When it comes to HIV, women are forced to contend with more than just stigma and barriers to care. Factors like gender inequality, intimate partner violence, and bodily autonomy make everything from prevention and treatment to status disclosure more difficult and more dangerous. In this episode, we’re exploring common obstacles women encounter in the fight against HIV, as well as the global efforts to improve women’s visibility and protection.

Our guests are:

Dr. Rageshri Dhairyawan, a sexual health and HIV doctor currently serving as Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust in London.

Roukhaya Hassambay, program coordinator at Ikambere, an organization that offers holistic supports to women living in precarious situations and with chronic illness.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4319 Date of Preparation August 2023.

References:

Borumandnia N, Khadembashi N, Tabatabaei M, Majd HA. The prevalence rate of sexual violence worldwide: a trend analysis. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1835. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09926-5

UNAIDS. Fact sheet 2023. Global HIV statistics. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet

GLAAD. Glossary of Terms: Transgender. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://glaad.org/reference/trans-terms/

World Bank. Girls’ education. Updated February 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation

Cabecinha M et al. Current PrEP provision does not align with women's preferences: early results from a cross-sectional survey investigating PrEP awareness, interest, and preferences among women in England. British HIV Association conference, Gateshead, April 2023. Abstract P028. Available at: https://www.bhiva.org/file/645cfa43aca4f/P028.pdf

Desgrées-du-Loû A, Pannetier J, Ravalihasy A, et al. Sub-Saharan African migrants living with HIV acquired after migration, France, ANRS PARCOURS study, 2012 to 2013. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(46):1-8. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.46.30065

Dhairyawan R, Tariq S, Scourse R, Coyne KM. Intimate partner violence in women living with HIV attending an inner city clinic in the UK: prevalence and associated factors. HIV Med. 2013 May;14(5):303-10. doi: 10.1111/hiv.12009

Smith K, Coleman K, Eder S, Hall P. Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2009/10. Supplementary Volume 2 to Crime in England and Wales 2009/10. 2011 Home Office Statistical Bulletin. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/116512/hosb0111.pdf

Sullivan TP. The intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV: detection, disclosure, discussion, and implications for treatment adherence. Top Antivir Med. 2019 May;27(2):84-87.

US Department of Health and Human Services. Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV. March 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/sites/default/files/guidelines/documents/adult-adolescent-arv/guidelines-adult-adolescent-arv.pdf.

American Association for the Advancement of Science. People living with HIV at substantially higher risk of depression and suicide, especially in first 2 years after diagnosis. Press Release. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID); Copenhagen, Denmark, 15-18 April, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/984677