Gender-based violence and HIV across the life course: adopting a sexual rights framework to include older women

Abstract

It is widely known that older women are at lesser risk for sexual violence than younger women, but current inattention to older women in the gender-based violence (GBV) field has minimized the experiences of older women survivors at great detriment to their health and rights. For example, health providers seldom ask older women about their sexual activity and relationships, a neglect that leads to older women being excluded from necessary HIV testing and care as well as support services for abuse. This oversight is increasingly worrisome given the rise in new HIV infections among adults age 50 and older in recent years, with the majority of transmissions stemming from individuals unaware of their HIV-positive status. Building on sexual rights scholarship, this paper argues for an approach to public health interventions for GBV and HIV that acknowledges older women -their sexuality, sexual agency, and activity -so that health providers and advocates acknowledge and serve older survivors. © Published by Elsevier on behalf of Reproductive Health Matters.

Help-Seeking to Cope With Experiences of Violence Among Women Living With HIV in Canada

“…Other barriers to accessing social support from providers and their social networks include: fear of abandonment; a lack of support services available; a mismatch in goals between the woman and the person she is seeking support form (eg., she is seeking emotional support, but the supporter provides informational support instead) ( Derlega et al, 2002 ); fear of burdening their families and friends with disclosures of violence and HIV ( Peterson, 2010 ); or receiving judgment ( Illangasekare et al, 2014 ). Disclosure of HIV status was highlighted as a particularly important barrier to accessing social support and a lack of resources available specifically for women living with HIV ( Peterson, 2010 ), especially for aging women living with HIV who are largely ignored in interventions for gender-based violence ( Cooper & Crockett, 2015 ).…”

"Demand what you prefer": the role of sexual assertiveness among HIV-infected women

“…This significant difference reflects the impact of sexual assertiveness on ability to reject unwanted sexual encounters (Loshek, Terrell, 2015). In addition, young sexually active women are at much higher risk of sexual violence, which can negatively affect sexual assertiveness (Cooper, Crockett, 2015). Although it seems that a higher level of assertiveness is associated with more confidence in HIV sero-status disclosure, we found lower rates of HIV sero-status disclosure among assertive women, which might be related to partner reaction following disclosure, and female perception of partner reaction.…”

Sexuality and older people: a neglected issue

“…Gender-based violence remains an unknown risk factor for older women, with sparse data on the extent and experience of violence in this group and its significance for their sexual and reproductive health. 11 Other factors include low perception of risk, unsafe sexual practices, and limited knowledge about sexuality, sexual health and STIs. A paper in this issue by Dalrymple and co-authors presents data on the limited knowledge about HIV and other STIs among heterosexual middle-aged adults in Scotland, examining how socio-cultural factors influence the process of knowledge acquisition on STIs throughout the life course.…”