Violence Against Women

We, as women living with HIV, envision a life free from violence, coercion, and discrimination for all people. We, as women living with HIV, demand an end to the many different forms of violence faced by all women, including physical, emotional, psychological, religious, sexual, institutional, and economic violence, and the trauma that violence leaves in its wake. PWN Tools and Resources:

• PWN-USA Violence Against Women factsheet (PDF version)
• From Treatment to Healing: The Promise of Trauma-Informed Primary Care (Women’s Health Issues), by Edward Machtinger, Naina Khanna, Yvette Cuca, Carol Dawson Rose and Leigh Kimberg, May-June 2015
• Webinar (full recording with slides): Addressing Violence and Trauma in the Lives of Women with HIV: Towards Policy and Programmatic Solutions, Nov 7, 2014
• PWN-USA Press Release: PWN-USA Congratulates UCSF Women’s Health Clinic on Landmark Study of Women, Trauma and HIV Disclosure, July 16, 2014
• Healing Trauma and Ending Violence Against Women Are Crucial for Improving HIV Health Outcomes:  Moving From Recommendations to Action – Fact Sheet (PDF), March 2014
• Untangling the Intersection of HIV & Trauma: Why it Matters and What We Can Do, GMHC Treatment Issues, Naina Khanna and Suraj Madoori, September 2013 Issue
• PWN-USA Press Release: PWN-USA Applauds Release of White House Recommendations to Address HIV/AIDS, Violence against Women and Girls, and Gender-Related Health Disparities, September 7, 2013
• Executive Summary, Strategy Meeting on Trauma-informed Primary Care, hosted by UCSF Women’s HIV Program and PWN-USA, August 2013
• PWN-USA Press Release: This Valentine’s Day, Show your Love! End Violence Against Women and Girls., February 14, 2013
• In the Media: Domestic Violence Doubles Risk of Death for HIV-Positive Women by Laura Whitehorn. “Episodes of domestic violence dramatically raises the short-term risk of death for women living with or at risk of contracting HIV, according to research announced on Wednesday, July 25, at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS2012) in Washington, DC. The data contribute to a growing body of information on the higher risks of infection, illness and death among women in the United States.” Read more.
• Video: Melissa Harris-Perry Show on 2012 World AIDS Day with PWNer Sonia Rastogi

Click here to watch the video!

Other Resources:

• We Were Never Meant to Survive: Violence in the Lives of HIV-Positive Women in South Africa. Positive Women’s Network in South Africa collaborated to create this amazing report as part of the 1 in 9 campaign, a campaign focused on upholding the sexual rights of women and combating violence against women.
• Breaking Research:
  • Vulnerability and empowerment: At the International AIDS Conference, an examination of sexual abuse and violence against women — and men. “A history of recent abuse increases the risk of death by 40% in HIV-positive women, U.S. researchers [with the Women’s Interagency HIV Study] reported at the 19th International AIDS Conference, held in Washington, D.C. in July.” Read more.
  • Trauma Drives HIV Epidemic in Women. “Physical violence, sexual abuse and other forms of childhood and adult trauma are major factors fueling hte epidemic of HIV/AIDS among American women. Scientists have known for years that traumatized women are at greater risk of becoming infected. Now, two new studies from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Harvard Medical School demonstrate that a high rate of trauma among women already infected with HIV also plays a role in the epidemic.” Read more.