Pregnant Women Living with HIV/AIDS: - Center for Reproductive ...

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Pregnant Women Living with HIV/AIDStested, and therefore many of these infections are not prevented. 73 In some health clinicsin Nigeria, it is reported that nurses do not tolerate mothers who bottle-feed theirchildren in the postnatal wards, and scold any women they see doing so. 74III. Recommendations for Governments Carrying OutPMTCT ProgramsThe following recommendations are aimed at policymakers engaged in the oversight ofPMTCT programs. These recommendations are grounded in the basic human rightsprinciples addressed in this briefing paper. Members of civil society, who play a crucialrole in ensuring governments’ compliance with human rights norms, can advocatefor adherence to these recommendations. They can do so by engaging with nationalhealth ministries, lobbying before legislative bodies, and litigating on behalf of womenwhose rights have been violated in PMTCT programs.• Remember that the woman is the patient. Do not allow prevention goals to outweighthe rights of women as patients in a health-care setting. Respect for women’sdignity and rights encourages informed decision-making among women, whowill be more willing to participate in programs once they know their decisionswill be respected.• Ensure informed consent and confidentiality. Ensure that PMTCT programs followstrict guidelines regarding informed consent and confidentiality. Where provider-initiatedtesting is the norm, develop protocols that emphasize counselingprior to soliciting patients’ consent to testing.• Reduce stigma. Integrate future PMTCT programs within prenatal care facilities.Undertake community-wide education and information initiatives in orderto combat the fear and myths surrounding HIV/AIDS.• Increase providers’ understanding of human rights. Increase training for healthcareproviders on the links between human rights and HIV/AIDS programming—particularly with regard to PMTCT programs. Ensure that PMTCT programsfollow FIGO guidelines that protect women’s rights to informed consent, confidentiality,and nondiscrimination.• Advance and protect women’s human rights. Promote women’s status in boththe home and the public sphere. Ensure that government clinics promote andprotect women’s rights and provide protection for women living with HIV/AIDSwho might suffer abuse.12 August 2005
Protecting Human Rights in Programs to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIVIV. ConclusionA lack of respect for human rights fuels the spread of HIV and exacerbates the impactof the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Strategies for HIV prevention, treatment, support, andcare are hindered when they are carried out in an environment where human rightsare not respected. 75 Governments must ensure that women’s rights are respected whenwomen access treatment, care, and testing services. Medical, health, and informationalservices must promote the dignity and equality of pregnant women living with HIV/AIDS.For PMTCT programs, this means ensuring that programs meet the requirements ofinformed consent to testing and treatment and that they operate with respect for the rightto privacy and confidentiality. Finally, all HIV testing or treatment programs must respectwomen’s dignity, and work to reduce the stigma and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Center for Reproductive Rights is indebted to Marianne Mollmann, Americas Researcher for theWomen’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, and Maria de Bruyn, Senior Policy Advisor at Ipas, forinvaluable feedback on earlier drafts of this paper. The Center for Reproductive Rights is solely responsiblefor any errors or omissions in this briefing paper.www.reproductiverights.org 13
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