High risk of dual pandemics: HIV infection and
violence against women within one household
Rakesh Chaudhari, Nepal FM, Mahottari District, Fellowship Grantee
The number of workers that go abroad is growing, especially from the Terai dictricts such as Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sarlahi. No sooner does the visa arrive than the husband hurries abroad, leaving his newly-married wife at home. It is sometimes found that when a husband is absent, a wife is physically and mentally abused by her family-in-law, but few such events are disclosed publicly. Men who work in India or other countries are infected by HIV through unsafe sex. This is how women become HIV positive even when staying inside their own houses. Women without husbands are subject to violence by their own relatives and family members. This kind of violence against women is not apparent beyond the permineter of home in order to avoid social discrimination. Some women say that it is self-defense to keep their HIV infection a secret. Babita (pseudonym), thirty-four, is one such woman. She explains, “I am a widow. If they know that I am HIV positive, they will isolate me from the village. I am already tormented by my own relatives.” Most cases remain undisclosed During long absences from their husbands, women are subjected to violence inside their own houses and are sometimes forced to have sex with the fathers- or brothers-in-law or husband’s friends. According to victims who tolerate sexual violence or unwanted sex, they do not go for HIV testing. People from the Districts of Mahottari, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, and Siraha and those who have returned from India go to the Family Planning Association in Bardibas, in the Central region of Nepal, for free testing. “All kinds of information is kept secret”, Programme Director Dhiraj Paudel stated. He added, “If they are infected with HIV, people will hide personal information. Out of 48 HIV positive cases, 20 are women. A few days ago, a sister-in-law and brother-in-law from the same house were found to be HIV positive in Sarlahi.” Poudel added, “They did not disclose their names.” No organisation has data on how many women are forced to have sex with family members or how many, as a result, are infected with HIV, but forced sex is recognizable as a link between violence and HIV. Urmila, the president of Bishwasilo Mahila Samuha, an organisation working in the area of HIV and AIDS, posits that 10% of the women who come in contact with the organisation have been infected through forced sex. Forced sex is just one of the most extreme types of violence that a women can face within the home. This issue is the issue of secrecy. When a woman is sexually within the home, this can 18 Unspoken Voices lead to HIV-infection. And, if a woman is HIV-positive, she often experiences violence. That these issues are often kept within the home is not in itself the issue, however. While HIV positive women can be at risk of violence if their HIV is kept a secret, there is often resistance by the women themselves to disclose their HIV status publicly. Beginning of secret gatherings People living with HIV have established the group Mahottari Plus in Mahottari District. Out of nineteen board members, eight are women, five of whom have lost their husbands to HIV. While establishing the organisation, it was difficult to include women as members because their families and communities were not aware of their HIV status. This is changing. HIV infected women in Dhanusha District, have started raising their voices for women’s rights through Bishwasilo Mahila Samuha. Rekha Jha, the president of the Women’s Awareness Group, said that in many instances, HIV positive women were subjected to violence, including physical violence, isolation, polygamy, and divorce. The cases of women who are infected with HIV due to forced sex with non-husband family members are neither reported nor publicly expressed.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dna_futures/original/373/Book_Unspoken_Voices_English_Final.pdf?1359710142
Rakesh Chaudhari, Nepal FM, Mahottari District, Fellowship Grantee
The number of workers that go abroad is growing, especially from the Terai dictricts such as Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sarlahi. No sooner does the visa arrive than the husband hurries abroad, leaving his newly-married wife at home. It is sometimes found that when a husband is absent, a wife is physically and mentally abused by her family-in-law, but few such events are disclosed publicly. Men who work in India or other countries are infected by HIV through unsafe sex. This is how women become HIV positive even when staying inside their own houses. Women without husbands are subject to violence by their own relatives and family members. This kind of violence against women is not apparent beyond the permineter of home in order to avoid social discrimination. Some women say that it is self-defense to keep their HIV infection a secret. Babita (pseudonym), thirty-four, is one such woman. She explains, “I am a widow. If they know that I am HIV positive, they will isolate me from the village. I am already tormented by my own relatives.” Most cases remain undisclosed During long absences from their husbands, women are subjected to violence inside their own houses and are sometimes forced to have sex with the fathers- or brothers-in-law or husband’s friends. According to victims who tolerate sexual violence or unwanted sex, they do not go for HIV testing. People from the Districts of Mahottari, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, and Siraha and those who have returned from India go to the Family Planning Association in Bardibas, in the Central region of Nepal, for free testing. “All kinds of information is kept secret”, Programme Director Dhiraj Paudel stated. He added, “If they are infected with HIV, people will hide personal information. Out of 48 HIV positive cases, 20 are women. A few days ago, a sister-in-law and brother-in-law from the same house were found to be HIV positive in Sarlahi.” Poudel added, “They did not disclose their names.” No organisation has data on how many women are forced to have sex with family members or how many, as a result, are infected with HIV, but forced sex is recognizable as a link between violence and HIV. Urmila, the president of Bishwasilo Mahila Samuha, an organisation working in the area of HIV and AIDS, posits that 10% of the women who come in contact with the organisation have been infected through forced sex. Forced sex is just one of the most extreme types of violence that a women can face within the home. This issue is the issue of secrecy. When a woman is sexually within the home, this can 18 Unspoken Voices lead to HIV-infection. And, if a woman is HIV-positive, she often experiences violence. That these issues are often kept within the home is not in itself the issue, however. While HIV positive women can be at risk of violence if their HIV is kept a secret, there is often resistance by the women themselves to disclose their HIV status publicly. Beginning of secret gatherings People living with HIV have established the group Mahottari Plus in Mahottari District. Out of nineteen board members, eight are women, five of whom have lost their husbands to HIV. While establishing the organisation, it was difficult to include women as members because their families and communities were not aware of their HIV status. This is changing. HIV infected women in Dhanusha District, have started raising their voices for women’s rights through Bishwasilo Mahila Samuha. Rekha Jha, the president of the Women’s Awareness Group, said that in many instances, HIV positive women were subjected to violence, including physical violence, isolation, polygamy, and divorce. The cases of women who are infected with HIV due to forced sex with non-husband family members are neither reported nor publicly expressed.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dna_futures/original/373/Book_Unspoken_Voices_English_Final.pdf?1359710142
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