International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Nov. 25, 2010 – At least one out of three women has experienced abuse at some point in her lifetime. Consequences of abuse include not only emotional and physical wounds, but also an increased risk for HIV infection. For example, in South Africa, women who experienced domestic violence are 48 percent more likely to be infected with HIV.

November 25 marks the 29th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Celebrated by women’s activists since 1981, the UN recognized the day with a resolution in 1999.

Both HIV and gender-based violence are traditionally taboo subjects in many parts of the world. Cultural stigma and misinformation make outreach difficult and contribute to many people’s resistance to seek counseling, testing and treatment.

The USAID | Health Policy Initiative (HPI) Task Order 1 increased outreach by tapping into new sources. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, HPI focused on improving the enabling environment for health in the areas of family planning/reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, and maternal health. HPI was led by Futures Group and implemented by a consortium, which included CEDPA.

The Advocacy Guide provides religious leaders tools to continue the dialogue about HIV and gender-based violence.

In collaboration with another HPI partner, Religions for Peace, Futures Group carried out an initiative focusing on engaging religious leaders in addressing gender-based violence and HIV. The initiative targeted religious leaders from eight African countries.

The prominence and status of religious leaders affords them the ability to educate and counsel on these often sensitive issues. HPI organized a workshop and forums with the leaders to increase their knowledge on links between HIV and gender-based violence and to plan how they can address the issues in their communities.

As part of their new commitment to addressing gender-based violence, participants of the regional training in Kenya wrote and endorsed a communiqué, which was promoted in the media.

The communiqué included recommendations for different stakeholders, including the following, “As the guardians of the religious texts, religious leaders are best placed to guide and influence their communities… it is recommended that religious leaders be exposed to education and awareness in respect of gender-based violence and the link between HIV and AIDS in communities."

During the planning of the activity, a lack of information for religious leaders on gender-based violence was discovered. HPI created an advocacy guide that can be used to continue the dialogue and education about the connection between gender-based violence and HIV, specifically with religious leaders. This guide includes activities and information on why and how they can begin to address gender-based violence and HIV in their communities.

In addition to the advocacy guide, HPI created a training manual for mobilizing religious leaders in responding to gender-based violence and HIV and a toolkit for religious leaders to learn about violence against women and the existing tools and resources they can use to address the issues. In addition, a project report provides detail about the process and outcomes.

Learn more about CEDPA’s work in HIV and gender-based violence.

  What is RSS?