In human’s perception family is usually a space where we feel safe and sane, get love and warmth each of us deserves. Generally we don’t even imagine that our partner, husband or wife can harm our physical and mental health. Usually we are aware about HIV and its transition modes, empathize and understand people living with HIV, but never imagine that HIV can live with us: in our partner’s or own body. Moreover, one of the widespread perceptions in our reality is that woman’s loyalty to her partner or husband will never put her on risk of getting HIV or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These attitudes towards HIV make our family members, especially women more vulnerable to HIV.
During the last decades HIV prevention activities became priorities all over the world, including Armenia. HIV epidemic trends in Armenia has its characteristic features. According to National Centre for AIDS Prevention statistics (April, 2016) heterosexual intercourse is the main mode of HIV transmission (65%)` male-female transmission mode. Besides, according to Annual Report of Ministry of Health and National Center for AIDS Prevention (2015) the majority of registered HIV patients were infected abroad (2014: 57%), as the main labor migration flows from Armenia are to the countries with higher HIV prevalence, in particular to Russia. According to the same report 26 HIV positive pregnant women were registered in 2014 which was the largest number of HIV cases among pregnant women. 56% of those women’s partners were migrants infected abroad. 15 HIV positive pregnant women were registered in 2013, 87% of their partners were migrants who were infected abroad.
Consequently, both the existing situation in Armenia and perceptions of woman’s role in the family create bases for assumption that the cases, when men working abroad transmit HIV infection to their family members, particularly to their partners or women, are frequent. This is one of the main reasons in Armenia, that women become more vulnerable towards getting HIV.
Women’s vulnerability towards getting HIV in the family is also influenced by domestic violence that is widespread in Armenia. According to OSCE statistics (2011) 60% of women were subjected to one or more forms of domestic violence during their lifetime. Moreover, 784 domestic violence cases were recorded by Armenian security forces in 2015, as well as the member organizations of “Coalition to stop violence against women” register more than 2,000 domestic violence calls each year.
Talking about the vulnerability towards getting HIV in domestic violence context, it is quite hard to comprehend its expressions especially in family environment. According to the cases registered by Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS one of the expressions in Armenia is when HIV positive husband who receives antiretroviral treatment doesn’t inform about having HIV and transmits infection to his partner or wife. Apart of the fact that this is a form of physical violence, it is also a criminal offense (“Act of the Republic of Armenia on Prevention of Disease Caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)”). As a form of psychological violence can occur when husband restricts his wife and/or children to get tested for HIV or to receive antiretroviral treatment in the case of being HIV positive. Another form of violence can be insults or accusations because of being HIV positive. All these factors increase the risk of getting HIV, as well as restrict women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Women’s ability to protect themselves from getting HIV and from the related forms of violence and discrimination is important in HIV prevention movement in Armenia and generally in our region. In this regard, women’s awareness about HIV, its transition modes and country specific risks, as well as about the forms of domestic violence and discrimination is essential.
Though HIV is not far from our families, each of us has an opportunity and ability to protect own and our family’s physical and mental health that each of us deserves.
Lilit Avetisyan
Abbreviations
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
OSCE – Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
References
http://ccmarmenia.am/images/uploads/HIV-epid-surveillance-arm.pdf
https://coalitionagainstviolence.am/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Femicide_Report_ARM.pdf?be05b6
http://www.unfpa.am/stis-hiv-aids
http://www.who.int/countries/arm/en/
http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1574&lang=arm#4