Lailaa Yasmeen Bartley SisterLove, Inc. MPH InternCurrently, I am a first year Master of Public Health student at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). My degree concentration is health education/health promotion, and my specific research interests are women’s and teenage sexual health, childhood obesity, infectious diseases, the health of the homeless. It has always been my goal to serve others in whatever career I chose, especially those whose voices are rarely heard. This motivated me to apply to Morehouse School of Medicine. I love the fact that their primary goal is to aid the underserved and minority populations.
Outside of public health, my hobbies are reading, trying new things, shopping (especially at thrift stores), and constantly trying to maintain a close relationship with God.
- the leading cause of death for black women aged 25–34 years;
- the 3rd leading cause of death for black women aged 35–44 years; and
- the 4th leading cause of death for black women aged 45–54 years.
I don’t know about you, but when I learned this, I was appalled! Our aunts, our sisters, our mothers….are dying. To truly make a difference, to keep more Black women from being affected by HIV/AIDS, we have to educate ourselves about behaviors that contribute to the spread of this disease. I am contributing to this blog to educate others about a behavior that increases women’s risk of contracting HIV. There are many behaviors which contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The most common of these are having unprotected sex and intravenous drug use. Safer sex, or always using condoms, and other latex or plastic barriers, is the best way to prevent the transmission of HIV when engaging in vaginal, anal or oral sex. By using new needles (clean works), intravenous drug users can reduce their exposure to the virus that causes AIDS. Today I chose to write about a situation that most people probably do not associate with the spread of HIV. That situation is domestic violence.
Research has shown that women who are physically and sexually abused are more likely to contract HIV. Women in relationships with violent men rarely have the power to resist when their mate initiates sex. A woman who depends on her partner economically cannot afford to jeopardize her relationship even when she suspects that her mate may be living with HIV or another sexually transmitted infection or has multiple sexual partners.1 Women in relationships with violent men are also rarely in a position to insist that their mate use a condom. This imbalance of power prevents women from reducing their risk and results in them being more likely to contract HIV.
So what can women in situations like these do to get help? There are many organizations that provide resources for women experiencing domestic violence. Two of these are The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE and http://www.ndvh.org/), and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (http://www.ncadv.org/). Both organization’s website includes information for women in violent relationships.
Women who are living with HIV/AIDS are actually at a greater risk for domestic violence because of their HIV status. More than one in five women with HIV are physically harmed after being diagnosed. Of these women, almost half said that they felt that the physical aggression they suffered resulted directly from another’s anger about their HIV status2 .
It is really a shame that a woman cannot tell a partner her HIV status without being afraid that she will be physically hurt by him or her. While most domestic violence involves men assaulting women, it can also involve men assaulting their male partners, or women assaulting their male or female partners. Domestic violence is more common in the lesbian community than was formerly believed2.
I did, however, find some great tips, provided by The Well Project: Domestic Violence and HIV, for women about disclosing their HIV status:
- Avoid exposing others to HIV without telling them, ahead of time, of your HIV status. The risk of violence may be greater if a person feels you knowingly put them at risk or lied to them.
- Disclose your HIV status in a semi-public place, like a public park with many people around. Pick a location that is private enough to have a conversation, but public enough to get help if you need it.
- Consider disclosing your HIV status with a third person present, like a friend or a health professional.
- If you feel at all threatened by a person’s reaction to knowing your HIV status, keep meetings with this person public for a few weeks.
Well, I hope the information I have provided will spark your interest and inspire you to start a dialogue with a friend, a co-worker, or even someone you may be sitting next to at the hair dresser. Tell that woman what you have learned. Every conversation about how to prevent HIV/AIDS counts. You never know, you may be saving a life.
I will leave you with a few websites as resources on AIDS and domestic violence.
- 1The Women’s Human Rights Program at The Advocates for Human Rights: Stop Violence Against Women - Domestic Violence, HIV/AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections:
http://www.stopvaw.org/Domestic_Violence_HIV_AIDS_and_Other_STIs.html - Pan American Health Organization: Gender Based Violence and HIV/AIDS
http://www.paho.org/English/ad/ge/Viol-HIV_FS0705.pdf
- 2The Well Project: Article titled “Domestic Violence and HIV” by Sandra K. Trisdale, Ph.D.
http://www.thewellproject.org/en_US/Womens_Center/Domestic_Violence_and_HIV.jsp - Harvard School of Public Health: Literature Review on the subject of HIV/AIDS and Gender Based Violence:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/pihhr/files/Final_Literature_Review.pdf - The Body: Article titled “Women, Healthcare and Violence” by Carmen Retzlaff, MPH
http://www.thebody.com/content/treat/art12224.html - HIV/AIDS Among Women
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/women.htm
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