NNEDV Recognizes World AIDS Day

December 1, 2014

Today is World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to bringing awareness to HIV/AIDS, uniting our communities to end the spread of this virus, and honoring those who lost their lives to AIDS.

Today we bring awareness to the intersection of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence. We know that fifty-five percent of women living with HIV report violence against them from an intimate partner – more than double the national average. [1] It is critical that we support women living with HIV who are also survivors of gendered violence, since we also know that individuals who have experienced recent trauma are four times more likely to have antiretroviral failure. [1]

In response to the growing need, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) developed the Positively Safe program in 2010. Positively Safe aims to improve services and resources that address the intersection of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence and to build partnerships between service providers, advocates, and allies in these fields. By fostering these partnerships, we leverage the expertise in both fields, provide a holistic approach to services, and build a stronger safety net for each survivor.

Our goal of the Positively Safe program is to prevent the spread of the disease by linking HIV+ women to domestic and sexual violence services when needed, and by linking survivors of violence to HIV testing and care. Through this approach, we are working toward the global vision for an AIDS-free generation – embodying the theme of World AIDS Day 2014: “Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation.”

Positively Safe has conducted trainings for state and local organizations that expanded the knowledge of service providers in both fields about the intersection of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS as well as facilitated the creation of partnerships between the two fields. We created a resource toolkit that provides informational and educational materials to support best practices and services to survivors around the intersection of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. Positively Safe continues to provide webinars, trainings, and additional resources to both fields on supporting survivors of domestic violence living with or at risk for HIV.

To join the conversation on social media, use the hashtag #WAD2014. We will be sharing facts and infographics throughout the day!

[1] Machtinger et al. (2012). Recent Trauma is Associated with Antiretroviral Failure and HIV Transmission Risk Behavior Among HIV- Positive Women and Female-Identified Transgenders. Springer Science + Business Media.