VOILENCE AGAINST WOMEN AS ROOT CAUSE TO HIV/AIDS

Violence against Women (VAW) is the root cause to the women often gets infected by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. In many communities, low income women experience Violence in terms of physical, psychological and economic among others. As the result, the women forced to find a way to earn income in commercial sex work which leads them to unsafe sex, opportunistic infections and HIV acquisition and/or transmission.

Yet again, HIV+ recognized women, experience violence, stigma and discrimination because of their HIV status. This behavior becomes a gatekeeper for many HIV positive women not to disclose their HIV status and adhere to their medical treatments for fear of Violence, stigma and discrimination. Therefore, violence against women has been identified to be the root cause to   many women infected by HIV/AIDS.

In Ethiopia, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) is approximately 1 million of which women account for 61%. The existing prevalence rate among women is 4.2. Currently; there are 380,900 women living with HIV/AIDS who need Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), 900,000 Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC) due to AIDS, 27,978 new infections annually, 41,451 annual deaths, 38,404 HIV positive pregnant women, 7,806 positive births. The capital, Addis Ababa, and major urban towns account for an estimated 93% of the total women living with HIV/AIDS (ANC 2009 Biological& Behavioral Data, and EDHS 2011).

Hitherto, the issues of HIV/AIDS impact among the low income women in Ethiopian communities are continuing challenge.  We now, many of such women and their families are experiencing shortage of living, abandonment, isolation, stigma, discrimination and violence which involve physical and psychological harm in their communities.

To address the root cause, enhancing community based activism has been identified effective.  This is systematic processes of engaging individuals, families, groups and institutions to play their respective and joint contribution to influence nonviolence based relationships; and balanced power between women and men of the community.

Therefore, we recommend four strategies to put effect grassroots effort of VAW and its dangerous connection to HIV/AIDS prevention. These are enhancing grass root based local activism, tailored made IEC/BCC communication materials, media and advocacy and Training in order to aware and gain skill to range of community’s element towards  fighting against VAW and HIV/AIDS as individually and/or collectively  to achieve nonviolence based relationships; and balanced power between women and men in our communities today.

The implementation results can be evaluated using strong measure of change indicators such as knowledge, attitudes, skills and behavior referring to achieving nonviolence based relationships; and balanced power between women and men.