Publications

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are changing the ways women experience and confront violence. Despite this, there has been little attention paid to issues arising from the intersection of ICT and violence against women. The APC WNSP regards this intersection as a critical site of intervention both for women's rights activists and those working in the ICT development and policy arena. In this context, the APC WNSP commissioned the following overview paper as part of its 12-country project, "Strengthening women's organisations use of ICTs to end violence against women and girls" supported by the Dutch government's MDG3 Fund to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. This country report highlights forms of violence against women that have received recognition in Malaysia and provides the context of ICT development and national policy objectives.

The estimated HIV prevalence in Cambodia among adults aged 15–49 years declined from 2.0% in 1998 to 0.9% in 2006 (Ministry of Health Cambodia 2008). The number of people living with HIV ⁄ AIDS at the end of 2006 was a 61 400 (Ministry of Health Cambodia, NCHADS Surveillance Unit 2008; National AIDS Authority 2008). Since 2001, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have started pilot projects to deliver antiretroviral therapy (ART) and Cambodia has successfully applied for consecutive rounds of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). In the third quarter of 2007, more than 25,000 patients were receiving ART at 48 treatment sites, approaching 80% ART coverage (National AIDS Authority 2008). This document aims to evaluate a 5-year HIV care programme (2003–2007) in the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The goal of the regional training was to help countries implement effective national response through the creation of prioritized and evidence-based NSPs that are accompanied by necessary operational, human resource and management plans, which include estimation of costs and measurable targets for monitoring and evaluation.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence is relatively lower in Sri Lanka than in other Asian countries; however, the number of HIV-infected persons has rapidly increased in recent years. A baseline study on HIV, acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS), and sexually transmitted infections (STI) knowledge, attitude, and practice was conducted at two construction sites in Sri Lanka from January to February 2007 to design an effective intervention strategy for the construction workers. Among 611 respondents (mostly males, mean age 32.8 years), nearly two-thirds lived away from home. Knowledge was fairly good on AIDS prevention but poorer on STI than on HIV. Some misconceptions were also observed. A high percentage did not consider HIV/AIDS as their own personal issue, and over 50% respondents expressed discriminatory attitudes towards HIV positives. Condom access was limited due to social and cultural norms. Mobility was not significantly associated with practice of prevention of HIV and STI. 

A regional discussion on HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships was initiated by UNAIDS through a regional meeting on Women and HIV in Cambodia in July 2006. Subsequently, UNAIDS convened a satellite session at the 8th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific at Colombo in August 2007, and some countries started to work on desk reviews. Following the recommendations of the Commission on AIDS in Asia (2008), the ASEAN Foundation, UNAIDS, UNIFEM and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together initiated the development of the evidence base on HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships in Asia through collaboration between researchers, regional networks of people living with HIV (the International Commission on Women and the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS) and the United Nations (UN). In July 2008 a regional coordination committee consisting of UN (United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNDP, UNIFEM, UNAIDS), networks of people living with HIV and the ASEAN Foundation was formed to oversee the process. UNAIDS, UNIFEM and UNDP provided technical and budget assistance to countries to carry out desk reviews and focus group discussions. A technical meeting in November 2008 that included the Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS (the Seven Sisters) provided space to review data trends and gaps from the country studies, refine the methodologies and develop a regional network for information exchange.

As the world witnesses a sharp increase in the number of women living with HIV, women leaders like those telling their stories in this publication need to be heard. Coming from different socio-economic and personal contexts in the Asia Pacific region, these women speak of the power dynamic in their relationship with men, weighted in favour of the latter. They speak of discrimination and violence that they endure, rendering them vulnerable to HIV – a lack of information about HIV, a lack of knowledge about a partner’s HIV status, an inability to negotiate sex or safe sex, because they fear violence. They speak about the stigma and discrimination they face and the burden of secrecy that weighs down on them (and women do face disproportionate discrimination when compared to men), unaffordable healthcare services and the burden of care-giving responsibilities. Emerging from the shock of testing HIV positive and the implications this has for their lives and relationships, transcending the trauma of stigma and discrimination - these women demonstrate remarkable courage in breaking the culture of silence enveloping their HIV status. They show intense resilience in picking up the pieces of their lives and deciding to LIVE, and in inspiring other HIV positive women with similar concerns, to LIVE.

This handbook covers the special needs of eight groups of prisoners, which have a particularly vulnerable status in prisons. They are: Prisoners with mental health care needs; Prisoners with disabilities; Ethnic and racial minorities and indigenous peoples; Foreign national prisoners; Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) prisoners; Older prisoners; Prisoners with terminal illness and Prisoners under sentence of death.

This report provides information compiled from three routine HIV and AIDS databases at the NDoH during the 3rd quarter of 2009. These three databases are (1) Routine HIV case reporting database (2) Routine monthly testing summary database (3) Routine monthly ART summary database.

Although HIV program evaluations focusing on mortality on ART provide important evidence on treatment effectiveness, they do not asses overall HIV program performance because they exclude patients who are eligible but not started on ART for whatever reason. The objective of this study was to measure mortality that occurs both pre-ART and during ART among HIV-positive children enrolled in two HIV-programs in Cambodia. HIV-positive children experienced a high mortality and loss-to-follow-up rates before starting ART. These program outcomes may be improved by a more timely ART initiation. Measuring overall in-program mortality as opposed to only mortality on ART is recommended in order to more accurately evaluate pediatric HIV-programs performance.

Despite an ongoing epidemic of HIV among Thai people who inject drugs (IDU), Thailand has failed to implement essential harm reduction programmes. In response, a drug user-led harm reduction centre opened in 2004 in an effort to expand reduction programming in Thailand.   We examined experiences with the Mitsampan Harm Reduction Centre (MSHRC) among IDU participating in the Mitsampan Community Research Project (Bangkok). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with MSHRC use. We also examined services used at and barriers to the MSHRC.