Gender-Based Violence and Reproductive Health &
HIV/AIDS
The Interagency Gender Working
Group (IGWG) of the Bureau of Global Health of USAID
announces its latest publication, “Gender-Based
Violence and Reproductive Health & HIV/AIDS—Summary
of a Technical Update.” The 42-page publication
covers the Technical Update held at USAID on May 1,
2002, a day-long event that drew more than 130 program
managers, policymakers, service providers and trainees.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is increasingly
recognized as both a public health problem and a violation
of human rights. The Technical Update report presents
data on the link between GBV and negative RH/HIV outcomes.
Further, it provides examples of programs that have
integrated GBV services in healthcare and community
settings as well as behavior change communication,
despite limited resources and traditional constraints.
The examples include the Women’s Resource Center
based in Rajasthan, India, which was able to insert
a day on gender and RH in a 12-day training module
for public health care providers and found that gender
permeated the entire training session. Working with
service providers and dialoguing with policy makers,
the Center built consensus that GBV is a serious problem
to be addressed at all levels of society. The Southern
African Medical Research Council, using a 14-workshop
series on life skills, has mobilized whole communities
to fight against HIV by addressing GBV.
The Technical Update last May 1st
urged people to keep three questions in mind:
- How does GBV or intimate partner
violence (IPV) hinder the achievement of population,
health and nutrition results?
- What reasonable steps should
be taken to address GBV in the projects we undertake?
- What specific niche does your
project or CA have that can contribute to addressing
the issue?
Read the complete text of the Gender-Based
Violence and Reproductive Health & HIV/AIDS: Summary of a Technical Update [PDF, 210KB].
Bolivian Communities Take Action Against GBV [PDF, 83KB]
Read this latest story from the field about a project that empowered communities to implement local GBV policies and programs through family planning and reproductive health services.
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