Gender, women and health

Gender dimensions of HIV status disclosure to sexual partners: Rates, barriers and outcomes for women

A review paper

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Authors:
WHO Department of Gender, Women and Health; WHO Cluster of Family and Community Health

Publication details

Number of pages: 60
Languages: English
Publication date: January 2003
ISBN: 92 4 159073 4

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OVERVIEW

The purpose of this document is to synthesize the current information available on HIV status disclosure in terms of the rates, barriers and outcomes of HIV status disclosure among HIV-infected individuals. Particular emphasis is placed on women’s experiences with disclosure to sexual partners. Through a comprehensive review of the literature and a solicitation of experiences and input from researchers and practitioners in the field, the report aims to identify the major barriers and describe programmatic and policy strategies that have been adopted to address these barriers and support women through the disclosure process. The report ends with a section on recommendations for ways to move forward to increase disclosure rates and the support available to women who would like to disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners safely.