In the 10 years since the United Nations Security Council's first resolution on HIV/AIDS, the pandemic has had far-reaching implications for human security. In sub-Saharan Africa, the epicentre of the pandemic, the consequences have been borne disproportionately by women. Violent conflicts and insecurity throughout the region, characterised by population movements, forced migration and environmental crises, have overwhelmed the capacity of states to provide preventative measures against HIV/AIDS, care and treatment. In many areas, the related stress factors on health systems and basic service provision have pushed community and kinship networks beyond their breaking points. The plight of women is exacerbated because they are vulnerable and at high risk of HIV infection, due to increased care burdens within the household and community, sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation, as well as coercive interpersonal relationships. This volume is a welcome addition to the literature on HIV/AIDS and should serve as a useful tool for Aids activists, community health workers as well as for policy makers in the region

A companion document to a series of reviews of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS in South Africa available on the CADRE website.

Recent innovative research has identified key factors that put vulnerable South African women at risk of HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence, including high-risk patterns of alcohol abuse and sexual partnering, gender norms that place men in control in sexual relationships, low educational levels and limited access to employment, poor health care, inadequate housing, and sex work. These studies suggest that targeted HIV-prevention interventions can effect improvement for this vulnerable population when programs remain sensitive to gender and cultural differences and expectations and address the social and economic inequalities that make women vulnerable. Solving these problems on a larger economic scale will require institutional participation and political support for women’s equity, HIV-prevention literacy, and a broader HIV-prevention agenda. This can be accomplished with a multilevel, collaborative response from government, community, and international partners using multiple prevention strategies and fostering sustainability.

Revealing how women in many developing countries do not have the right to own or inherit property, this monograph clarifies the role of tenure security in protecting against and mitigating the effects of HIV amongst women and domestic violence. Exploring these linkages in Amajuba, South Africa, and Iganga, Uganda, this qualitative work based on peer-reviewed scientific studies and personal interviews with native women argues that property ownership, while not easily linked to women’s ability to prevent HIV infection, can nonetheless mitigate the impact of AIDS and enhance a woman’s ability to leave a violent situation. An invaluable resource for policymakers, western donors, nongovernmental organization workers, and academics, this analysis details the current land reform efforts as well as HIV/AIDS and domestic-violence policies in both countries, in Africa as a whole, and beyond.