May 23

The Clinic As A Gendered Space... Consultancy Africa Intelligence

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The clinic as a gendered space: Masculinities, health seeking behaviour and HIV & AIDS

Written by Hanlie Myburgh

Many studies find that men visit public health care facilities much less frequently than do women,(2,3) which has some significance for the poor uptake of men in voluntary counselling and testing services (VCTs) for HIV. A number of explanations have been given for this phenomenon, some of which focus on constructions of masculinity as a barrier to seeking health care. This paper draws on a relatively unexamined reason for men’s lack of attendance in public health care facilities which resonate strongly with debates around masculinity: that men view the clinic as women’s space. As many clinics are run mainly by women, holding positions as nurses and counsellors, and are also primarily attended by women and children, men may find visiting the clinic cumbersome and embarrassing, as it challenges traditional and hegemonic notions of masculinity. This paper focuses on the particularities of masculinity and health seeking behaviour in an African context... [More]

March 05

Action Framework For Women, Girls, Gender Equality And HIV

HIV and AIDS Gender Equity Trackbacks (0)
The UNAIDS Operational Plan for the Action Framework for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV was developed in response to the pressing need to address the persistent gender inequality and human rights violations that put women and girls at greater risk and vulnerability to HIV, and threaten the gains that have been made in preventing HIV transmission and increasing access to anti-retroviral treatment. Download the report in full from the web site and read more about the launch of the Action Framework. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: Action Framework for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV
March 04

Agenda For Accelerated Country Action For Women, Girls, Gender Equality And HIV [2010-2014] (March 2010)

HIV and AIDS Gender Equity Trackbacks (0)

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids has developed a five-year action plan to address gender inequalities and human rights violations that continue to put women and girls at risk of HIV infection. From Polity.org.za

http://us-cdn.creamermedia.co.za/assets/articles/attachments/26235_20100226_jc1794_agenda_for_accelerated_country_action_en.pdf

December 22

Women And Girls And HIV And AIDS. UNIFEM

Girls Women UNIFEM HIV and AIDS Violence Trackbacks (0)
The United Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and ActionAid have recently issued Together We Must! End Violence against Women and Girls and HIV & AIDS. This joint publication profiles ten organizations that are working on innovative strategies to address the intertwined pandemics. It highlights key elements to consider when implementing such strategies. It is available in English.UN Pulse Permanent Link: Women and Girls and HIV & AIDS
October 14

HIV / AIDS Gender Equality

HIV and AIDS Gender Equity Trackbacks (0)

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has issued a new publication: Promoting Gender Equality in HIV and AIDS Responses: Making Aid More Effective Through Tracking Results.

It presents the key findings of an expert consultation - Tracking and Monitoring Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS in Aid Effectiveness - which was co-organized by UNIFEM and the European Commission in May 2008.

Participants developed recommendations for integrating the gender equality dimensions of HIV/AIDS into national development planning, implementation and budgeting; for strengthening current indicators for monitoring and tracking progress to eliminate violence against women and improve women’s access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in the context of HIV/AIDS; and for inspiring new areas of advocacy and new entry points for improving knowledge and awareness on gender equality and HIV and AIDS in the context of aid effectiveness.

It is only available in English.

UN Pulse:  Permanent Link: HIV / AIDS Gender Equality

September 10

MenEngage Africa Symposium: 5-9 October 2009, Johannesburg

Gender-based violence HIV and AIDS Men Trackbacks (0)

a continental symposium aimed at strengthening capacity of civil society and government to work with men and boys on gender-based violence and HIV...

 A growing body of research has helped us to understand the origins and nature of the problems faced by the continent and the role of men and masculinities in these, as well as the opportunities and potential for change...

Sonke and the MenEngage Alliance are pleased to announce the MenEngage Africa Symposium to be held 5-9 October 2009...  It will bring together activists, policy makers, service providers and researchers working on gender, HIV, health, development and human rights and will produce clear country and region specific plans of action.

