What will it take to achieve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV?

This article outlines progress in realizing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls living with HIV over the last 30 years from the perspective of women living with HIV. It argues that the HIV response needs to go beyond the bio-medical aspects of HIV to achieve our sexual and reproductive health and rights, and considers relevant Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), World Health Organization, United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Global Fund and other guidelines, what engagement there has been with women living with HIV and whether guidelines/strategies have been adopted. It has been written by women living with HIV from around the world and a few key supporters. Co-authors have sought to collate and cite materials produced by women living with HIV from around the world, in the first known effort to date to do this, as a convergence of evidence to substantiate the points made in the article. However, as the article also argues, research led by women living with HIV is seldom funded and rarely accepted as evidence. Combined with a lack of meaningful involvement of women living with HIV in others' research on us, this means that formally recognized evidence from women's own perspectives is patchy at best. The article argues that this research gap, combined with the ongoing primacy of conventional research methods and topics that exclude those most affected by issues, and the lack of political will (and sometimes outright opposition) in relation to gender equality and human rights, adversely affect policies and programmes in relation to women's rights. Thus, efforts to achieve an ethical, effective and sustainable response to the pandemic are hindered. The article concludes with a call to action to all key stakeholders.

HIV and stigma in the healthcare setting.

People living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to endure stigma and discrimination in the context of health care despite global improvements in health outcomes. HIV stigma persists within healthcare settings, including dental settings, manifesting itself in myriad, intersecting ways, and has been shown to be damaging in the healthcare setting. Stigmatising practices may include excessive personal protective equipment, delaying the provision of care or unnecessary referral of PLHIV to specialist services in order to access care. The workshop entitled "HIV and Stigma in the Healthcare Setting" provided an overview of the concept and manifestation of HIV stigma and explored the disproportionate burden it places on groups that face additional disadvantages in accessing care. The final part of the workshop concluded with a review of institutional and community-based interventions that worked to reduce HIV stigma and group discussion of the ways in which these strategies might be adapted to the dental workforce.

A snapshot of reproductive and sexual health and rights of women living with HIV in Asia.

OBJECTIVE: A brief review of status of sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Asia with a focus on their access to related services. SUBJECT(S) AND METHODS: The content has primarily emerged from several meetings, workshops and research studies that regional networks of women living with HIV have conducted in the region. We used published and unpublished literature in English after the year 2000. RESULTS: We found many hindrances to realization of sexual and reproductive rights by HIV-positive women and their access to related health services. Rampant stigma and discrimination by service providers take the form of denial of contraceptive and maternal health services, forced sterilization, breach of confidentiality and disclosure of status to others without the consent of the woman. Families blaming women for bringing HIV and male partners objecting to using condoms affect the well-being of HIV-positive women. Sexual rights specifically aspects of positive sexuality such as sexual pleasure have not received attention. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the need to enhance capacities of HIV-positive women's organizations to meaningfully participate in decisions on positive women's sexual, reproductive health and rights and sensitize service providers to adequately address HIV-positive women's concerns.

Keeping our core values ALIV[H]E. Holistic, community-led, participatory and rights-based approaches to addressing the links between violence against women and girls, and HIV.

There is increasing recognition that violence against women is a barrier to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and a cause and consequence of HIV. In this viewpoint, we describe the recently published Action Linking Initiatives on Violence Against Women and HIV Everywhere (ALIV[H]E) framework [1]. The potential of this framework is explored in terms of it contributing to paradigm change to achieve the sexual and reproductive health rights of women experiencing, or living in contexts of, violence and/or HIV. We go on to suggest that a holistic approach to research and evaluation is vital to strengthen learning and expand the evidence base on violence against women and HIV.

Realizing the Promise of the Global Plan: Engaging Communities and Promoting the Health and Human Rights of Women Living With HIV.

The Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive highlighted the need to put the health and well-being of women and mothers at the center of efforts to prevent vertical transmission. This article will examine a selection of community engagement practices in 3 key areas: (1) as an accountability tool, (2) in service delivery, and (3) as a facilitator of human rights. The lived experiences of women living with HIV as recipients of and participants in services for the prevention of vertical transmission provide both the framework for an exploration of best community engagement practices and suggestions for the way forward.

Measuring for change: a new research initiative by and for people living with HIV.

Several organizations have banded together to create the People Living with HIV Stigma Index. In this article, which is based on a presentation at a concurrent session at the conference, Lucy Stackpool-Moore and Anandi Yuvaraj describe the purpose of the index and how it was developed. The authors believe that the index provides a real opportunity to measure, understand and advocate effectively to improve policies and programs and to make a real difference in the lives of people living with HIV.