The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) will be live on Radio One (90.0 FM) tonight from 7pm to 8pm to talk about the violation of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of women and girls living with HIV.
In December 2105, ICWEA in partnership with LINK UP and STOP AIDS NOW disseminated findings of a study titled “Violation of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of women living with HIV in Clinical and Community setting in Uganda”
The study found that while women living with HIV like any other women who are not HIV-positive share similar Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)that should be observed by all stakeholders, they instead experience a wide range of violations in clinical settings, their homes as well as in their communities.
The research was conducted in 2014, in nine districts of Uganda: Arua, Gulu, Hoima, Kabale, Kampala, Masaka, Mbale, Mbarara and Soroti. It involved a field survey targeting 744 women living with HIV, 32 focus group discussions with 274 participants (14 male and 18 female groups), 20 interviews with women who experienced coerced or forced sterilization, 63 interviews with key informants (NGO representatives, health workers, government officials).
It found that women living with HIV experience SRHR violations range from misinformation regarding their Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), mistreatment/abuse during the process of seeking reproductive health services, especially maternal health services from health facilities, and coerced and/or forced sterilization.
It is based on this report and our daily lived experiences as women living with HIV that we would like to discuss the issue of violations of sexual reproductive health rights of women and girls living with HIV.
During the show, we will highlight the violations and make recommendations on how to end them.
The discussants will include ICWEA staff including a young woman living with HIV and a representative from Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV (UGANET) to give an overview on policies regarding SRHR.
Sign a petition calling for an end to these violations: https://www.change.org/p/government-of-uganda-end-forced-and-coerced-sterilization-of-women-living-with-hiv
Read full SRHR report: http://www.icwea.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/11/ICWEA-Sexual-Reproductive-Health-Rights-Report-Uganda.pdf
