Human rights and the sexual and reproductive health of women living with HIV – a literature review

Abstract

IntroductionEven as the number of women living with HIV around the globe continues to grow, realization of their sexual and reproductive health and human rights remains compromised. The objective of this study was to review the current state of knowledge on the sexual and reproductive health and human rights of women living with HIV to assess evidence and gaps.MethodsRelevant databases were searched for peer-reviewed and grey literature. Search terms included a combination of MeSH terms and keywords representing women, HIV/AIDS, ART, human rights, sexual and reproductive health. We included both qualitative and quantitative literature published in English, French, or Spanish between July 2011 and December 2014.Results and discussionThe search yielded 2228 peer-reviewed articles, of which 40 met the inclusion criteria in the final review. The grey literature search yielded 2186 documents of which seven met the inclusion criteria in the final review. Of the articles and documents reviewed, not a single peer-reviewed article described the explicit implementation of rights in programming, and only two documents from the grey literature did so. With one possible exception, no articles or documents were found which addressed rights comprehensively, or addressed the majority of relevant rights (i.e. equality; non-discrimination; participation; privacy and confidentiality; informed decision making; availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (3AQ) of services individually or in their totality; and accountability). Additional findings indicate that the language of rights is used most often to describe the apparent neglect or violation of human rights and what does exist only addresses a few rights in the context of a few areas within sexual and reproductive health.ConclusionsFindings from this review suggest the need to better integrate rights into interventions, particularly with attention to provider training, service delivery, raising awareness and capacity building among the community of women living with HIV. Further research is urgently needed to support the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV, to identify what works and to inform future programming and policies to improve care, treatment and support for women living with HIV.

Sexuality and childbearing as it is experienced by women living with HIV in Sweden: a lifeworld phenomenological study

“…Beyond medical care, health care providers have to consider social and psychological needs to help patients with HIV to attain better health, including their sexual and reproductive health (Kumar, Gruskin, Khosla, & Narasimhan, 2015). Although there has been increased access to ART, studies examining sexuality and reproduction for women living with HIV still show that HIV impacts sexuality and reproduction negatively (Carter et al, 2017a; Greene, Ion, Kwaramba, Smith, & Loutfy, 2015; Rahangdale et al, 2014).…”

How Are Gender Equality and Human Rights Interventions Included in Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes and Policies: A Systematic Review of Existing Research Foci and Gaps

“…Studies have shown that harmful gender norms that promote male dominance over women prevent women from practicing safer sex, limit their use of contraceptives, and increase their risk of STIs, including HIV[2]. Similarly, research has also shown a relationship between violation and neglect of human rights and negative health outcomes and emphasizes the need to better integrate human rights approaches into interventions, particularly with attention to provider training, service delivery, raising awareness and capacity building[3, 4]. …”

Exploring social ecological pathways from resilience to quality of life among women living with HIV in Canada

“…Understanding contextual factors that provide the conditions where resilience can be nurtured is particularly salient to address among women living with HIV (WLWH). WLWH experience significant adversities and stress, in part due to social-environmental contexts of stigma, discrimination, and economic insecurity (Kumar, Gruskin, Khosla, & Narasimhan, 2015;Logie, Ahmed, Tharao, & Loutfy, 2017;Loutfy et al, 2015).…”