Update on Efforts to Address the Intersection of HIV/AIDS, Violence Against Women and Girls, and Gender Related Health Disparities (2014)

On March 30th 2012, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum, “creating an interagency Federal Working Group to explore the intersection of HIV/AIDS, violence against women and girls, and gender-related health disparities.” The Interagency Federal Working Group (IAFWG) issued its introductory findings in a report focused on:

(1) improving the health of women through screening for HIV and IPV;
(2) addressing experienced violence and trauma by women;
(3) Identifying and addressing risk factors that are particular to women and girls living with HIV;
(4) expanding preventative measures, public outreach and providing education; and
(5) supporting research efforts on the intersection of HIV and IPV to improve understanding of the problem and develop interventions.

This October 2014 Update to the report highlights the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV, and how communities and the government have responded to the impact of this growing epidemic. It further identifies the agencies involved in addressing this epidemic and summarizes the efforts that have been implemented by the IAFWG in five targeted areas.

While the Update indicates that current initiatives are a step in the right direction, it stresses that further efforts need to be implemented to adequately address IPV and HIV among women and girls.