One of the major consequences of armed conflict is the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS. A case in point is the fact that districts which have been affected by armed conflict in Northern and Eastern Uganda have higher HIV and AIDS prevalence than other districts in Uganda. In Gulu district HIV prevalence rose from 9.4% in 2008, to 16% in 2009, with Gulu Municipality health sub-district leading with 22.1%.
According to John Charles Luwa, the district HIV/AIDS focal person, out of the 14,424 pregnant mothers who were tested under the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT) in 2009, about 3,214 were HIV-positive, constituting 22.1%. This is attributed to the high instances of sexual violence such as rapes, defilement and other forms of sexual exploitation like sexual slavery.
In responding to this situation, Isis-WICCE, an International Women’s rights organization implemented a pilot project in 2009 on “Advancing the rights and basic needs of women living with HIV and AIDS in Northern Uganda with special focus on Kitgum. The objective of this initiative is to enhance the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS and enable partners supporting them to be cognizant of their needs from a rights perspective.
The project targeted 35 women who were equipped with knowledge and skills on human rights on human rights and women’s rights, children’s rights, marriage and succession, inheritance and property rights, gender and the law, constitution among others in order for them t engage and take lead in promoting the rights of other women and sensitization their communities on issues of women’s rights, HIV &AIDs, mediation and counseling.
It was a realization that enjoyment of basic rights is still a dream and women have little or no say in the decisions that affect their lives and their health. HIV and AIDS has doubled the dose of violations to women and these violations include gender based violence due to disclosure to partners, loss of property especially land, loss of marriage rights including matrimonial home, stealing or removal of drugs (ARVs) from them, stigma and discrimination. Read more...http://loycek.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/women%E2%80%99s-rights-hiv-a...