Intimate partner violence, relationship power inequity, and incidence of HIV infection in young women in South Africa: a cohort study

Research linking gender inequity and gender-based violence to HIV is limited. This paper assess whether intimate partner violence (IPV) and relationship power inequity increase risk of incident HIV infection in South African women.

Some of the important points demonstrated in the paper are as follows: 

• violence is a consequence of gender power inequities, and also serves to re-produce power inequities.
• power inequities allow men to have multiple partners and control their sexual encounters.
• violence prevents women from influencing the circumstances of sex, resulting in more frequent sex, and less condom use.
• evidence shows that men who perpetrate violence are more likely to be HIV infected.
  

The authors highlight the importance of effectively addressing the HIV epidemic through programmes and interventions that address violence and gender inequity in relationships. Moreover, they conclude the following:

• in rural South Africa, women who experience intimate partner violence and have high gender inequity in relationships have increased incidence of HIV infection.
• risk of incident HIV infection is not associated with rape by a non-partner.
• organisations driving HIV prevention agendas for women need to ensure that policies to build gender equity and prevent partner violence are developed and widely implemented.
• donors and researchers must invest efforts and resources in developing and testing new interventions.