Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS - Groups - Action Tools

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From:	joya banerjee [ profile ]
Subject:	FW: WHiPT report on women and MMC
Sent:	Dec 21st, 2010 - 07:32:23
Attachments:	Women and MMC.pdf

	Hi GYCA Attached is a very interesting report (Making Medical Male Circumcision Work for Women) by WHiPT, an initiative to involve women's community voices in HIV prevention by AVAC and ATHENA Network. Key Findings: There is general support from women participating in WHiPT for the implementation of medical male circumcision (MMC) as an HIV prevention strategy. However, these women qualified their support with various statements. In general, women who participated lack detailed factual knowledge of the benefits and risks of MMC for HIV prevention. Many women interviewed believe erroneously that they would be directly protected against HIV if their partners were medically circumcised. Country studies highlighted a perceived belief among women interviewed that traditional male circumcision (which has not been evaluated for its HIV prevention benefits) might afford the same protection as MMC for HIV prevention. Women from some communities participating in WHiPT reported a conflation of female genital mutilation1 and medical male circumcision, including the perception that both would reduce the risk of HIV infection. For women to access and act on information related to MMC and HIV, the information needs to be tailored to women. Also, the socio-cultural context and the realities of women, particularly in traditional male circumcising communities, need to be taken into account. The majority of WHiPT participants perceive that MMC might lead to an increase in gender-based violence (GBV) and heightened stigma for women living with HIV. This would be a result of circumcised mens misperceptions that they are not HIV-positive and/or cannot transmit the virus. Thus sex and/or safer sex would be less negotiable than before circumcision, putting women at greater risk for GBV. 74 percent of women reported existing gender-based violence in their communities 54 percent of respondents say MMC could increase gender-based violence 8 percent say theyre currently very comfortable asking their sexual partners to use condoms 48 percent are not at all comfortable asking their partners to use condoms Joya

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