Are Women Who Experience Gender-Based Violence at a Higher Risk of HIV/AIDS Infections? A Comparative Analysis

Sunita Kishor, ORC Macro

Gender-based violence (GBV) is being increasingly acknowledged as both a risk factor for HIV/AIDS and a possible consequence of actions and behaviors related to HIV/AIDS. Despite the increasing evidence, however, it is unclear how generalizable the findings are or how exactly GBV increases women's risks of acquiring the infection. Accordingly, this paper uses Demographic and Health Surveys data to examine how and whether women's experience of spousal violence measured at the household level compromises their ability to avoid HIV infection in four developing countries, namely Cambodia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic (DR), and Zambia. The HIV/AIDS risk factors specifically examined in relation to women's experience of violence include knowledge of HIV/AIDS and ways of avoiding infection, condom access and use, number of sexual partners, spousal communication, and having an STI and getting it treated. Analysis is done using multivariate statistical techniques.