Health and Safety: The Challenges for Women of HIV and Gender Violence

Hosted jointly with the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population Development and Reproductive Health

With many thanks to Bristol-Myers Squibb for kindly supporting the event

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health

Held on Thursday 25th November 2009, at the House of Commons in Portcullis House, this latest event in the Sophia Forum series looked specifically at gender violence in relation to Women and HIV, both in the UK and internationally.

You can read two articles about this event and the issues addressed, by Marion Bowman and Silvia Petretti, on the
Open Democracy website.

Please scroll down to the bottom of this page to access the content of the information packs handed to our guests. The flyer of the event can be downloaded by clicking on the link and the introduction power point by clicking here.

The audio recording of the evening will be soon available on this page.

Welcome address by Christine McCafferty MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health

“It was fantastic to see three great speakers, expert moderation by Kylie Morris and excellent questions from the floor. Each speaker brought a different perspective to women, HIV and Gender violence.”

Professor Charlotte Watts, Sigrid Rausing and Professor of Gender Violence at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, gave empirically backed insight into the links between violence against women and HIV, highlighting that these links require greater attention and more action. To access Charlotte Watts’ presentation, please click here.

Belinda Tima, HIV/TB Coordinator, Reach, and former Co-Chair of the UK Board of the International Community of Women living with HIV and AIDSaddressed the need to tackle gender-based violence in Uganda. She spoke of the experience of some of her peers growing up in the conflict zones in northern Uganda, and highlighted the ongoing challenges.

Please click here to read Stephen Lewis’ speech at the Commonwealth meeting on Tuesday 24th November on the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda.

Rahila Gupta, Freelance Writer and Activist and trustee of Southall Black Sisters focused on the situations facing women in the UK. She spoke of the need to address harmful gender norms and welcomed the government’s announcement of its intention to introduce domestic violence education into schools.

Please click here to follow in real time the 16 blogs to be published by the “Women Won’t Wait” Campaign for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign which started 25th November.

 

Information pack:

(produced by Aimee Latta and Dr Rupa Zaman)

Biographies of our 3 speakers and of our Moderator for the evening, Kylie Morris

Introductory Powerpoint (please view as a slide show)
Sophia’s achievements and relevant web links to the event

 

Sophia newsletter 4 (produced by Fiona Hale and Emma Bell)

 

Hidden in the Mealie Meal: Gender-based abuses and Women’s HIV treatment in Zambia – Human Rights Watch, 2007

 

Oh! This one is infected!” – Women, HIV and Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region

 

A Positive partnership: the HIV/AIDS Immigration Project 2003-2009” – Joint Project by Positively Women, Asylum Aid and International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS : A call for health and safety

 

HIV-positive African women surviving in London: Report of a qualitative study“, by Lesley Doyal and Jane Anderson, 2003

Our thanks (please play as a slide show)

With many thanks to the Female Health Company for providing us with Female Condoms. 

Thanks also to Durex for providing us with Condoms.