In the name of tradition and culture
Annie Banda - Coalition of Women Living with HIV and AIDS, Malawi, Hajjarah Nagadya - International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) Eastern Africa, Uganda Martha Tholanah - ICW Southern Africa, Zimbabwe
Violence against women and girls, particularly those living with HIV, remains widespread in all eastern and southern African countries, cutting across class, tradition and culture. This violence is deeply present and ingrained in our daily lives, and it often is sustained by cultures that ignore, condone, justify or encourage it in the name of tradition.
The main challenge is that in patriarchal societies, the cultural norm of masculinity is one of the key drivers of violence against women, leading some men to believe that they can treat women as their personal property. Unequal and often violent treatment of women has gone on for so long that many women and girls just accept it as part of their culture. Many have not known any other way of being treated.
As women and girls living with HIV, we face violence in our homes, our churches and places of worship, our workplaces, our schools and our health-care facilities. These places, which should be safe havens where we can seek care and support, can become places of violence, hurt and judgement.
Women Living with HIV Speak Out Against Violence
Извор: WUNRN – 04.12.2014
