HIV and gender-based violence: welcome policies and programmes, but is the research keeping up?

Abstract

Abstract:The global HIV policy arena has seen a surge of interest in gender-related dimensions of vulnerability to HIV and violence. UNAIDS and other prominent actors have named gender-based violence a key priority, and there seems to be genuine understanding and commitment to addressing gender inequalities as they impact key populations in the AIDS response. In the quest for evidence-informed interventions, there is usually a strong connection between the research conducted and the policies and programmes that follow. Regarding gender, HIV and violence, is this the case? This discussion paper asks whether the relevant peer-reviewed literature is suitably representative of all affected populations -including heterosexual men, transgender men and women, women who have sex with women, and men who have sex with men -as well as whether the literature sufficiently considers gender norms and dynamics in how research is framed. Conclusions about violence in the context of heterosexual relationships, and with specific attention to heterosexual women, should not be presented as insights about gender-based violence more generally, with little attention to gender dynamics. Research framed by a more comprehensive understanding of what is meant by gender-based violence as it relates to all of the diverse populations affected by HIV would potentially guide policies and programmes more effectively. © 2014 Reproductive Health Matters Keywords: HIV, AIDS, gender, violence, gender-based violence Gender-based violence as both a cause and consequence of HIV raises significant health and human rights concerns. In recent years, the global HIV policy arena has seen a surge of interest in gender-related dimensions of vulnerability to HIV and violence, resulting in notable policy and programmatic advances with the aim of addressing gender-based violence. Policy directives addressing HIV, gender and violence would seem to call for an evidence base that elucidates how HIV-related violence is mediated by gender roles, norms and dynamics. However, it is not clear that the bulk of empirical research has kept pace with these developments. Within the global policy realm, the concept of gender as a set of norms, as a structurally and institutionally supported system of social relations and as a socially constructed identity, is understood to be distinct from the concept of biological sex. Although the term gender-based violence implicitly recognizes this distinction, the key question is whether researchers are publishing studies that provide insight into how and why gender matters in relation to HIV and violence.The purpose of this discussion paper is to raise two concerns about the peer-reviewed literature at the intersection of HIV and violence. representative of all highly affected populationswomen and girls; men and boys; men who have sex with men (MSM); and transgender populations. Second, we look at how the concept of gender-based violence as connected to HIV research may get conflated with the concept of violence against women, and how a...

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