16 Days of ‘Changing the River’s Flow’, SAfAIDS Hosts National Discussion Forum

Posted by sabina on December 2, 2009

Pretoria, South Africa 1 December 2009

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) will host a Discussion Forum on the 3rd of December 2009 at the Lynnwood Conference Centre in Lynwood, Pretoria.

The Discussion Forum is convened on the topic ‘empowering men as a strategy to empower women’ and aims to attract participation from civil society, government, academics and the media.

Violence against women (VAW) has been termed “the single most visible indicator of the unequal power relations between men and women”. In Africa, VAW is largely driven by harmful cultural and traditional beliefs and practices. Research shows that experiencing violence, whether in the private or public domain, significantly increases a woman’s risk of contracting HIV.

There is a growing realisation among stakeholders that unless they take into consideration the role played by harmful cultural practices and VAW in HIV transmission, the most well-intentioned efforts cannot meaningfully address the HIV epidemic.

Realising that violence against women has achieved epidemic proportions and that concrete actions need to taken to stem the tide, more groups and individuals, including men and boys, are getting involved in efforts to prevent and address the violations of women’s human rights. As well as action by individuals, communities and organisations, there has also been significant progress at national level as many countries have adopted laws and comprehensive action plans.

The objectives of the discussion are to provide an overview of the violence against women epidemic in South Africa as well as to discuss how important it is to involve men at all levels in VAW mitigation and prevention efforts, and consequently in the reduction of HIV prevalence in southern Africa.

Key to the discussion will be the sharing of Best Practices and research findings around men’s involvement from presenters and stakeholders working in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

It is hoped that at the end of the Discussion Forum participants will be able to appreciate the importance of involving men in interventions and programmes aimed at realising a reduction in VAW and HIV rates in the region.

For more information on this Discussion Forum please contact:
Petronella Mugoni at petronella@safaids.net
You can also call +27 12 361 0889/0899