Gender Based Violence And Risk Of Hiv Infection Among Women Attending Vct Services In Addis Ababa City

Background: HIV/AIDS and violence are among the major health problems affecting thernlives of millions of women, worldwide. As women get increasingly infected by HIV/AIDS,rnviolence and fear of violence are emerging as important risk factors contributing to theirrnvulnerability to HIV infection, directly through forced sex and indirectly by constrainingrnwomen’s ability to negotiate safe sexual behavior. Few studies linked men’s use of violencernto their own high risk sexual behavior, hence, their own as well as their partner’s risk of HIVrninfection. Despite the recognition of both problems of violence and HIV in Ethiopia, no studyrnyet assessed gender based violence as a risk factor for women’s HIV infection.rnObjectives: This study was conducted: to measure the prevalence of various forms ofrngender based violence, including intimate partner physical and sexual violence and to assessrnassociations between gender-based violence, HIV risk behaviors and HIV infection amongrnwomen attending voluntary counseling and testing service in Addis Ababa City.rnMethods: We did a cross sectional study among 743 women attending VCT service at sixrnhealth institutions in Addis Ababa City. Women who ever engaged in steady heterosexualrnrelationship interviewed and socio-demographic characteristics, risk behavior includingrnmultiple male partners, casual partners, transactional sex, condom use and alcohol/Khat usernand experience of psychological, physical and sexual violence from intimate partner,rnchildhood sexual assault, forced first intercourse and sexual assault by non partners werernassessed using structured questionnaire and linked with women serostatus data.rnixrnRESULT: The prevalence of lifetime intimate partner physical and sexual violence wasrn54.6% and 41% respectively and 21.8% of women reported experiencing forced sex or rapernat their first sex. At the date of interview 35.4% of women tested HIV positive. Afterrnadjustment for socio-demographic characteristics and women risk behavior, intimate partnerrnviolence was associated with HIV seropositivity. Childhood sexual assault, forced firstrnintercourse and adult sexual assault by non partner were not associated with HIV serostatus.rnIn our study participants, condom use, refusal of sex and demand for monogamousrnrelationship was affected by intimate partner violence.rnCONCLUSION: in our study participants, women partnered with violent men are at increasedrnrisk of HIV infection. Our data support the hypotheses that abusive partners are more likely tornhave HIV and place their female partners at high risk of HIV. HIV/AIDS intervention need torntarget male sexual risk taking and need to work at broader and societal level to challengerncultures of violence and male dominant norms of power relations.

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