HIV/AIDS

Women, War, Peace and HIV/AIDS

 

"Wars and armed conflicts generate fertile conditions for the spread of HIV. Rape inside or outside refugee camps has doubtless played a part in spreading the virus" - UNAIDS 1998

“Many mainstream prevention strategies are untenable; for example those based on the 'ABC' approach - abstain, be faithful, use a condom. Where sexual violence is widespread, abstinence, or insisting on condom use is not a realistic option for women and girls.” – Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, International Women’s Day 2004

Visit the UNIFEM Gender & HIV/AIDS Web Portal


Introduction

 

“The relationship between conflict and the spread of HIV is complex, unpredictable and poorly understood. It is influenced by such factors as population mobility, existing prevalence of HIV infection, and level of sexual interaction.” (UNAIDS) more... Women and girls are rendered particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection during periods of conflict and crisis as families and communities break up, are displaced and they face increased likelihood of rape and sexual violence.

Vulnerability to disease and the likelihood of poor health can increase significantly during such periods. Combatants and civilians alike suffer torture, wounds and injuries, sexual violence and abuse, requiring medical treatment that is often unavailable or inadequate. The damage to health systems can result in the inability to maintain even the basic 'universal precautions' of sterilizing instruments or cleaning hospital linens, and limits access to testing facilities and resources such as post-exposure prophylaxis and social services.

Sexual violence and exploitation, all too common in conflict and post-conflict settings, contributes to increased rates of HIV transmission. Rape by an infected man directly exposes women to the virus, and the abrasions or tearing of vaginal tissues that may result increase their risk of infection even more. more... In recent years it has become more clear that an unfortunate consequence of the heightened presence of armed personnel and aid workers sent to rebuild post-conflict societies can be increased commercial sex and sexual exploitation. In situations where power dynamics are skewed by money and other resources the likelihood of infection increases. more...

Tragically in some conflicts, the planned and purposeful infection of women with HIV becomes a tool of ethnic warfare. Some HIV-infected rape survivors may become pregnant as a result of the assault, bearing children who will eventually become AIDS orphans or succumb to the disease themselves. more... Even as conflicts subside, the extremely difficult economic and social conditions that follow often leave many people unemployed and unable to resume their normal community or family lives. In such situations, where AIDS and opportunistic infections are already a problem, women bear the largest burden of care for family members. Thus, women are not only uniquely at risk of HIV contraction during and after conflicts; they also bear a disproportionate amount of the burden of caring for family members with HIV/AIDS.

 

Key Terms

HIV/AIDS: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is the name of the clinical condition that may result from an infection with HIV. While AIDS is not a curable disease, fortunately HIV does not have to be a death sentence. Means are available for individuals who have been infected to extend their lives. Individuals with a compromised immune system and limited access to health care social services are more vulnerable to the onset of AIDS. HIV progressively damages the body's ability to protect itself from disease organisms. Thus, many AIDS deaths result from pneumonia, tuberculosis or diarrhoea; death is not caused by HIV itself but by one or more of these opportunistic infections.

For the UNAIDS Glossary of HIV/AIDS Related Terms, click here.

International Organizations

UNAIDS is the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, bringing together United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. UNAIDS, is the main advocate for global action on the epidemic. more...

UNFPA is strengthening the capacity of women's organizations to deal with the pandemic in a gender-responsive manner. more...

UNICEF supports actions that reduce girls' vulnerability in situations of conflict. more... The UNICEF map highlighting the percentage of infected young women is available by clicking here.

World Food Programme (WFP) operates food aid programmes that benefit HIV/AIDS sufferers and caregivers, especially as hunger can prompt women and girls to engage in risky sexual behavior in order to survive. more...

World Health Organization (WHO): Gender and HIV Framework. more...

UNIFEM Action & Analysis

UNIFEM began working on the intersection between HIV/AIDS and gender when the gender dimensions of the pandemic remained unrecognized in mainstream analysis and advocacy. UNIFEM has continued to support research and advocacy that strengthen awareness of the intersections between HIV/AIDS, gender and conflict.

UNIFEM supports projects in post-conflict regions such as Cambodia and Sierra Leone and has participated in major international conferences, such as the 2002 International AIDS Conference in Barcelona as well as the most recent one in Toronto. UNIFEM has produced a number of resources on Gender and HIV including the following:

  • UNIFEM's Gender and HIV portal is a comprehensive information source dealing with gender and HIV/AIDS. more...

  • Mainstreaming Gender Equality into National Response to HIV and AIDS: Nigerian Case Study

  • "Turning the Tide: CEDAW and the Gender Dimensions of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic" examines HIV in the contexts of current human rights framework. more...

More resources from UNIFEM on HIV/AIDS can be found here.

Tools & Checklists

UN Documents

  • Security Council: A complete analysis of language related to HIV/AIDS in the work of the Security Council can be found here.
    • Resolution 1308: 17 July 2000. more...
    • Security Council Open Session of HIV/AIDS in Africa: 10 January 2000. more...
  • Other:

    • General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS: 25 -27 June 2001. more...
    • International Women’s Day: 8 March 2004. more....
    • Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO): Pre-deployment training modules on HIV/AIDS. more...

Independent Experts' Assessment & Recommendations

The Independent Experts' Assessment on Women, War, Peace and HIV/AIDS and the accompanying recommendations can be accessed in this archive: HIV/AIDS Archive (pdf)