1. Gender Violence Resisting the status quo
socio-cultural/socio-political, domestic & Sexual violence

2. United Nations General Assembly
Violence Against Women any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
United Nations General Assembly

3. Gendered Violence Violence against women must be understood in context of socially constructed notions of gender Male violence is related to power and patriarchal dominance Female victimization is related to women’s place in society; her social, economic, and political power

4. Socio-Political Violence
Occupational Health & Women’s Work
Blue Collar
Toxic environment, hazardous equipment
White Collar
Income & benefit disparities
Pink Collar
Sexual Harassment
Corporate Violence
Toxic & hazardous products

5. Domestic Violence Public issue, not private matter
Leading cause of injury for women between 15 & 44
Often connected to pregnancy, child-rearing, or “outside obligations”
“Equal opportunity” health risk
Includes murder, mutilation, rape, battering, emotional abuse, psychological torture
Is itself a significant risk factor for depression, PTSD, GAD, substance abuse & suicide

6. Cycle of Violence
Tension Building Phase – Rise in batter’s anger, walking on egg shells.
Explosion Phase - Verbal attacks increase. A violent outburst occurs.
Remorse Phase – Fear of getting caught and reprisal: “You shouldn't have pushed me, it was your fault!”
Pursuit/Honeymoon Phase - “See, we don't have any problems!” Flowers, gifts, etc.

7. Who Batters? Men European Americans
Pre-occupation with masculine behaviors
Totalitarian, dogmatic thinkers
“gay-bashers”
young
Homo-erotic tendencies
Low educational attainment

8. Domestic Violence as a Public Health Epidemic
Private versus public sphere issue
Institutional support
Churches & social service agencies
Social science research
Law enforcement
Health care settings

9. Sexual Violence
Rape Spectrum—continuum of sexist behaviors that have end result of harming women. Use of spectrum allows us to make connections between institutions, behaviors and ideologies
Media
The sex industry
Blaming the victim

10. Female Genital Mutilation
Prevalence
Africa & Middle East
20 to 75 million in contemporary history
Types
Reasons
Hygiene
Prevent masturbation
Aesthetics
Myths about the clitoris
Ensure fidelity

11. Women, HIV & AIDS A Form of Sexual Violence Against Women
Current Rates
Problems unique to women
Inequalities in:
Treatment
Prevention
Research

12. HIV/AIDS Current Numbers
                                 
HIV/AIDS Current Numbers
As of 2002, 50% of HIV+ people worldwide are women
Heterosexual transmission main cause of new infection
Women more at risk because of sexual double standards and lack of female sexual agency

13. How Serious Is AIDS for Women?

14. Race/ethnicity of women given a diagnosis of AIDS, 2003

15. Transmission categories of African American Women, 2003
Based on data from 32 states with confidential name-based HIV reporting. Source. MMWR 2004; 53:

16. HIV & African American Women
African-American women had a 23 times greater diagnoses rate than white women
AIDS is leading cause of death for African American women ages 24-36
Safe sex efforts to help curb the spread of AIDS are often rejected by African American community leaders because these efforts are seen as “sexually suggestive or culturally inappropriate”

17. Latinas
HIV infection rate among Latinas is seven times higher than for white women
Interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of STIs among women of color would be effective if they are culturally relevant

18. Women’s Increased Vulnerability to HIV
Biologically
Economically
Socially and culturally

19. Biological Vulnerability
During sex, HIV is transmitted from men to women much more easily than from women to men
Viral loads are lower in women
Gynecological problems can be early signs of HIV infection
Mothers can pass HIV infection to their babies
Women get more and different side effects than men

20. Economic Vulnerability
1 in 5 HIV+ women is uninsured
Women do not access health care at same rate as men
50% of HIV+ women have at least one child under age 15
Many women are single parents
Most effective preventive measures are male-controlled
Condoms
Drug kits

21. Socio-cultural Vulnerability
Early 1990s, two research projects started to study women and HIV
The Women's Interagency HIV Study
The Women and Infants Transmission Studies (WITS)
1997 women not allowed in clinical trials just because they might become pregnant
Most medications have never been specifically tested in women

22. Prevention Needs of Women
Equalize gender relations
Employment
Sexual Rights/Sexual Agency
See HIV/AIDS in life context
Address intersection of IV & sexual transmission
Develop and widely disseminate effective female-controlled prevention methods
Microbicides
Vaccines
Better services for women’s general health
Treatment and prevention of sexually transmissible infection
Comprehensive health insurance
Increase emphasis on prevention & treatment for young women & women of color