If I kept it to myself - World YWCA

If I kept it to myself
advocacy plans for SRR, coordinating research
projects and development of information
materials, contracting and managing research
consultants and associates. I represent ICW’s
views and calls on SRR in key strategic and
policy meetings and at other international
events. I highlight the stigma, discrimination,
and hardship that women living with HIV face in
the context of sexual and reproductive rights at
events that I attend.
As a young woman living with HIV and AIDS, I
affirm the need for reproductive health services
to support young women on issues around
sexuality. Sexual pleasure is a right even for
those who are HIV positive. I am disturbed that
when a young woman discloses her positive
status, it is taken for granted that she has ceased
to be sexually active. The situation is worse
when we wish to have babies. When HIV positive
woman is found to be pregnant, she can expect
to be asked, “How did you get pregnant in the
first place?”
The research undertaken by ICW on sexual
and reproductive health for women living with
AIDS in French speaking African countries has
revealed that HIV positive women’s sexual and
reproductive health is not a priority in national
and international policies in the response to HIV
and AIDS in the 12 countries studied.
I act as an advisor on SRR issues to ICW
partners; women’s organisations and UN bodies
like UNAIDS, WHO and UNFPA. HIV positive
women lack access to knowledge about their
status and they face obstacles in preventing
and terminating unwanted pregnancy. Many
lack access to prevent mother to child (PMTCT)
transmission and they are normally stigmatised
and discriminated against when seeking
reproductive health care. I believe that there
should be no separation between HIV and AIDS
and reproductive health services because people
need the right information to decide their future,
given that more than 90 percent of adult HIV
infections, particularly in Africa, occur through
heterosexual transmission.
Although each woman living with HIV and AIDS
has her own story to tell, many of our stories
are similar and reflect the position of women in
society. HIV can take away your health, but it
cannot take love away. As a woman living with
HIV, I still have relationships with friends, family
and colleagues. Sometimes these relationships
are destroyed because of fear and lack of
knowledge about HIV and AIDS, however, things
are not all negative. It is possible to live a positive
life with HIV. Stigma and discrimination can be
overcome.
Postscript
Promise Mthembu is the founder of the African
Microbicides Advocacy Group, the Gender AIDS
Forum of South Africa. She is also a steering
committee member for the Global Campaign for
Microbicides of the Global Coalition on Women
and AIDS, and is a member of the South African
Youth Council, Treatment Action Campaign,
Young Women’s Network, the Global Network of
People Living with HIV and AIDS, the KwaZulu
Natal Cerebral Palsy Association, Society for
International Development, Reproductive Rights
Alliance of South Africa, Catholic Institute for
International Relations, AIDS Legal Network,
and an advisory member on HIV and AIDS and
women for the Ethical Globalisation Initiative.
90
Born: 1974
Country: South Africa
Organisations: ICW, TAC,
African Microbicides
Advocacy Group (AMAG)
Campaigns for: sexual
and reproductive rights
of HIV positive women