On 14th February 2013, Sophia Forum launched a new report at the House of Lords, kindly hosted by Baroness Gould of Potternewton.
This report highlights the experiences of women living with HIV in England in relation to Gender-Based Violence. It documents the findings of a study to explore the potential for a national investigation into violence as a cause or a consequence of HIV for women in England. The study was kindly funded by the Big Lottery.
As Sophia Forum has highlighted previously, international research has identified significant correlations between being a woman living with HIV and experiencing gender-based violence (GBV). But in the UK the link between HIV and GBV has remained under-researched and relatively unacknowledged.
This launch brought together a full house of leading AIDS charities, women’s rights organisations, medical researchers, MPs, Lords and other key actors to discuss practical ways forward to address this issue in the UK.
Please click here to view the full report.
A poster presented at the British HIV Association Conference in Spring 2013 about these issues may be accessed here.
Speakers’ Presentations at the Report Launch
Dr Jane Hutchinson and Georgina Perry
Presentation of the Methods, Themes and Recommendations of the Report – please see the main report above for this information
Sophie Strachan
“HIV, Gender-Based Violence and Prisons”. The full report of this presentation can now be accessed here
Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan
“IPV in women living with HIV attending an inner city clinic in the UK: prevalence and associated factors”
Charlene Moyo
“A personal perspective on women living with HIV and Gender-Based Violence”
Angelina Namiba
“From Pregnancy to Baby and Beyond”
Zawadi Smartlove
THANK YOU to Zawadi Smartlove and her friends for sharing their female condoms with us!
Other Related Materials regarding linkages between Gender-Based Violence and HIV
a) All reports referenced in the Sophia Forum final report
b) A list of further references regarding GBV/HIV linkages
Press Coverage
Violence Gender and HIV in the UK – Nell Osborne, openDemocracy 5050
No (wo)man is an island… – Bell et al British Medical Journal
For those of you with access to the BMJ website, there is a news item about the report which can be accessed here
The report is also highlighted in the news section of the Lancet for 23 February 2013
An article about the report’s launch has also appeared in the April 2013 edition of the Newsletter of theNational HIV Nurses Association
Blogs by trustee Silvia Petretti about the event
Silvia Petretti, Sophia Forum trustee, has a regular blog about her life with HIV.
She has written two blogs about this event.
8 February: “Silence is Violence”
25 February: “My Birthday”
Comments about Sophia Forum and the day
Well done for a really well organised, information packed and fun day. The event was so informative and made me realise the ongoing challenges around HIV/GBV.
The issues presented call for an urgent action from all stakeholders, services providers and most importantly the need to engage institutions more intensely in order for any meaningful change to take place.
The commitment and dedication shown by those in attendance particularly the clinicians, activists and all affected is very encouraging and I really do hope that many more women and men come on board and take the issues head-on!
I look forward to understanding the issues more in-depth and engaging fully.
Well done to all for the significant efforts which were visible at yesterday’s event.
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