Resources on the Intersection of Women, HIV and Violence

Table of Contents

• Hotlines/Resources for Women
• Personal Stories and Resources
• Scientific Data and Clinical Efforts
• Reports
• Policy Efforts
• Publications
• Community-Based Fact Sheets and Toolkits

There is a well-established and strong link between women, violence, and HIV. Because several ongoing efforts try to bring awareness to and address this global health problem, The Well Project pulled together a list of resources for those who wish to learn more and take action.

Below you will find links not only to scientific and policy data demonstrating the connection between violence against women and HIV, but also to survivors' personal stories and community-based fact sheets. These resources include an issues brief published by the Women's Research Initiative on HIV/AIDS, a program of The Well Project. If you wish to have a resource added to this list, please email us at info@thewellproject.org.

Hotlines/Resources for Women:

Most importantly: if you are feeling threatened right now, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence hotline in the US at 800-799-SAFE [1-800-799-7233; or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)]. You can also search for a safe space online at Domestic Shelters (https://www.domesticshelters.org/). 

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline or 800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233)
• Resources by State
• Domestic Shelters: https://www.domesticshelters.org/
• Hot Peach Pages (for resources worldwide): http://www.hotpeachpages.net/index.html
• Pathways to Safety International (formerly Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center): https://pathwaystosafety.org/the-crisis-center/
• Domestic Violence National/Global Resources (DomesticShelters.org): https://www.domesticshelters.org/national-global
• Helpful Lists for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors (Domestic Shelters): https://www.domesticshelters.org/domestic-violence-lists

Personal Stories and Resources

• #PWNCares 1: Living & Loving Well with HIV (video; Positive Women's Network - USA)
• Empowered: Women, HIV, & Intimate Partner Violence (video; Greater than AIDS)
• My Depression, Trauma, HIV and Getting Help by Maria Mejia
• A Girl Like Me! by Michelle Anderson
• Forgiveness (Traumas from my childhood and teenage years) by Maria Mejia
• Domestic Violence/Abuse by Jyoti Dhawale-Surve
• Domestic Violence: Silence=Death by Angel S (video; PWN-USA)
• The Medea Project (including videos and blogs)
• Martha's and Jay's Journeys, Part 1 (Christie's Place)
• Martha's and Jay's Journeys, Part 2 (Christie's Place)

Scientific Data and Clinical Efforts

• Domestic Violence Doubles Risk for Death of HIV-Positive Women (POZ)
• The Intersection of Women, Violence, Trauma, and HIV (AIDS United, PDF)
• Transforming Services, Transforming the Epidemic: Embracing Trauma-Informed Care at Christie's Place (AIDS United)
• Trauma Drives HIV Epidemic in Women (University of California – San Francisco)

Reports

• Impact of Lifetime Trauma, Abuse and Violence on Women Living with HIV (Sept 30, 2015; Positive Women's Network – USA, PDF)
• The Connection Between Women With HIV and Domestic Abuse (Oct 25, 2015; HIVEqual Online)
• Executive Summary: Strategy Meeting on Trauma-Informed Primary Care for US Women Living with HIV (Aug 22-23, 2013; Positive Women's Network – USA & Women's HIV Program at University of California – San Francisco, PDF)
• Executive Summary: Technical Summit on Women, HIV, and Violence (Feb 13-14, 2014; AIDS United, PDF)
• The Intersection of Violence and Trauma with HIV among Women: Issue Brief (Jun 2014; Women's Research Initiative on HIV/AIDS, PDF)
• Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence and HIV in Women (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PDF)
• Criminalization as Violence Against Women Living with HIV (Positive Women's Network -USA)
• Issue Brief: Stopping Violence Against Women and Girls for Effective HIV Responses  (The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, PDF)

Policy Efforts

• National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
• Presidential Memorandum – Establishing a Working Group on the Intersection of HIV/AIDS, Violence Against Women and Girls, and Gender-related Health Disparities. Mar 30, 2012 (The White House archive)
• Healing Trauma and Ending Violence Against Women Are Crucial for Improving HIV Health Outcomes: Moving From Recommendations to Action, Mar 2014 (Positive Women's Network – USA, PDF)
• Exploring the Critical Intersection: Women, Violence, & HIV.  Congressional Hearing,  Oct 14, 2014 (AIDS United, PDF)
• Addressing the Interaction of HIV/AIDS, Violence against Women and Girls, & Gender-Related Health Disparities: Interagency Working Group Report, Sep 2013 (The White House, via The Center for HIV Law & Policy)
• Addressing Violence and Trauma in the Lives of Women with HIV: Toward Policy and Programmatic Solutions, Nov 7, 2014 (Positive Women's Network – USA webinar slides, PDF)

Publications

• HIV Risk Characteristics Associated with Violence Against Women: A Longitudinal Study Among Women in the United States (Montgomery et al, Journal of Women's Health, Jun 2018)
• Psychological Trauma and PTSD in HIV-Positive Women: A Meta-Analysis (Machtinger et al, AIDS and Behavior, Nov 2012)
• Recent trauma is associated with antiretroviral failure and HIV transmission risk behavior among HIV-positive women and female-identified transgenders (Machtinger et al, AIDS and Behavior, Nov 2012)
• Untangling the Intersection of HIV & Trauma: Why It Matters and What We Can Do  (GMHC, POZ, Sept 2013)
• Violence Against Women and Girls, The Lancet (special issue, Nov 21, 2014)
• The Lancet Series on Violence Against Women and Girls (PowerPoint slides; Nov 21, 2014)
• An expressive therapy group disclosure intervention for women living with HIV improves social support, self-efficacy, and the safety and quality of relationships: A qualitative analysis (Machtinger et al, in Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care; Mar/Apr 2015)
• From Treatment to Healing: The Promise of Trauma-Informed Primary Care (Machtinger et al, in Women's Health Issues, May-June 2015)
• Trauma Informed Care — Improving Services, Saving Lives (AIDS United and Christie's Place, Nov 2017)

Community-Based Fact Sheets and Toolkits

• Violence Against Women and HIV (The Well Project)
• Trauma and HIV (The Well Project)
• Violence Against Women and HIV (World Health Organization)
• Stigma and Discrimination Against Women Living with HIV (The Well Project)
• National Day of Action to End Violence Against WLHIV (Positive Women's Network-USA)
• Trauma and HIV: A Call for Intersectional Approaches (The Huffington Post, blog post by Charles Stephens & Naina Khanna)
• SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma Informed Approach (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
• Sexual Abuse of Elderly Women (Nursing Home Abuse Center)
• Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS Toolkit (National Network to End Domestic Violence)
• Understand the Linkages Between HIV/AIDS and Violence Against Women and Girls (UN Women)
• The Facts on Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS (Futures without Violence, PDF)