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Hiv and aidsCC 19Violence can reduce a woman’s options for negotiating condom use with her partner; in abusive relationships, speaking about safe sex can put a woman at risk.4 out of 20 studies report that womenin the study experienced violenceas a consequence of reporting theresults of the HIV test, on average 8%,between 3.2% and 24%; and someauthors indicate that women with ahistory of physical or sexual violenceare more probable to suffer violenceas a result of reporting their [HIV]condition. 2 In LAC we frequently hearthat the partner usually humiliatesthem, accusing them of infidelity,telling them that they are no longergood for anything, and that they donot love them. Others report thatthey abuse them sexually as a wayof punishment. The violence facedby WLHA with our partners is notexclusive to heterosexual relations andcan take similar expressions in samesexcouples.Inability to NegotiateSafe SexViolence also reduces our optionsfor negotiating condom use withour partner because in relationsmarked by violence, speaking aboutsafe sex puts us at risk of sufferingfurther assaults, and even losing our2 WHO. 2003. Gender Dimensions of HIV Disclosureto Sexual Partners: Rates Barriers andOutcomes. Geneva.lives. The lack of power exposes usto infection and to re-infection: “Nothaving learned to negotiate the useof condom, we are exposed to reinfections.”Violence also reduces ourcapacity to perceive the risk or elsewhen we do, we are unable to protectourselves against re-infection, thecontraction of other STIs as well asunwanted pregnancies.Violence in the relationship isone of the main obstacles to thedevelopment of women because itdisturbs our lives; it diminishes selfrelianceand affects our self-esteem.Furthermore, it limits participationin public life, restricts choices, andimposes restrictions on informationand services, while constituting anabuse of our rights.Similar to women who do not livewith the virus, WLHA do not seek helpbecause we feel shame or lack ofconfidence; or we face more violenceif we do. We consider violence in therelationship as something private,believing that we do not have anyalternative; we focus on the children orhope that the partner will change.By Nizarindandi Picasso.Picasso holds a degree inLanguages and Literature ofHispanic Languages. CurrentManager of the Office of Womenand HIV of the Initiative ofHealth Policies, Mexico City.Member of the InternationalCommunity of Women Livingwith HIV (ICW/Mexico).nizza_picasso@yahoo.com.mxExtract from: ‘The Multiple Faces of theIntersections between HIV and ViolenceAgainst Women’ 2008Published by: Development Connections,UNIFEM, Pan American HealthOrganization, Inter-American Commissionof Women and the Latin Americanand Caribbean Women’s HealthNetworkwww.worldywca.org