International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) Vision Paper #4: HIV Positive Women and Human Rights (2004)

The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) describes and advocates for a human rights approach to dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Paper outlines some of the many denials of human rights that women, and particularly women with HIV/AIDS, face worldwide. The paper discusses forced sex work, marital rape, the unwillingness of male partners to negotiate condom use, and unfair property distribution practices. Ultimately, the Paper concludes, the HIV/AIDS crisis must be addressed as a human rights crisis, and especially a crisis of worldwide gender inequality. The paper calls for global action to secure human rights for women and HIV-positive people, and lists some organizations doing relevant human rights advocacy. This resource may be valuable for advocates seeking to address socio-economic and gender issues as they relate to HIV, and for medical staff or others seeking effective means of preventing the spread of HIV.