The symposium will include a range of presentations, skills building activities and work-plan development. Objectives of the meeting include:

* Developing shared vision of the need for work with men and boys in Africa and the policy, programming and action required
* Strengthening participants’ ability to implement multi-faceted approaches to working with men and boys on gender and AIDS
* Developing country and region-specific work-plans with clear, time-bound activities, outputs and outcomes
* Building and strengthening the MenEngage Alliance, the Pan-Commonwealth civil society network on HIV/AIDS and the Commonwealth Women’s Network in Africa.


Confirmed speakers include:

* Elhadj As Sy, UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa;
* Gary Barker, International Center for Research on Women;
* Mbuyiselo Botha, Sonke Gender Justice Network;
* Rachel Jewkes, Medical Research Council, South Africa;
* Robert Morrell, University of KwaZulu-Natal;
* Anisha Rajapakse, Commonwealth Foundation;
* Warren Nyamugisira, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Civil Society Advisory Committee.

The symposium fee is $500 with a reduced fee for organisations headquartered in the global south. Funding for scholarships is available to be determined by criteria established by the steering committee.

For more information please contact Orly Stern - orly@genderjustice.org.za, or Regis Mtutu - regis@genderjustice.org.za. You can aslo visit : http://www.genderjustice.org.za/menengageafricasymposium

 

From AU Monitor

 

July 28

Preventing HIV And Unintended Pregnancy In Africa

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This downloadable (free) paper presents data from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda. The target group of about 20,000 adolescents in the target countries were surveyed, and there were focus groups and interviews with young people, parents, teachers and health care providers. See DG Communities for a review of the paper.

Preventing HIV and Unintended Pregnancy in Africa  by Ann E. Biddlecom, Laura Hessburg, Susheela Singh, Akinrinola Bankole and Leila Darabi. Guttmacher Institute.

 

Data sources

  • The 2004 National Survey of Adolescents
  • Macro International, United States
  • Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie,Burkina Faso
  • Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, Ghana
  • National Statistical Office, Malawi
  • Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

How to get a copy

Download the  full text (pdf 3.8mb)

 

Thanks to Ingrid Thomson for this.

June 02

Genital Herpes ... Driving HIV Prevalence In Africa

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Genital Herpes Has Played a More Important Role than Any Other Sexually Transmitted Infection in Driving HIV Prevalence in Africa
Source: PLoS ONE

HSV-2 role as a biological cofactor in HIV acquisition and transmission may have contributed substantially to HIV particularly by facilitating HIV spread among the low-risk population with stable long-term sexual partnerships. This finding suggests that prevention of HSV-2 infection through a prophylactic vaccine may be an effective intervention both in nascent epidemics with high HIV incidence in the high risk groups, and in established epidemics where a large portion of HIV transmission occurs in stable partnerships.

November 01

HIV/AIDS, Partner Abuse And Risky Sexual Behaviors

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The Association of Partner Abuse with Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Women and Men with HIV/AIDS
Source: AIDS and Behavior (via RAND Corporation)

Prior studies have found that partner abuse is related to risky sexual behavior. However, few studies have explored gender, sexual orientation, or substance use differences in this association, especially among people with HIV. We examined data from the Risk and Prevention survey from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS) sample on 726 sexually-active individuals in three gender/orientation groups (286 women, 148 heterosexual men, and 292 gay/bisexual men). The study assessed whether individuals with HIV who experienced or perpetrated abuse within a close relationship were likely to engage in unprotected intercourse with that same partner. Both abuse perpetration and victimization were significantly associated with having any unprotected intercourse. In multivariate tests, gender/orientation and substance use during sex moderated the perpetration effects. Secondary HIV prevention interventions need to take into account potentially abusive contexts in which sexual activity may occur for both men and women.

+ Full Document (PDF; 111 KB)

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September 23

Gender And PEPFAR Reauthorization

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Priorities for Action: Gender and PEPFAR Reauthorization
Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies

This is a defining moment for U.S. AIDS policy, as Congress and the Bush administration prepare for the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which expires in September 2008. The reauthorization process offers U.S. policymakers the chance to reflect on the evolution of the epidemic, to analyze the data collected, and to apply the lessons learned during PEPFAR’s first phase, in order to strengthen U.S. AIDS strategy going forward.

+ Full Paper (PDF; 538 KB)

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