Gender-Based Violence and HIV/AIDS in South Africa: A Literature Review

This report describes and analyses violence, gender and HIV in post-apartheid South Africa.

Issues addressed include:

• How introducing a basic income grant and making disability grants more accessiblewould mitigate the stigma attached to people living with HIV/AIDS.
• The idea that the provision of post-exposure prophylaxis, and general access toantiretroviral (ARV) treatment to those who require it would counteract some of the fears and myths aboutHIV/AIDS.
• Social service provisions (including non-judgemental, accessible and friendlyhealth care services, and HIV testing and counselling) are needed that wouldcontextualise and support the medical treatment and health requirements.
• Appropriate and accessible social services and social security for womenare essential to addressing gender-based violence and vulnerability to HIVinfection. They should be guided by gender-transformative approaches tosocial policy.
• socio-economic rights – to guarantee the life and the security of the person,the sustainability of livelihood, and social security.
• Forced sex may directly increase the risk of HIV transmission to womenthrough physical trauma.
• Violence, and threats of violence, may limit the ability to negotiate safesex.
• The experience of sexual abuse in childhood may lead to increased sexualrisk-taking in adolescence and adulthood.
• Sharing HIV test results with partners may increase the risk of violence.