This guide is one of a series of good practice guides, and contains information, strategies and resources to help HIV programmers identify and meet the needs of women and girls in all their diversity.
Evidence shows that HIV flourishes in conditions of inequality and lack of accountability. In many countries, HIV prevalence continues to rise among women, especially adolescent girls, young women and women from key populations.
The relationship between gender and HIV is two-fold: while gender affects susceptibility to HIV and the impact of HIV, HIV also influences gender inequality and human rights more generally.
This guide considers the many ways in which gender and HIV interact, and how this is influenced by variables such as education, income, age, ethnicity, race, disability, migrant status, health, location, and sexual orientation.
It contains tools, evidence and good practice to ensure that HIV programming responds to and addresses harmful gender norms, structures and stereotypes that act as a barrier to HIV prevention, treatment and care, and the realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
This good practice guide contains information, strategies and resources to help meet the Alliance good practice standards for gender-transformative HIV programming for women and girls in all their diversity. Implementing these standards is one of the ways that the Alliance secretariat, Linking Organisations (LOs) and other organisations work with can define and promote a unified, quality-driven approach to HIV programming.
The Alliance HIV programming standards can be used at any time in the programme cycle to assess and share good practice; to help develop proposals and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks; design and refine interventions; and for community-led advocacy.
- Good practice standard 1: Organisation is committed to a gender-responsive approach and to advancing gender equality.
- Good practice standard 2: Organisation promotes the human rights of children, young people and adults of all gender identities and sexual orientations.
- Good practice standard 3: Organisation’s programmes and advocacy are based on a comprehensive gender analysis that recognises and takes into account the intersectional nature of gender issues and the experiences of women and girls in all their diversity.
- Good practice standard 4: Organisation is committed to the meaningful involvement of women and girls living with and most affected by HIV at all stages of programme design and implementation, including planning, monitoring and evaluation.
- Good practice standard 5: Programmes and advocacy promote the active participation, empowerment and leadership of women and girls in all their diversity in all decision-making that affects their lives.
- Good practice standard 6: Organisation’s programme activities are designed to prevent and address genderbased violence (GBV) in all its forms in the context of and the response to HIV, and are designed and implemented in such a way that recognises and minimises the risk of GBV within HIV programming. Our organisation promotes and/or provides access to competent services for people who have experienced GBV in the context of HIV, and advocates for the integration of GBV and HIV programmes and services.
- Good practice standard 7: Organisation’s programming is designed to promote and contribute to the full realisation of the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and girls in all their diversity, including those living with and most affected by HIV.
- Good practice standard 8: Organisation’s programmes address harmful gender norms and practices that make some people vulnerable to HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems, or that limit access to services.
- Good practice standard 9: Organisation is working to ensure that national laws and policies do not criminalise or stigmatise people because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
You can download this guide for free here.
