Report of Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences - Intersections of Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS (Delivered at the 61st Session of the Commission on Human Rights)

This report analyzes the interconnections between VAW and HIV/AIDS, considering violence to be both a cause and consequence of HIV/AIDS. Discrimination against women, due to gender inequality, is compounded at the intersection of patriarchy and other sites of oppression, which subjugate women to a continuum of violence and make them susceptible to HIV/AIDS. As a result, women with HIV/AIDS are subjected to even further stigmas, and suffer from social ostracism, withdrawal of family care, loss of property rights, and even further violence. The Special Rapporteur calls upon States to recognize and act upon the intersection of the HIV/AIDS issue and VAW.