-based violence, as well as sexual and reproductive health services (The Global Fund, 2015). The programs also offer detailed post-rape care, including legal and psychosocial advice, especially for the survivors.

Education forms one of the robust strategies of addressing HIV among the female gender because financially independent and educated women have the potential of making well-informed decisions concerning their lives. Focusing on the young women and adolescent girls through the provision of services spanning education and health is a priority that is taken by various organizations such as the Global Fund (The Global Fund, 2015).

The advancement and protection of humans rights is an emerging concerning among numerous organizations that address gender-based violence and HIV. They develop an HIV program that will focus on providing legal aid services as well as backing girls and women who emerge as survivors of the violence involving both genders.

Interventions involving the survivors of gender-based violence can help in cutting down their risk of HIV infection. Addressing gender-based violence is an important move that can influence the HIV epidemic, and hence policy change is fundamental. Prevention policy of HIV needs to recognize the indirect and direct implications of gender-based violence for the prevention of HIV, as well as the essence of perpetrator dynamics. Besides, cutting down gender-based violence need to be part of the prevention programs of HIV. For an effective approach, the intervention should include a gender-based violence awareness element and structural component.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several countries across the world that experience gender-based violence challenges as well as HIV infection among the women in such relationships characterized by violence. As a result, it is important to tackle the issue with extreme focus and determination. Fostering equality of gender, especially at an early age and also working jointly with the youth population to eliminate gender-based violence, are crucial approaches. The robust focus should be entirely on the education of women and their human rights (Decker, Michele R., et al., p. 187). There is a need to focus on the ability of women to make informed choices alongside being financially stable and independent. This calls for concerted efforts of all people to bring to an end of the gender-based violence pandemic. Consequently, the move will provide double benefit through the protection of girls and women from violence while at the same time shielding them from HIV infection. Intimate partner violence is a key concern among numerous households that impact relationships. Increased gender-based violence is associated with HIV infection, as well as hindering access to care and treatment. Therefore, countries and organizations of human rights need to rise and address the issue to prevent the increase of violence and HIV infection.

Works Cited:

Beksinska, Alicja, et al. “Violence experience by perpetrator and associations with HIV/STI risk and infection: a cross-sectional study among female sex workers in Karnataka, south India.” BMJ open 8.9 (2018): e021389.

Bonner, Courtney Peasant, et al. “Exploring the associations between physical and sexual gender-based violence and HIV among women who use substances in South Africa: the role of agency and alcohol.” AIDS care 31.11 (2019): 1369-1375.

Decker, Michele R., et al. “Human rights violations against sex workers: burden and effect on HIV.” The Lancet 385.9963 (2015): 186-199.

Ganju, Deepika, and Niranjan Saggurti. “Stigma, violence and HIV vulnerability among transgender persons in sex work in Maharashtra, India.” Culture, health & sexuality 19.8 (2017): 903-917.

Gibbs, Andrew, Jessica Jacobson, and Alice Kerr Wilson. “A global comprehensive review of economic interventions to prevent intimate partner violence and HIV risk behaviours.” Global health action 10.sup2 (2017): 1290427.

Leddy, Anna M., et al. “Gender-based violence and engagement in biomedical HIV prevention, care and treatment: a scoping review.” BMC public health 19.1 (2019): 897.

Marshall, Khiya J., et al. “Interventions that address intimate partner violence and HIV among women: a systematic review.” AIDS and Behavior 22.10 (2018): 3244-3263.

Reeves, Aaron, et al. “Gender violence, poverty and HIV infection risk among persons engaged in the sex industry: cross‐national analysis of the political economy of sex markets in 30 European and Central Asian countries.” HIV medicine 18.10 (2017): 748-755.

The Global Fund. The Link Between HIV and Violence Against Women (2015).  https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/blog/2015-11-24-the-link-between-hiv-and-violence-against-women/

UNAIDS. Uniting against violence and HIV (2014).  https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2014/march/20140312xcsw

World Health Organization (WHO). Violence against women and HIV. https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/violence/hiv/en/