Testing Times? Maximising Commonality And Minimalising Conflict Within And Between Movements
The issue of HIV positive women movement's, considering its correlation to the women’s movement in general was discussed in this session.
The session analyzed the problems of HIV transmission, reproductive rights, prevention of mother to child HIV transmission.
According to the speakers, women’s movement activists could not come to a common point of view regarding the criminalization of HIV transmitting. On one hand, the criminalization was expected to protect people from HIV infection. But at the same time, based on the current experience of some African countries regarding criminalization, women’s movement should be alarmed because women become the target of the criminalization bills.
It was highlighted that the women’s movement should be undertaking more efforts to involve HIV positive women’s movements. Not all women diagnosed HIV positive are linked to the women’s movement and are ready to voice their problems from the feministic point of view, and thus it is very important to start joint actions.
Several African delegates complained about the lack of legislation protecting women from HIV and supporting HIV positive women. In the context of HIV transmission criminalization, the session participants stressed, it is often very hard to prove transmission was deliberate.
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