What Works for Women and Girls

1. Prevention, treatment and services are needed for refugees—including young people,particularly at the end of an armed conflict. Studies found low levels of HIV knowledgeand condom use among IDPs. End of war may increase HIV transmission.Gap noted, for example, in Ecuador and Colombia (Guayasamin and Quizhpe, 2008);Sri Lanka (Mohamed, 2008); Angola (Strand et al., 2007).2. Interventions are needed to increase the income-generating capacity of female refugeesin order to counteract the need for survival and/or transactional sex. Studies found thatwomen would exchange sex for food and fuel.Gap noted, for example, generally (Hankins et al., 2002, Women’s Commission forRefugee Women and Children, 2002: 21) and in Liberia (Abdullai et al., 2002 cited inLawday, 2002: 10) and Sudan (WHO, 1999 cited in Lawday, 2002: 11).3. Interventions combating rape and sexual violence are urgently needed in refugee, IDP andconflict settings. Studies found that women in IDPs suffer from high rates of violence andare at high risk of acquiring HIV.Gap noted, for example, Democratic Republic of Congo (Kim et al., 2009b, United StatesInstitute for Peace, 2001 cited in Lawday, 2002: 11); Uganda (Anderson et al., 2004);Rwanda (Mujawayo and Blewitt, 1999 cited in Lawday, 2002: 5, RHR Consortium, ND);Tanzania (RHR Consortium, ND).4E. Prevention for Key Affected Populations: MigrantWomen and Female Partners of Male MigrantsWomen and men migrate for any number of reasons: lack of food or employment opportunities,war, etc. “In much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, millions of people living inpoverty have no viable employment opportunities close to home, forcing individuals to migratefrom their communities in search of…a means to provide economic resources for their families.Because of changing market demands and socioeconomic norms, women have becomean increasingly larger proportion of the migrant population” (Wardlow, 2007; Krishnan et al.,2008:104; Pirkle et al., 2007).Migrants from a number of countries and regions may be at increased risk for HIV. Areview of women migrants from Asia who go to Arab States, with 307 interviews in Bangladesh,Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan; 95 interviews of female migrants in United ArabEmirates; 103 interviews in Bahrain; and 66 interviews in Lebanon with returnees of womenwho are HIV-positive found that migrant women have poor access to even basic informationabout HIV; poor wages often lead to sexual exploitation; mandatory HIV testing occurs withoutcounseling or informed consent; and deportation of HIV-positive women to their country oforigin (UNDP, 2008, Quesada, 2008).106 CHAPTER 4 PREVENTION FOR KEY AFFECTED POPULATIONS