What Works for Women and Girls

Sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life encompassing sex, gender identitiesand roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction. Sexuality isexperienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors,practices, roles and relationships.Sexually transmitted infections are infections that are spread primarily through person-topersonsexual contact.Social marketing is the use of marketing techniques to improve social well-being by changingattitudes and behavior in regard to a specific product or concept.Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (SIL) are precancerous abnormalities of the cervix that canprogress to cervical cancer.Training programs are programs aimed at the acquisition of defined skills.Unintended Pregnancy is one that is either mistimed or unwanted at the time of conception.Violence Against Women can include physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, andit cuts across boundaries of age, race, culture, wealth and geography. It takes place in the home,on the streets, in schools, the workplace, in farm fields, refugee camps, during conflicts andcrises. It has many manifestations — from the most universally prevalent forms of domesticand sexual violence, to harmful practices, abuse during pregnancy, so-called honour killingsand other types of femicide.Viral Load refers to the amount of HIV virus in the blood.Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), the most widely implemented model of HIV counselingand testing, in which people specifically seek the HIV test. In this model, people receivecounseling about their risks for HIV, obtain an HIV test, learn their HIV status, receive counselingon how to cope with the test results and implications, and develop a plan with a providerto minimize their risk of acquiring HIV or transmitting the virus to others. The VCT modelemphasizes pretest counseling, a risk assessment, and the voluntary seeking of the test.Window Period is the period of time between when a person is first infected with HIV andwhen they develop antibodies, usually between two weeks and three months, and sometimesup to six months. During the window period standard antibody tests would test negative, butthe person is still infectious to others.Women’s Empowerment refers to the political, economic, and social advancement of women.392 GLOSSARY OF TERMS