Together We Must! End Violence against Women and Girls and HIV & AIDS

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) and HIV & AIDS are mutually reinforcing pandemics; the need and the opportunity for integrated approaches addressing their intersection are increasingly evident. To date, however, such strategies have not been implemented on a widespread scale. Advocates and communities working on HIV & AIDS and VAWG are just beginning to come together to explore common strategies.

This publication profiles ten organizations that are working on innovative strategies to address the intertwined pandemics. It highlights key elements to consider when implementing such strategies. They must:

employ human rights- and gender-sensitive approaches;
empower marginalized sectors of society;
promote community ownership;
build the capacity of civil society;
encourage cross-sectoral integration; and
facilitate linkages between advocates and activists within the HIV & AIDS and VAWG movements.

The publication is organized around four broad-based strategies for tackling the intersection:

Community mobilization to transform harmful gender norms;
Engagement of marginalized groups that are often more vulnerable to the twin pandemics;
Development of integrated approaches to support and care;
Advocacy for greater accountability among funding agencies and policy makers.

Collectively, these strategies offer valuable lessons and promising practices for other organizations and highlight the need for formal evaluations of such initiatives to better understand and enhance their impact.

Together We Must! represents an initial effort to draw attention to the knowledge, institutional capacity and resources needed to comprehensively address the intersection between HIV & AIDS and VAWG. The aim is to stimulate debate and collaboration among practicioners and advocates around how to identify and promote effective prevention policies and practices that can be adapted to various contexts.

This is a joint publication of UNIFEM and ActionAid.